Select Window > Color > Swatches to open the Swatches panel.
- What's new
-
Get started
- Cloud document management options
- System and product info
-
Settings and preferences
- Create and manage workspaces
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Customize panels
- Interface preferences
- Zoom and view options
- Set general preferences
- Reset document settings and preferences
- Customize menus
- Change screen modes
- Search options to find and replace
- Undo and redo edits
- Manage document states using History Panel
- Recover documents
- Export and import user settings
- Adjust text display quality
- Scale the user interface
- Toolbox
-
Create and organize pages
- Import and convert file to InDesign
- Create documents
- Create and manage parent pages
- Create and manage book files
-
Arrange and order pages
- Add new pages to a document
- Target or select pages or spreads
- Change page and spread display
- Create color labels for page thumbnails
- Redistribute spreads and pages
- Move pages
- Duplicate pages and spreads
- Hide and unhide spreads
- Split a page from the spread
- Rotate the spread view
- Delete a page or spread
- Manage layers
- Page numbers, chapters, and sections
-
Layout and grid tools
- Apply layout adjustments
- Rulers and measure tools
-
Grids
- Create and customize layout grids
- Use a baseline grid
- Use a document grid
- Convert between text frames and frame grids
- Set frame grid properties
- Show or hide frame grid character count
- Show or hide grids
- Snap objects to grids
- Create and apply named grids to frames
- Edit or delete named grids
- Import grid formats from other documents
- Generative AI features
-
Add and manage text
- Add and manage text frames
- Add and import text
- Type on a path
- Conditional and variable text
-
Format and style text
-
Text styles
- Create and edit text styles
- Override text styles
- Delete text styles
- Add and manage text styles from CC libraries
- Find and replace text styles
- Map styles to export tags
- Apply sequential text styles to multiple paragraphs
- Break the link between text and its style
- Auto-style text
- Apply style pack presets or create a style pack
- Manage style packs
- Map Word styles to InDesign text styles
- Create GREP styles
- Create nested styles
- End or remove a nested style
- Character formatting
-
Tabs, indents, and spacing
- About kerning and tracking
- Adjust kerning between characters
- Adjust text spacing with tracking
- Adjust text baseline and vertical position
- Adjust text spacing
- Control glyph scaling
- Highlight spacing issues
- Set and repeat tabs
- Edit and manage tab settings
- Specify characters for decimal tabs
- Set indents
- Composition and text wrapping
- Lists and numbering
-
Text styles
- Fonts
-
Language and proofing
- Language settings
-
Arabic and Hebrew
- Set up World-Ready composers for Arabic and Hebrew
- Control text direction for Arabic and Hebrew
- Justify Arabic text with automatic Kashida insertion
- Apply ligatures to Arabic and Hebrew text
- Adjust diacritical marks and coloring in Arabic text
- Set digit types for Arabic and Hebrew text
- Copy and paste Arabic and Hebrew text from Microsoft Word
-
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
- About Mojikumi and Yakumono in Japanese layout
- Spacing classes and Yakumono types
- Apply Yakumono character types in layout
- Customize Mojikumi spacing sets
- Set spacing priorities in Mojikumi character classes
- Adjust spacing around Japanese punctuation
- Use Kinsoku settings
- Format CJK text
- Add and update Warichu options
- Apply Shatai to text
- Rotate characters in East Asian text
- Adjust aki before and after characters
- Apply Tate‑chu‑yoko in vertical text
- Add and format Ruby text annotations
- Apply Kenten to text
- Set Character Alignment for East Asian text
- Set Gyoudori for Japanese text
-
Glyphs, characters, and expressions
- Insert glyphs and special characters
- Open and view glyphs
- Replace characters with glyphs
- Find and replace glyphs
- Construct a GREP expression
- Find and replace items using queries
- Hidden character glossary
- View or show hidden characters
- Create and insert math expressions
- Edit math expressions
- Stylize math expressions
- Find and replace with text patterns (GREP)
- Save and manage find and replace queries
- Manage language dictionaries
- Spell check
-
Indexes and references
- Add a Table of Contents
- Footnotes and endnotes
- Create an Index
- References and bookmarks
-
Add graphics and media
-
Add and edit graphics
- Generate images with text prompts
- Extend images beyond borders
- Apply effects to text and shapes
- Add images to documents
- Add and manage graphics from CC libraries
- Edit images
- Import Firefly assets
- Import options for Adobe files
- Import options for image formats
- Import Illustrator graphics
- Use Adobe Stock images
- Create contact sheets
- Manage frames and objects
- Object libraries and snippets
-
Transform and arrange objects
- Move, scale, rotate, shear, and flip objects
- Transform multiple objects and repeat transformations
- Object transformation settings and options
- About anchored objects
- Transform anchored objects
- Create and position anchored objects
- Manage and update anchored objects
- Group and lock objects
- Create hidden and nonprinting objects
- Align or distribute objects
- Manage links
- Manage object styles
- Movies and sound
- Animation
- Page transitions
-
Add and edit graphics
-
Add tables and data
- Create tables
- Format tables
- Table and cell styles
- Strokes and fills
-
Interactive elements and forms
- Buttons
- Hyperlinks
- QR Codes
- Forms and PDFs
-
Create lines and shapes
- Drawing tools
- Draw lines and shapes
- Edit and style paths
- Combine and convert paths
-
Apply color
-
Define and manage color assets
- Apply color to text, objects, and backgrounds
- Mix and define custom colors
- Organize and reuse color swatches
- Add and manage colors from CC libraries
- Sample colors from placed graphics
- Apply colors to grayscale images
- Find and replace colors
- Swatch types
- Create and define new swatches
- Modify and delete swatches
- Import and share swatch libraries
- Create and edit tints
- Create mixed ink swatches and groups
- Edit and convert mixed ink swatches
-
Advanced color techniques
- Apply opacity and transparency effects
- Transparency effects options and settings
- Change transparency display settings
- Apply blending modes
- Blending mode options
- Control blending with isolation and knockouts
- Create and name gradient swatches
- Modify and adjust gradients
- Transparency flattening overview
- Apply flattener presets for output
- Create custom transparency flattener presets
- Transparency Flattener preset options
- Fix transparency flattener preview
-
Define and manage color assets
-
Collaborate and review
- Track changes and review
-
Share and collaborate
- Share for review overview
- Share documents with review links
- Review a shared InDesign document
- Manage feedback for shared documents
- Edit InDesign documents with InCopy on the web (beta)
- View custom fonts
- Invite collaborators to edit cloud documents
- Import PDF comments
- Create and share projects
- Add files to projects
-
Edit with InCopy
- About assignment files between InDesign and InCopy
- Set user identification
- Set up assignment packages for InCopy workflows
- Create and manage assignments
- Relink or unlink assignment files
- Open and update managed content
- Check in and check out content
- Save managed layout changes
- Workflow icons for managed files
-
Save, export, and publish
- Save and export
-
Export to EPUB
- Export to EPUB
- EPUB export options in InDesign
- Accessibility features while exporting to EPUB
- Accessibility enhancements for indexes
- Adjust text resizing for accessibility
- Add ARIA role while exporting to EPUB
- Add ARIA labels to objects
- EPUB export support and limitations
- Create accessible glossaries
- Export to HTML and web
- Publish work online
-
Print
- Page setup and printer marks
- Ink and color management
-
Color output and separations
- About color separations
- Prepare documents for color separation
- Create color separations
- Save and print color separations
- Print gradients as separations
- About ink trapping
- Trap a document or a book
- Trap preset options
- Set the trap width for colors next to black
- Print a composite
- Use color management when printing
- Color output options
- Print objects on all color plates
- About overprinting
- Overprint strokes and fills
- Overprint paragraph and footnote rules
- Simulate spot ink overprinting
- Change the black overprint setting
- Preview color separations and ink coverage
- Preflight
- Print booklets
- Print production and file creation
-
Automation and scripting
- Merge data
- Document automation
-
App integrations
- Access Express templates from InDesign
- Adobe Capture plugin
- Create InDesign plug-ins with UXP
- Use Adobe Bridge with InDesign
- Manage assets in Creative Cloud Libraries
- Creative Cloud add-on integrations
- Install plug-ins
- Share libraries with Creative Cloud users
- Illustrator integration with InDesign
- Manage project assets with Creative Cloud Libraries
-
Troubleshoot
- Known and fixed issues
-
Launch and crash issues
- Submit a crash report
- Crash or Error 2 when saving documents
- Launch issues after Windows update
- InDesign Rosetta version won’t open in future macOS releases
- App launch issues on Windows
- App running slower than usual
- Damaged fonts crash errors
- Corrupt VCRuntime crash error
- Crash during print setup on Windows
- Crash while working with remote libraries
- Crash while using GPU rendering on macOS
- Crash, freeze, or app open issues at launch
- Authentication failure
- Crash due to font issues
- Crash on lost network connection
- Access denied errors
- Startup crash loop
- Crash on launch while recovering a damaged document
-
File and output issues
- Can't open PDF files created in InDesign
- File already open error
- Damaged or corrupt documents
- Insufficient system memory errors
- Unable to export InDesign files to PDF
- Recover InDesign documents
- Printing and PDF export errors
- PDF export fails when downsampling large images
- Graphics appear pixelated, fuzzy, or grainy
- Received an error when working with HEIF or HEIC files
- Adobe Print Engine output failures
- Page and layout options unavailable
- Can’t open documents in previous versions
- Error codes while using publish online
- InDesign PDF export hangs in the background
- InDesign documents won't print
- Font and plugin issues
-
Settings, interface, and feature issues
- Feature keyboard shortcuts don’t work
- InDesign preferences and support file locations
- Data merge fails with absolute paths on macOS
- Pages panel scroll bar missing or UI elements disappear
- Missing user dictionaries
- Error 195 during InDesign installation
- InDesign Server activates as Developer Edition
- InDesign Server license fails after VM move
- InDesign Server licensing issues
- Cloud collaboration and web issues
Prepare documents for color separation
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to configure spot colors, preview separations, verify ink coverage, and prepare files for professional print output in Adobe InDesign.
Preparing documents for color separation ensures accurate ink reproduction for offset and specialty printing. Commercial presses create separate plates for CMYK and any required spot colors, such as brand inks, metallics, or varnishes. InDesign supports both host‑based separations and in‑RIP separations handled by the output device. Before you begin, confirm TAC limits, spot-color requirements, PDF standards, and whether separations occur in the RIP or via the PDF workflow.
Review and consolidate spot colors
Review all spot colors in your document. You can identify spot colors by the spot icon next to the swatch name.
Right-click any spot color you want to convert to process color and select Swatch Options.
If appropriate, change Color Type to Process. Verify the CMYK values match your requirements, and select OK.
Converting spot colors to process may reduce costs, but can affect brand accuracy. Always confirm with your print provider before converting corporate or specialty inks.
Preview separations and check ink coverage
Select Window > Output > Separations Preview.
Select Separations from the View options.
Select the eye icon next to individual separation names to view each plate independently, or select multiple plates to preview how they combine.
To check ink coverage, change the View option to Ink Limit and enter your printer's maximum ink coverage value (typically 300%-320%). Review areas highlighted in red—these exceed ink limits and may cause drying problems or color shifts on press.
Areas with excessive ink coverage appear in dark red (severe violations) or light red (moderate violations). All other areas display in grayscale. Hover over any area in the document to see exact ink percentages for each separation.
Note
If your document uses spot colors beyond CMYK, each spot appears as a separate plate in the preview. Objects with registration color print on all plates.
Configure ink settings in Ink Manager
The Ink Manager provides a centralized location for ink control across your entire document. Your prepress service provider may request specific neutral density values or trapping sequences; enter these exactly as specified.
Select Window > Output > Separations Preview.
Select the panel menu icon and then select Ink Manager.
Review the ink list and verify all spot colors are set to Spot type unless your printer requests process conversion.
To convert a spot color to process for this print job only, select the spot color icon next to the ink name to change it to a process icon.
Select OK to apply ink settings. This affects only the current print job and doesn't change your document's swatches. To permanently convert a spot color, use the Swatches panel.
Verify color and links before printing
Select Window > Links to open the Links panel.
Review the status column and resolve any missing or modified links by selecting Relink or Update Link.
Select Window > Output > Preflight to check for color and separation issues.
Review any errors or warnings, particularly those related to spot colors, transparency, or color spaces.
Select File > Package to collect all document assets for delivery to your printer. Packaging gathers the document, linked graphics, fonts (subject to licensing), and a report file for handoff to your printer. This ensures your printer has everything needed to output your separations correctly.
Output host-based separations (legacy workflow)
Select File > Print and select Output.
From the Color options, select Separations or In-RIP Separations as required.
Create print and digital materials with InDesign
Design impactful ads, magazine and book layouts, and more.
