[MidnightMonarch]

How do I change a drop shadow from black to a spot PMS? The shadows are on vector objects...Thanks!

[Thorzdad]

I don't believe that is possible using the drop shadow functions. You can specify a CMYK equivalent of the PMS color, though.

[MidnightMonarch]

Oh I see, I can't go CMYK...bummer. Thank you.

[Thorzdad]

There should be options for RGB as well.
Is there a specific reason you need to use PMS colors for drop shadows? Using Pantone colors for transparency effects like soft-edged drop shadows makes pre-press men cry.

[MidnightMonarch]

Oh I know...sorry to all the pre-flight/pre-press people out there! Well this is a traditional off-set print job and is specified as a 2 spot PMS job and I don't have any control over that. The black drop shadows create a third plate and that's not going to work.

[Thorzdad]

Ah. gotcha. Instead of soft-edged drop shadows, would hard-edged drops work? Those can easily be PMS. It's not as pretty, to be sure, but it's what drop-shadows used to look like back before transparency effects became easy to do.

[MidnightMonarch]

That might work!...I think I can actually tint and gradient / feather the edges so its a softer look.

[andi*pandi]

There is also the old "set your color to 100% magenta and the pressman will separate out as two colors black and magenta, but print magenta as PMS 485 or whatnot" trick.

[Thorzdad]

That can work. Not sure how you'd do that in InDesign. I primarily work in Illustrator for jobs such as what you're describing. It's a snap in Illy, though.
(I was responding to MM, of course. Andi got in just as I clicked to reply)

[MidnightMonarch]

I do a ton of vector work right in InDesign...very convenient...its not as robust as Illy but I always seem to get what I done done...except for this debacle of course! I'm not that good in Illy or PS unfortunately.