Everybody knows what PMS is, right? Well, that is if you are thinking of the syndrome that many women experience every month with their cycle. But few people know the other meaning of PMS, one that professionals in the world of design and printing must deal with everyday, only this kind of PMS is pretty and fun. We are referring to Pantone, a system for matching colors used in specifying printing inks, hence the term PMS = Pantone Matching System. We hope you find this information useful to help you understand the colorful details of Pantone,
what it is and how it works. We bet you next time you hear the term PMS, a happier and prettier image will come to mind.
What is Pantone?
Pantone is a standardized color matching system, utilizing
the Pantone numbering system for identifying colors. By standardizing the
colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all reference a
Pantone numbered color, making sure colors match without direct contact with
one another. The most commonly referenced colors are in the Pantone solids
palette. The Pantone Solid palette consists of 1,114 colors, identified by
three or four digit numbers, followed by a C, U, Or M suffix. For example,
Pantone 199 Red can be identified as Pantone 199C (C= Coated Paper), Pantone
199U (U= Uncoated Paper) or Pantone 199M (M=Matte Paper).
History
Pantone developed the first color matching system in 1963,
which consisted of a large number of small cardboard sheets, printed on one
side with a series of related color swatches and then bound into a small
"fan deck". This system was referred to as the Pantone Matching
System, or the PMS system. It's goal was to allow designers to 'color match'
specific colors when a design enters production. This system was widely adopted
by graphic designers and reproduction and printing houses and is still used
today to specify colors for a wide range of industries.
Other Pantone
Palettes
Pantone also has a Process palette, which consists of more
than 3,000 color variations digitally created with CMYK process printing.
Process printing requires the use of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink.Work
printed using CMYK is also referred to as 4 Color Process Printing. These
guides are only suitable for four-color process printing, and are used to
design color build using CMYK, in various combinations. The Pantone Color
Bridge can be used to convert Solid Colors into CMYK percentages. Process
guides can be found on the 4-Color Process and Color Bridge page.
Pantone also has a Textile palette, which consists of 1,925
Pantone for Fashion and Home colors, identified by two digits, followed by a
hyphen, four digits, and then a suffix. They also have a name, as a secondary
identifier.The Fashion and Home colors are used by fashion, textile, and
apparel designers and manufacturers worldwide.
Pantone also has a Plastics palette, which consists of 735
transparent and 1,005 opaque plastic color chips. The plastics palette is used
primarily by industrial designers and manufacturers worldwide to specify colors
for molded and fabricated plastics. Finally, Pantone has the Goe Palette, which
contains 2,058 chromatically-arranged solid colors, and should not be confused
with the Pantone Solids Palette. This system is relatively new.
How Does Pantone
Work?
The Pantone Solid Colors Palette, with over 1100 unique,
numbered colors, was originally devised to help printers and designers specify
and control colors for print projects. This is the most widely used Pantone
palette, with colors sometimes referred to as 'PMS' (for Pantone Matching
System) or 'spot colors', and is used in the graphics, print, and publishing,
industries.
We,
here at Marketink, live a very CMYK rich life, but we also love Pantone colors
because they are all about personalization, just like us. Every print job is
done catered to you, your needs and your deadlines. Browse www.marketinkgroup.com or Call
877.990.1616
