--- title: "What Is PMS Color? Pantone Matching System - CE.SDK Glossary" description: "PMS color is a Pantone ink mixed to a set formula, so it prints the same at any shop. Learn what C and U mean, how PMS differs from CMYK, and how to use it." url: "https://img.ly/glossary/pms-color/" type: "page" --- > This is the markdown version of [What Is PMS Color? Pantone Matching System - CE.SDK Glossary](https://img.ly/glossary/pms-color/). For all pages in one file, see [llms-full.txt](https://img.ly/llms-full.txt). For an index of all available pages, see [llms.txt](https://img.ly/llms.txt). --- # PMS Color Also known as: Pantone Matching System, Pantone color ## What Is PMS Color? PMS color is a color from the Pantone Matching System, a catalog of thousands of numbered inks that printers mix to a set formula. A logo specified as PANTONE 185 C comes out the same red at any print shop, because the shop mixes that exact ink instead of building the color from cyan, magenta, yellow, and black [dots](https://img.ly/glossary/halftone.md). Every PMS color is a [spot color](https://img.ly/glossary/spot-color.md), printed as its own ink on its own plate. In CE.SDK, your product defines a PMS color as a named spot color, and that name is what tells the printer which ink to use. ## What Do C and U Mean in Pantone Colors? The letter after a PMS number names the paper the color is meant for, and a P after it marks a CMYK simulation. The ink formula stays the same, but the paper changes how it looks, so pick the swatch book that matches the stock. ### C for coated On [coated paper](https://img.ly/glossary/coated-vs-uncoated-paper.md), the ink stays on the surface, so the color looks bright and saturated. ### U for uncoated Uncoated paper soaks up the ink, so the same formula prints softer and more muted. ### CP and UP These are CMYK simulations of a PMS color, not spot inks. A file meant to print the real ink uses the C or U name. ## PMS vs. CMYK: What's the Difference? [CMYK](https://img.ly/glossary/cmyk.md) builds every color from four process inks, while PMS prints each color as an ink of its own. - **How the color is made**: PMS: One premixed ink, CMYK: Dots of four inks - **Color match**: PMS: The same ink every run, CMYK: An approximation - **Metallics and neons**: PMS: Available as inks, CMYK: Not available - **Each extra color**: PMS: Its own plate and ink, CMYK: The same four plates - **On digital presses**: PMS: Usually simulated in CMYK, CMYK: Printed directly ## PMS or CMYK: Which Should You Choose? Choose PMS when one exact color matters most, and CMYK when a design has photos or many colors. Larger presses can run both, adding a PMS ink to a CMYK job just for the logo. ### Choose PMS for - **Brand colors that must match every run** - **Metallic, neon, and very bright colors** - **One- or two-color jobs** ### Choose CMYK for - **Photos and full-color artwork** - **Designs with many colors** - **Digital printing** ## Why Do PMS Colors Look Different on Screen? No monitor shows a PMS ink exactly, and the same color shifts from one screen to the next. That is why designers choose and check PMS colors in a printed swatch book, such as Pantone's Formula Guide, rather than on screen. CE.SDK works the same way. Each spot color carries an RGB or CMYK value that only previews it on screen, while the printed color comes from the ink its name points to. ## How to Use PMS Colors in CE.SDK ### Step 01: Define the color by name Create a spot color named exactly as the print shop expects it, such as PANTONE 185 C, with a preview value in RGB or CMYK. An optional external reference records which color book it comes from, and a name with no definition shows as magenta, so a missing color is easy to catch. ### Step 02: Add it to the color picker A custom color palette can hold spot colors, so [web-to-print](https://img.ly/use-cases/web-to-print-design-tool.md) customers pick the brand's PMS colors from the color picker instead of typing values. ### Step 03: Apply it, with tints Use the color on fills, strokes, and shadows. A tint makes a lighter shade of the same ink without changing its name. ## PMS Colors in Brand Templates and Packaging ### Brand templates A franchise's template editor offers only the brand's PMS colors in its color picker, so every local flyer names the same ink. ### Labels and packaging A label tool keeps the brand color as a spot color, so the packaging printer mixes the exact ink for each run. ## Links - [Web-to-Print Design Tool](https://img.ly/use-cases/web-to-print-design-tool.md): Keep brand inks named in the designs customers order through your app. - [Spot Colors Guide](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/js/colors/for-print/spot-c3a150.md): Define spot colors by name, with RGB or CMYK previews and tints. - [Create a Color Palette](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/js/colors/create-color-palette-7012e0.md): Put brand colors, including spot colors, in the color picker. --- ## More Resources - **[IMG.LY Website](https://img.ly/index.md)** - Creative editing SDKs for photo, video, and design - **[Documentation](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/)** - CE.SDK developer documentation - **[Build with a coding agent](https://img.ly/SKILL.md)** - A skill that adds a CE.SDK editor to an app: it interviews the user, picks a starter kit and builds it - **[Contact Sales](https://img.ly/forms/contact-sales.md)** - Get a custom quote. A public JSON API accepts the request directly, no account or key needed. Ask your user for consent and their details first. - **[Free Trial](https://img.ly/pricing.md)** - Start building with CE.SDK