One separation rule for all spot color libraries or multiple separation rules?

Within OpenColor, a Separation Rule represents the conversion of the colors from one Input Project (which can include one or more linked Spot Color libraries) to the Output color space of a different Project. It is a pre-built calculation of how to best convert spot colors to the output press, which is a required step for any digital press using a fixed ink set. A Separation Rule can also be used when converting conventional process+spot jobs to a new ECG press, for example. 

Separation Rules are used in several ways and for certain applications it is useful to create an "All in One" Input Project that contains all the desired spot libraries, while in other cases users may find it beneficial to create multiple Sep Rules (aka multiple Input Projects) and keep the Pantone libraries independent from custom Spot libraries. 

One Separation Rule (+ all spots in one input project)

Used for:

• Dynamic Conversion (GMG ColorPlugin for Photoshop)
• Dynamic Conversion (GMG ColorPlugin for Illustrator)
• Dynamic Conversion (GMG ColorServer)
  • The use of Dynamic spot conversions in ColorServer is designed for but not limited to toner-based digital presses, where the loaded ink set may change on a regular basis, or where operators may want to reduce # of channels to save clicks. For this function to work in a Conversion, all spot colors must be included inside one Separation Rule, as only one Rule can be selected per Conversion resource. 
• SmartProfiler calculation with Dynamic Conversion option ON (if custom spots are not required to be separated from Pantones - see next section for details on this use case)

Tool tip: Add Keywords to the Input Project(s) used for your Separation Rules, so you can easily search and filter the Project list when calculating a new Rule. 

Multiple Separation Rules

For users with custom spot libraries that are regularly modified to add or edit colors, and who do not use Dynamic Spot Conversion in ColorServer, it can be simpler to build two or more Separation Rules based on different Input Projects. This will result in having more than one Separation Rule that must be synced from OpenColor to ColorServer, but it allows the user to enable or disable the sets independently within their Conversions. This can be especially helpful in cases where "customer" defined versions of Pantone named spot colors are in use, as the custom spot set can be prioritized above the default Pantone set. 

To implement this, Pantone libraries can be configured in one Input Project, and any custom spot libraries would be linked to a second Input Project and saved. Within the press Output Project/Separations tab, two Separation Rules would be calculated and each downloaded into ColorServer, then added to the Conversion Resource individually.