Color Separation in the design stage is proactive color management. The designer's role is to optimize the color channels for the specific printing conditions. This includes technical corrections like adjusting the Minimum Dot, creating a White Mask, or implementing a Bump Plate. The Minimum Dot refers to the smallest printable halftone dot percentage (e.g., 2% or 3%) that a press can consistently hold without the dot disappearing.

The designer must set the minimum dot correctly, typically by ensuring all highlights below this value are clipped to zero, to avoid unstable or lost detail on the final plate. Furthermore, the designer is responsible for creating any necessary special layers, such as a White Mask for transparent substrates or a Bump Plate to reinforce the density of a specific color, ensuring the file is technically ready for the Prepress workflow.