Indesign: how does 'paper colour' work?

[dogbone]

I would have expected 'paper colour' to reflect er...the colour of the paper stock being used. So that an ink will be the combination of the paper colour and the ink.

However I have used a gradient with 'white' or in other words no CMY or K in the ink value. However changing the paper colour of the document still has the applied gradient showing white, where I would have expected the 0% ink in the 'white' to now show the 'paper colour'. Further after changing the paper colour, no other applied colours seem to be changing even if I apply a light tint it seems to knock out the 'paper colour' which doesn't make sense..

 

[dogbone]

Indesign: how does 'paper colour' work?

I guess the answer is...it doesn't.

Sort of like the canvas in Painter, it behaves as if it were wet paint, which is not very 'real world'.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I don't see how it could accurately reflect the interaction between stock and ink, particularly the differences between coated and uncoated or a digital run versus offset. Soft-proofing all the variables involved would be tremendously difficult and always open to doubt.

The only way to be sure is with a wet proof.

 

[mouchoir]

I would have expected 'paper colour' to reflect er...the colour of the paper stock being used. So that an ink will be the combination of the paper colour and the ink.

However I have used a gradient with 'white' or in other words no CMY or K in the ink value. However changing the paper colour of the document still has the applied gradient showing white, where I would have expected the 0% ink in the 'white' to now show the 'paper colour'. Further after changing the paper colour, no other applied colours seem to be changing even if I apply a light tint it seems to knock out the 'paper colour' which doesn't make sense..

Of course it will never give you a 100% accurate representation, but it does simulate how the colour of your paper will effect the colour of your print.

What you have to do for it to work is select 'overprint preview' in the 'view' menu.
(option, shift, apple + y)

This should have the desired effect you were after.

 

[dogbone]

BV, yeah I understand that it would only be approximate but I couldn't get it to work at all. But mouchoir has revealed the secret knowledge. I always though overprint preview was for transparancy effects, which I suppose this is sort of.

 

[mouchoir]

BV, yeah I understand that it would only be approximate but I couldn't get it to work at all. But mouchoir has revealed the secret knowledge. I always though overprint preview was for transparancy effects, which I suppose this is sort of.

Excellent, glad you got it working.