Adobe InDesign CS4 - Manual (Page 454)

446 USING INDESIGN CS4
Color
Delete individual swatches
When you delete a swatch that has been applied to an object in the document, InDesign prompts you for a replacement
swatch. You can designate an existing or unnamed swatch. If you delete a swatch used as the basis of a tint or mixed
ink, you will be prompted to choose a replacement.
1 Select one or more swatches.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Delete Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
• Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Swatches panel.
Note: You cannot delete spot colors that are used by placed graphics in the document. To delete these colors, you must
first delete the graphic. However, in rare cases the spot color cannot be removed even though the graphic has been
removed. In such instances, use File > Export to create an InDesign Interchange (INX) file. Then re-open that file in
InDesign.
3 InDesign asks you how to replace the swatch you’re deleting. Do one of the following, and click OK:
• To replace all instances of the swatch with another swatch, click Defined Swatch, and choose a swatch in the menu.
• To replace all instances of the swatch with an equivalent unnamed color, click Unnamed Swatch.
Delete all unused swatches
1 Choose Select All Unused in the Swatches panel menu. Only swatches that are not currently used in the active file
will be selected.
2 Click the Delete icon.
Merge swatches
When you import swatches or copy items from other documents, you may end up with duplicate swatches that may
be applied to different objects. Use the Merge Swatches command to combine duplicate swatches.
1 In the Swatches panel, select two or more duplicate swatches.
The first swatch you select is the one the survives (gets merged into).
2 Choose Merge Swatches in the Swatches panel menu.
Save swatches for use in other documents
To use your color swatches in other files or to share them with other designers, you can save swatches in an Adobe
Swatch Exchange (.ase) file. InDesign, as well as Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, can import swatches from a
Colorbook file.
1 In the Swatches panel, select the swatches you want to save.
2 Choose Save Swatches in the Swatches panel menu.
3 Specify a name and location for the file, and click Save.
Share swatches between applications
You can share the solid swatches you create in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign by saving a swatch library for
exchange. The colors appear exactly the same across applications as long as your color settings are synchronized.
1 In the Swatches panel, create the process and spot color swatches you want to share, and remove any swatches you
don’t want to share.
Updated 18 June 2009