Help with Pantone color applications

[kric2schaam626]

Hi,

I just had someone introduce me to the Pantone color system. I wanted to start using them for creating digital "craft" sheets in PSE8. Does anyone know how I can apply the Pantone colors? Is there a way to use them by entering the RGB value?

Any input is appreciated!

 

[480sparky41 40]

Pantone to RGB conversion.

 

[CCericola]

Pantone colors are formulas to mix inks for printers. There is a pantone book that lists the PMS colors and the corresponding CMYK and RGB numbers. The CMYK and RGB numbers will come very close but not exact. You also need a color calibrated printer for it to be accurate as well.

The Pantone Bridge guides. They come in coated and uncoated. If you are printing on an inkjet on regular copy paper then uncoated would be you best bet. You want to use the CMYK values of PMS colors as inkjet printers are CMYK not RGB. By using CMYK your monitor display will be closer to what your printer will output.

Pantone - PANTONE Color, products and guides for accurate color communication.

 

[Helen B]

If you are printing on an inkjet on regular copy paper then uncoated would be you best bet. You want to use the CMYK values of PMS colors as inkjet printers are CMYK not RGB.

I'm not sure that that is always a wise idea. Most inkjet printers are RGB devices as far as the outside world is concerned, and they are profiled as RGB devices, not CMYK devices - ie the printer profile is an RGB profile, not a CMYK profile. Furthermore, inkjet printers have a much wider gamut than web offset printers, for example, even though they use CMYK inks or a modification of CMYK (eg CcMmYKk). Therefore typical CMYK colour spaces can have less than half the gamut volume of something like an Epson R2400 and you would be artificially limiting the number of colours you could use if you chose to work in a CMYK profile when printing to an inkjet. This may be what you want, of course, for proofing purposes.

You probably already know this, but remember that when you are given RGB values for a Pantone colour, those values must be in some single colour space - unless stated otherwise they are likely to be in sRGB if they are given as web values. The same three numbers would give you a different colour in another RGB colour space.

Best,
Helen

PS Is there a Pantone Color Library in PSE? I don't know because I don't have PSE, but in PS it is accessible via the Color Picker - click on the 'Color Libraries' button.

 

[Richi]

I interested in this question, too!