Hi laughing,

Excel is not as friendly as other programs in this regard,
however, it is not too painful.

Go to ToolsOptionsColor Tab
Click on a color swatch and click the Modify button
then you can adjust the color for that swatch.

Then when the function you are using calls up the
color pallette your custom color will be available.

HTH
Martin


"laughing" wrote in message
...
How can I apply a custom pattern to cells, rather than the standard
patterns
available in Excel 2003?