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Can you spot your colors?

Pantone vs. CMYK

Pantone inks are used when you need a specific spot color or when printing in one or two-colors. When printing in CMYK, such as on a brochure with photos, Pantone colors are usually converted to Process (CMYK — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). While some Pantone colors convert well to CMYK, some look drastically different. In the example, Pantone 252 does not convert as well as Pantone 485.
When choosing a Pantone color, be sure to look at a conversion guide for colors that work well. Specialty inks such as metallics, fluorescents and pastels should always print in spot color, as they do not convert well.

Do:

  • Consider all possible projects and their production
    process before deciding on Pantone versus CMYK.
    Reference a printed Pantone color guide when
    choosing color.
  • Convert Pantones to CMYK if printing in full-color
    before sending the files for production. Check the
    color shift that occurs when printing on coated
    versus uncoated stock.

Don’t:

  • Use specialty inks, such as metallics and fluorescents,
    they will not convert to CMYK and have the same effect.
  • Create custom colors by adjusting CMYK values in a file,
    start with a known Pantone color and then convert to
    CMYK. You will not always be able to find a matching
    Pantone color for a custom color.

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