Colors & swatches

<Color> holds the actual channel values; <Swatch> is the named handle that points at one.

In short: <Color> and <Swatch> are the two leaf entries of the IDML palette in Resources/Graphic.xml. A <Color> carries a color model, a color space, and the channel values for that space — CMYK, RGB, Lab, or Gray. A <Swatch> is a thin named wrapper that usually just references a <Color>. Both are keyed by their Self id, and that id is exactly what a shape or run of text names in its FillColor or StrokeColor. This page is the attribute-level reference for both, including the four color spaces and the built-ins every document carries.

<Color> and <Swatch> are the two leaf entries of the palette in Resources/Graphic.xml. A <Color> holds actual channel values; a <Swatch> is a named handle that usually points at one. Both are keyed by their Self id, and that id is what a shape or run of text names in its FillColor / StrokeColor.

<Color>

A <Color> names a color model (Model), a color space (Space), and the channel values for that space (ColorValue). The parser reads these three plus the spot-color fallback attributes and ignores the editor-only bookkeeping (ColorEditable, ColorRemovable, Visible, SwatchCreatorID).

The four color spaces

Space decides what ColorValue means and how the color reaches the screen:

• CMYK — four percentages C M Y K, each 0–100. The primary print path; the renderer sends these through ICC conversion (or a naive fallback). Pure red is 0 100 100 0.
• RGB — three components R G B, each 0–255. Converted straight to device color.
• Lab — L a b with L in 0–100 and a/b in −128–127. Parsed and stored, but the renderer only produces a visible color for Lab when it arrives through a spot color's CMYK alternate. Parsed, not yet renderedLab as a primary space
• Gray — one value 0–100. Rendered as an achromatic gray.

<Swatch>

A <Swatch> is a named entry that the palette can reference indirectly. The parser captures its id, its name, and — when present — the <Color> it wraps, so a FillColor that names a swatch resolves through to the underlying color in one hop.

The single most-referenced swatch is Swatch/None — the explicit "no fill" / "no stroke" handle. A frame with FillColor="Swatch/None" is transparent there; it is not an error and not a color.

The reserved built-ins

A document does not have to define everything it uses. InDesign guarantees a fixed set of swatches and colors exist whether or not they appear in Graphic.xml, and the renderer treats them by name:

• None — the transparent "no paint" swatch.
• Paper — the substrate color (white by default); a fill of Paper knocks out to the page color, it is not literally "no fill".
• Black — process black.
• Registration — paints in every separation at once (for crop marks and the like).

In addition, the format reserves the three hidden process primaries — Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow — which a document may reference but cannot redefine. Because these are guaranteed, an example that omits them still resolves correctly.

A color, defined and applied

The example below adds one <Color> to the palette — a process CMYK red, 0 100 100 0 — and a rectangle whose FillColor names it. The rectangle has no text and no font; it is pure fill, so the live view renders it directly.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<idPkg:Graphic xmlns:idPkg="http://ns.adobe.com/AdobeInDesign/idml/1.0/packaging" DOMVersion="20.0">
  <Color Self="Color/Black" Model="Process" Space="CMYK" ColorValue="0 0 0 100" ColorOverride="Specialblack" Name="Black" ColorEditable="false" ColorRemovable="false" Visible="true"/>
  <Color Self="Color/Paper" Model="Process" Space="CMYK" ColorValue="0 0 0 0" ColorOverride="Specialpaper" Name="Paper" ColorEditable="true" ColorRemovable="false" Visible="true"/>
  <Color Self="Color/Red" Model="Process" Space="CMYK" ColorValue="0 100 100 0" ColorOverride="Normal" Name="Red" ColorEditable="true" ColorRemovable="true" Visible="true"/>
</idPkg:Graphic>

Change ColorValue in the palette and the rectangle's color follows, because the shape only ever names the swatch — the channel values live in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a <Color> and a <Swatch>? A <Color> carries the real channel values — a model, a space, and the numbers for that space. A <Swatch> is a named handle that usually just references a <Color>, so a FillColor naming a swatch resolves through to the underlying color in one hop. The reserved Swatch/None is the common exception: it wraps no color and means "no fill."

Which color spaces does the renderer support for a <Color>? Space can be CMYK, RGB, Lab, or Gray. CMYK, RGB, and Gray all convert to device color; CMYK is the primary print path and goes through ICC conversion. Lab is parsed and stored, but the renderer only produces a visible color for it when it arrives through a spot color's CMYK alternate.

What is Swatch/None, and is it an error? Swatch/None is the reserved "no paint" handle. A frame with FillColor="Swatch/None" is simply transparent there — it is not an error and not a color, just the explicit absence of one.

Does a document have to define every color it references? No. InDesign® guarantees a fixed set of built-ins exist whether or not they appear in Graphic.xml — None, Paper, Black, and Registration — and the format also reserves the hidden process primaries Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. The renderer keys these by name, so an example that omits them still resolves correctly.