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.
Every PMS color is a spot color, 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, 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 builds every color from four process inks, while PMS prints each color as an ink of its own.
| PMS | CMYK | |
|---|---|---|
| How the color is made | One premixed ink | Dots of four inks |
| Color match | The same ink every run | An approximation |
| Metallics and neons | Available as inks | Not available |
| Each extra color | Its own plate and ink | The same four plates |
| On digital presses | Usually simulated in 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
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Brand colors that must match every run
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Metallic, neon, and very bright colors
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One- or two-color jobs
Choose CMYK for
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Photos and full-color artwork
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Designs with many colors
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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
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.
Add it to the color picker
A custom color palette can hold spot colors, so web-to-print customers pick the brand’s PMS colors from the color picker instead of typing values.
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
Documentation and references for this concept.
Web-to-Print Design Tool
Keep brand inks named in the designs customers order through your app.
Spot Colors Guide
Define spot colors by name, with RGB or CMYK previews and tints.
Create a Color Palette
Put brand colors, including spot colors, in the color picker.
Related Terms
Spot Color
A precisely defined, pre-mixed ink color specified by a standardized color system (most commonly Pantone) used in print …
CMYK
The Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key(Black) subtractive color model used in professional print production, available in CE.SDK al…
PDF/X
An ISO-standardized subset of PDF designed for reliable, predictable reproduction in professional print production, enfo…
Coated vs. Uncoated Paper
The two main paper surfaces in print: coated stock seals the fibers so ink stays on top, uncoated stock absorbs it. Each…
Color Gamut
The full set of colors a screen, a press, or a color space is able to show or print. CE.SDK converts colors between the …