Using the Eyedropper

The Eyedropper tool lets you sample colors from graphics that are placed in your document. (See Chapter 8, "Imported Graphics," for more information on placing graphics.)

To sample and store colors from placed graphics:

1.	Click the Eyedropper tool in the Toolbox . The Eyedropper tool lets you sample colors from placed images.
2.	Move the Eyedropper cursor over the color of a placed graphic . Click with the Eyedropper tool over an area of an image that you want to sample.
3.	Click to sample the color. Tip If you have already used the Eyedropper to sample a color, hold the Opt/Alt key to sample a new color.
4.	Click the New Swatch icon in the Swatches palette. The sampled color is stored as a color swatch. Tip The Eyedropper samples the color in the same color mode as the placed graphic. So RGB images yield RGB colors, and CMYK images yield CMYK colors. Tip The Eyedropper can also sample and apply fills, strokes, and transparency attributes of objects and text formatting. (See Chapter 6, "Styling Objects," and Chapter 14, "Automating Your Work.")

Rules of Overprinting

You may come across a situation where the overprint preview doesn't seem to work. Most likely there's nothing wrong with the preview it's how the color values were defined.

The rules of overprinting state that a color only overprints if it doesn't share a common plate with the color below. So, 100% cyan will overprint with 100% yellow to form green; however as soon as you add any percentage of yellow to the cyan, then the top color no longer overprints the bottom.