I have a file that, when exported to PDF, shows the printer’s marks (in Acrobat) as a PMS color. It’s the only file that does this, and does have fifth color PMS color in it — but the marks are listed as a metallic gold color that is not used in the design at all. I deleted the color swatch so that it went away, but I’m wondering how it happened. Is there some place where I might have inadvertently changed the color that these should appear? I thought it always just used “registration” color.
The “registration” color means “All Colors that are printing.” So if even a tiny dot somewhere were set to that pantone color, then the PDF would contain a plate for it, and anything set to Registration would be c, m, y, k, AND the pms color. It shouldn’t be just in that spot color, but perhaps the spot was coming out on top and was opaque, so that it looked like it was just that color?