CMYK to Pantone ink matching

CMYK to Pantone ink matching.

CMYK to Pantone, so what do you know about it? Self-publishers often start with a website before they go on press with their book. The may select Pantone colors and look wonderful on screen. Then they print their book and wonder why the inks don’t match their beautiful online color. Here is what is going on with the colors not matching.

Converting CMYK to Pantone is about understanding the Pantone Color Bridge.

Converting Pantone to CMYK won’t match, unless you choose colors that are the same color on the monitor and in print.

Take a look at the image above. See the color swatches with a black circle. For each swatch, the solid SPOT color (1 ink) is on the left. The right side shows the PROCESS (4 inks). Much of the time the spot ink won’t match the CMYK process color, and there is a difference when printing Pantone SPOT versus PROCESS color screen builds in CMYK.

Here are the terms to understand for CMYK to Pantone color.

RGB (for monitors)

RGB is made up of Red, Green and Blue. These were the old colors of Cathode ray tubes in TV sets from years ago. RGB is still how we view color on computer monitors, TV, and movies. It has a wider array of colors than CMYK.

CMYK Process color (for offset printing)

CMYK process color is made up of cyan, yellow, magenta, and black. These are the four inks that pour into ink trays to print on press. These inks make up PROCESS color. We print books in process color. The array is much more limited than RGB.

Pantone SPOT (one solid ink per tray)

A Pantone SPOT ink is straight out of the ink can, and each (solid) spot color ink pours into a tray on press. A typical book is printed on a 6-color press. Typically, 4 trays are for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The two remaining ink trays are empty, and may be for a Pantone spot ink, or a varnish. A 5 or 6-color job will cost more than a typical 4-color process printing.

Cost

When it comes to full color, process CMYK is the easiest and most cost effective way to go to print. That is because the alternative is using a press tray for each ink. CMYK is comprised of 4 inks and provides full color. Book production is usually done on a 6-color (6 tray press). Therefore, when you have 18 spot colors that are not in CMYK process, you quickly run out of trays. We would then have print 6 colors of the book, then ink u the press with the next 6 colors, and so one. It’s printing the book three times over and tripling the printing cost.

Ask the CMYK to Pantone experts.

Solution

Give us a call for a quote on the printing or design. If you commit to working with us, we will help you plan the colors to use on screen and in print, so they match, or are very close to matching CMYK to Pantone or vice versa.

In conclusion, we have a lot of skill and expertise, and we manufacture high-quality books. And as you can see, we understand color! So, you can also find out more about CMYK to Pantone ink matching at Pantone.

Call (844) 603-1777 toll-free, or (425) 603-1777 in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. You can request a quote!