What is the Pantone color model? What is Pantone and when is it used? Skin color system
The Pantone color model, developed by the American company Pantone, is considered a reference catalog with a rich palette of various shades. Having a lot of catalogs, it is designed for different printing conditions. The material in this article will help the reader understand what Pantone is, why its fan is needed and how to use it.
What it is?
Pantone is usually understood as a kind of system that allows you to select the desired tone from a huge catalog system. This is a popular color model all over the world, which is considered universal and suitable for any type of activity. Essentially, it is a universally used standardized color identification and selection system, or a universally accepted color standard throughout the world.
History of appearance
The color palette appeared when public printing began to switch to a color format. At this time, there was an urgent need to select a high-quality palette, but there was no uniform standard for the production of goods according to new criteria. Complicating matters was the fact that printing presses were scattered all over the world. The Pantone company developed a unified palette, assigning a specific code to each color of the huge system. It consisted of Latin letters and numbers, thanks to which the same color could be used in all corners of the world.
Any color of the system was created by mixing several shades; it was assigned a specific number, according to the established classification.
This made it possible to order printing without fear of distortion of the final product. Each Pantone shade could be created using a specified ratio of CMYK base colors to produce a specific undertone.
The relevance and importance of obtaining the exact shade was fundamental for the corporate identity of any company. The customer could choose a specific printing tone from the catalog without fear that the artist would understand the color in his own way. In other words, the advent of Pantone has made life easier for many. Today, printing houses require layouts in this system.
What is it needed for?
These are catalogs of various colors for orientation in the CMYK system. The system has not only a classification, but also special reference books called fans. Depending on what they are needed for, the manufacturer may offer them for various materials eg textiles, plastics, paper. For paper, reference books are divided into their own subtypes: for offset, coated, coated-matte, and glossy.
However, information is not limited to fans; it can also be presented in in electronic format. This is convenient for designers who can export it to various programs.
One of key features The Pantone color system is based on the fact that it allows printing with fluorescent and metallic dyes.
Because of this, printing design often acquires brightness and seems unusual.
The Pantone color palette is rich in shades that are reproduced using process colors. The use of such a palette is convenient for developing printing design, because when printing on solids there will be no difference in shades. Moreover, you can achieve the desired color not in several, but in one run. This fact indicates the savings that are relevant when ordering printing.
The Pantone system can be used not only in printing: it is applicable in interior design, clothing, and also in the manufacture of plastic products that are colored while they are in the mass.
The system uses digital identification of shades for printing with mixed and process inks. The reference colors are numbered in a fan-fold book.
It is also noteworthy that the samples can be very different, but the manufacturer insists that the fan be updated every year. According to him, over the course of a year, colors wear out and fade, and therefore become inaccurate. Since August 2007, Pantone has been purchased by X-Rite, a company that produces color management equipment and software.
Color palette
The representation of colors in the Pantone chart may vary. For example, this could be a code consisting of three pairs of hexadecimal digits, in which each pair has a different color value. In addition, colors can be classified using keywords (say, green, black, rose). If the browser does not understand a word, the range of tones is reduced, choosing only basic ones that are understandable for all browsers.
The RGB format involves the use of numbers from 0 to 255, which indicate the total amount of a particular color in the resulting color.
The RGBa format differs from the previous format. This is because the last value determines the transparency level or alpha channel. It is specified as a fractional value from 0 to 1.
The palette includes more than 8,000 different color shades. In this case, one initial color can have different degrees of saturation and differ in temperature. It can be cold or warm, bright, dull, bleached. Pantone is especially important for printing, where even a slight change in color can ruin the entire work.
The mysterious table or so-called catalog is presented in the form of longitudinal sheets of paper, painted in specific colors.
As a rule, their sequence is based on the principle of proximity to each other.
This is very convenient for the user, since he has the opportunity to select a specific tone of a certain color, having in front of him all the necessary shades in one place. No matter how many of them there are, this does not interfere with perception, but helps reduce the time for selecting the desired shade.
The systematics is such that the leaf is divided into zones of the same color, which change the degree of saturation, starting from a dark tone and ending with a whitened one. A conventional fan formed by pantone colors can start with yellow, followed by ocher, then orange, coral, pink, lilac, violet. This way it can continue until it is almost black.
The original color will not be the same on different materials. It depends on the printing material: say, if the paper is uncoated matte, the color is not as bright as on glossy paper.
Due to this feature, fan layouts are printed in two versions - coated and uncoated.
As for the translation of RGB and CMYK, these color spaces are tied to a specific printing technique. RGB corresponds to the colors of the diodes on the monitor screen, CMYK - the shades of ink used in a particular printer or other type of printing equipment. However, the colors never translate perfectly into each other. They are strictly tied to a specific creation technique and are practically unsuitable for working with mixed paints.
Features of use
The Pantone shade calibrator allows you to select the desired color, eliminating minor inaccuracies and differences in tonality. Any design or layout is based on the current color, nominated in given year to first place. This could be the color of the font in printed headings, some geometric shape in graphic design, an element of the interior or a detail of clothing, as well as an element of the interface, font, highlighting significant information in the article.
The Pantone palette is convenient not only for the ease of choosing the right color.
In addition, it allows you to focus on ready-made, clear colors if you need to choose a harmonious companion for a specific shade. It’s not at all difficult to determine this, and you can also be guided by the colors on the catwalk - they are always a kind of indicator of the latest color trends that will be used in all areas of design.
For example, this season the emphasis is on color instilling confidence, energy and vitality. Today there is no clear division into male and female, which speaks of gender independence. It is important that the current palette speaks about strengthening in society; it is expression, dynamics and energy.
The combination of color shades can be complementary, in which contrasts stand opposite each other on the Itten color wheel.
This gives a special energy and allows you to achieve unique combinations by varying the degree of saturation of the two companions. The triadic combination model is based on the principle of a triangle, in which colors located at its conditional vertices are selected. The combination turns out to be unusual, but not without harmony, even if muted shades are chosen for the design.
In addition, the combination can be similar, in which two or three shades located next to each other on the color wheel are used. The separate-complementary combination is built on a different principle. In this case, the ideal companions for a particular color are the adjacent tones to the one that is located exactly opposite the given color.
This combination allows you to get a contrast that is less intense, but very harmonious.
If these schemes seem complex to the average person, you can pay attention to the compatibility of individual shades, for example:
- white the color is universal and goes well with all shades of the color palette;
- beige looks harmonious with blue, brownish, emerald, wine and neutral tones (black, gray, silver);
- grey takes on an emotional coloring when it is complemented with sand, wood, purple, burgundy, pink or blue;
- pink the color forms a harmonious duet with mint, white, olive shades, as well as a neutral gray tone;
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To achieve the most vivid, realistic color rendering results when ordering printed products, to create various effects and to find a common language between the customer and the designer, Pantone catalogs are used.
Pantone Guide - what is it?
The Pantone color palette is a color selection system for printing with mixed inks. Mixed inks (as opposed to process inks) are printing inks that are mixed before they are put into operation and used in finished form for printing spot images. Solids are areas of an image that use only one ink.
All colors in the Panton system are numbered and presented in special reference books - fans provided by the manufacturer. There are reference books available for sale. different materials: for fabric, plastic, paper, and there are reference books for offset, coated glossy and coated matte paper. In addition to fans, the information is also presented in electronic form, so designers have the opportunity to export it to all major programs.
A significant feature and advantage of the Pantone system is the ability to print with metallized and fluorescent dyes, which allows you to make your printing design more vibrant and unusual.
The Pantone palette also includes colors reproduced using process paints. The catalogs contain not only numbers, but also recipes for mixing process colors and base dyes of the Panton system. The use of this palette when developing a printing design is convenient because it allows you to avoid different shades when printing dies, and also makes it possible to create the desired image color in one run, and not in 2, 3 or 4. This provides savings, which is very important when ordering printed products.
The manufacturer Pantone offers color solutions not only for printing design, but also for clothing design, interiors, and the production of plastic products dyed in the mass.
Pantone paint: application features
When choosing a color when creating a printing design, it is necessary to take into account the material being printed, the lighting in the room, and the viewing angle of the future print. It is also very important to pay attention to post-printing processing. For example, matte lamination, like water-based varnish, significantly changes the color of the image.
Before printing with mixed inks, the rollers of the printing machine and the inking apparatus are washed especially thoroughly to avoid distortion.
When ordering pantone dyes, it is necessary to provide the most complete information about the conditions of printing and post-printing processing; it is also advisable not just to give the number from the directory, but to provide your catalog, because they may vary. When receiving the finished product, you need to not only familiarize yourself with its technological characteristics (color differences, specific consumption, etc.), but also look at a sample of the produced paint applied to the paper.
With over 60 years of color standardization, Pantone has developed six color libraries (systems) for use in various industries and conditions:
Three systems for PRINTING (Graphics group)
- Pantone Matching System, a system of spot colors.
- Pantone CMYK, a color system for the 4-color CMYK printing process. Until 2010 Pantone Process.
- Pantone Goe - spot color system (discontinued)
System for TEXTILES and other applications
- Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors. Until 2006 Pantone Textile, until 2014 - Pantone Fashion + Home / Pantone Paints+Interiors
System for plastic
- Pantone Plastics
Skin color system
- Pantone SkinTone
Each system has its own color library, its own numbering system and its own reference books. To use the correct reference and the correct colors, you must have an understanding of the principles of numbering and naming colors in different systems. Below are examples of numbers with decoding for each Pantone system.
Pantone Matching System
The Pantone Matching System includes two subsystems: spot colors (primary) and display of spot colors using 4-color CMYK printing. Pantone Matching System colors in the CMYK system have a "P" (Process, 4-color printing process) at the end of the number, after the paper type designation.
Basic fan for mixed colors -
Basic fan for displaying spot colors in CMYK -
1) Number or color name
3, 4 or 5 digit number or name in English.
2) Paper type and printing type
C- glossy paper
U- offset paper
C.P.- Pantone imitation in CMYK on glossy paper
U.P.— Pantone imitation in CMYK on offset paper
Legacy codes
M- matte paper (use C)
E.C.
S.C.- Pantone imitation in CMYK on glossy paper (use CP)
S.U.- Pantone imitation in CMYK on offset paper (use UP)
C.V.C.- imitation of glossy paper on a computer screen (use C)
CVU— imitation of offset paper on a computer screen (use U)
CVM- imitation of matte paper on a computer screen (use C)
Since 2012, Pantone began supplying individual colors of the Pantone Matching System on mass-dyed plastic:
1) Media type
P- plastic
Q- opaque
2) Color number (Pantone colors Matching System on plastic is only available in version C, Coated)
Pantone CMYK
1) Paper type
C- glossy paper
U- offset paper
2) Color number
1-3 digit number; hyphen; 1-2 digit number
3) P— four-color CMYK printing (Process)
Legacy codes
DE— four-color CMYK printing, European version
D.S.— four-color CMYK printing, American version
Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors system
The Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors system includes two subsystems: on paper and on textile media.
The most affordable fabric guide (100% cotton):
1) Color number
2-digit number - lightness (11 is the lightest, 19 is the darkest);
4-digit number: first two digits are hue from 01 to 64, second two digits are saturation from 00 (neutral) to 64 (most saturated)
2) Library, media type and generation
TPG- textile library (T), paper media (P, Paper), based on dyes, friendly environment(G, Green)
TPM— textile library (T), paper media (P, Paper), metallic colors (M, Metallic)
TCX- textile library (T), cotton media (C, Cotton), latest generation (X, eXtended)
TN— textile library (T), fluorescent colors on nylon media (N, Nylon)
TSX- textile library (T), carrier - polyester (S, Synthetic), latest generation (X, eXtended)
Legacy codes
TP- textile library (T), paper media (P, Paper), use TPG
TC– textile library (T), cotton media (C, Cotton), use TCX
TPX- textile library (T), paper media (P, Paper), latest generation (X, eXtended), use TPG
Since 2012, Pantone began supplying individual colors of the Pantone Textile system on mass-dyed plastic:
1) Media type
P- plastic
Q- opaque
2) Color number(Pantone Textile colors on plastic are only available in the TCX version)
Let's start with RGB - a color model, which is also created by the first letters of the color names Red - red, Green - green, Blue - blue. In order to display color on the screen of a computer, TV or other electronic device, designers use these colors.
When printing, the printing house uses the CMYK color model.
Situation: we made a layout. The colors were left in RGB. Colors vary on flyers, booklets, brochures, etc. What's the matter
CMYK is the basic printing color, a mixture of which produces all the other colors in the palette. You've probably heard the mysterious words Magenta, Yellow, Cyan from designers.
It's not magic, but the names of the colors "purple", "yellow" and "blue".
The color model SMYK is named after the first letters of these colors. The last letter “K” in the name is of unclear origin.
But most are inclined to think that this is the first letter of the word “Kontur” - an outline, which is usually drawn in black.
A modern screen can reproduce almost any color.A typewriter, loaded with cyan, magenta, yellow and black paint - no.
Imagine, we create a brochure layout and use absolutely any colors.
For example, choose bright orange, turquoise, lemon. What happens when the layout goes to print?
The printing press encounters colors it cannot reproduce by mixing CMYK. The result turns out to be unpredictable, and as a result we will not get the same colors as what we saw on the screen.
How did the Pantone color system come about?
When public printing began to switch to color format in the first 20th century, the need arose to select a high-quality and easy-to-use color palette. Printing houses that wanted to produce their goods according to new criteria were scattered all over the world, and it was necessary to somehow standardize their work.
This is how the Pantone color table appeared, which was developed by the American company of the same name. Each color in this system has its own code, consisting of Latin letters and numbers, which allows people of all countries and nations to use it.
Why do we need Pantone colors?
Pantone is a specific color created using a mixture of several colors and has its own number according to the Pantone Matching System.
By naming the Pantone numbers, you can be sure of the shade of the final product. And it doesn’t matter where you order printing - in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Frankfurt or Barcelona.
For each Pantone color, it is indicated what percentage of the base CMYK colors should be taken to obtain this particular color or shade. To select the desired Pantone shade, there are special catalogs, which, as a rule, are available in every printing house. Each shade has its own number.
If when printing ordinary leaflets and other handouts, absolute color matching is not critical, then when printing image printing it plays a huge role, this is brand recognition and considerable investment in design. Corporate identity is the face of your company.
Situation: you need to print catalogs with branded merchandise. But in reality it is not so simple. You can't print a logo in regular blue and hit the bull's eye. Each color has many shades.
Each person has his own idea of what “sky blue”, “grass green”, “fiery red” looks like.
The customer can try to describe the color in words - talk about the blue of the promised skies or the color of the sea in Bali, but to get the perfect result you need a catalog number.
Dependence of color on printing material
The color of the print depends not only on the color of the paint, but also on the type of material on which it is applied. On glossy paper there will be one color, and on matte uncoated paper it will be different (not so bright).
Therefore, color layouts are printed in two versions - coated and uncoated. In this case, either the letter C or U is added to the Pantone number, respectively. You must choose the color that suits your occasion.
There is nothing complicated here - souvenir products are usually printed using Pantone coated. Pantone uncoated are useful when printing on uncoated paper. For example, if you need to print a logo on the inner sheets of a notebook in a corporate color, then the Pantone number is needed with the letter U - Pantone 485 U.
What are Pantone colors famous for?
Every year, representatives of the Pantone company nominate a color from their entire palette for 1st place.
So, in 1999, the azure blue hue was recognized as the shade of the millennium, the color of 2005 was violet, in 2009 the victory was won by “mimosa”, in 2011 by “honeysuckle”, in 2012 by a red-orange hue.
As it turns out, this choice has very specific parameters. Representatives of the Pantone company constantly monitor the economic, social, environmental and psychological state of the entire planet.
Colors are chosen based on the issues that are most pressing at the time.
Miklos Kiss (kissmiklos.com) from Budapest presented Juceline juice packaging and identity, which will cause joyful emotion among designers and creatives: the design imitates painfully familiar colors Pantone reference books. Each variety of juice corresponds to a real color code from the world-famous palette.
Let's start with RGB - a color model, which is also created by the first letters of the color names Red - red, Green - green, Blue - blue. In order to display color on the screen of a computer, television or other electronic device, designers use these colors.
When printing, the printing house uses the CMYK color model.
Situation: we made a layout. The colors were left in RGB. Colors vary on flyers, booklets, brochures, etc. What's the matter
CMYK is the basic printing color, a mixture of which produces all the other colors in the palette. You've probably heard the mysterious words Magenta, Yellow, Cyan from designers.
It's not magic, but the names of the colors "purple", "yellow" and "blue".
The color model SMYK is named after the first letters of these colors. The last letter “K” in the name is of unclear origin.
But most are inclined to think that this is the first letter of the word “Kontur” - an outline, which is usually drawn in black.
A modern screen can reproduce almost any color, but a printing press loaded with cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink cannot.
Imagine, we create a brochure layout and use absolutely any colors.
For example, choose bright orange, turquoise, lemon. What happens when the layout goes to print?
The printing press encounters colors it cannot reproduce by mixing CMYK. The result turns out to be unpredictable, and as a result we will not get the same colors as what we saw on the screen.
How did the Pantone color system come about?
When public printing began to switch to color format in the first 20th century, the need arose to select a high-quality and easy-to-use color palette. Printing houses that wanted to produce their goods according to new criteria were scattered all over the world, and it was necessary to somehow standardize their work.
This is how the Pantone color table appeared, which was developed by the American company of the same name. Each color in this system has its own code, consisting of Latin letters and numbers, which allows people of all countries and nations to use it.
Why do we need Pantone colors?
Pantone is a specific color created using a mixture of several colors and has its own number according to the Pantone Matching System.
By naming the Pantone numbers, you can be sure of the shade of the final product. And it doesn’t matter where you order printing - in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Frankfurt or Barcelona.
For each Pantone color, it is indicated what percentage of the base CMYK colors should be taken to obtain this particular color or shade. To select the desired Pantone shade, there are special catalogs, which, as a rule, are available in every printing house. Each shade has its own number.
If when printing ordinary leaflets and other handouts, absolute color matching is not critical, then when printing image printing it plays a huge role, this is brand recognition and considerable investment in design. Corporate identity is the face of your company.
Situation: you need to print catalogs with branded merchandise. But in reality it is not so simple. You can't print a logo in regular blue and hit the bull's eye. Each color has many shades.
Each person has his own idea of what “sky blue”, “grass green”, “fiery red” looks like.
The customer can try to describe the color in words - talk about the blue of the promised skies or the color of the sea in Bali, but to get the perfect result you need a catalog number.
Dependence of color on printing material
The color of the print depends not only on the color of the paint, but also on the type of material on which it is applied. On glossy paper there will be one color, and on matte uncoated paper it will be different (not so bright).
Therefore, color layouts are printed in two versions - coated and uncoated. In this case, either the letter C or U is added to the Pantone number, respectively. You must choose the color that suits your occasion.
There is nothing complicated here - souvenir products are usually printed using Pantone coated. Pantone uncoated are useful when printing on uncoated paper. For example, if you need to print a logo on the inner sheets of a notebook in a corporate color, then the Pantone number is needed with the letter U - Pantone 485 U.
What are Pantone colors famous for?
Every year, representatives of the Pantone company nominate a color from their entire palette for 1st place.
So, in 1999, the azure blue hue was recognized as the shade of the millennium, the color of 2005 was violet, in 2009 the victory was won by “mimosa”, in 2011 by “honeysuckle”, in 2012 by a red-orange hue.
As it turns out, this choice has very specific parameters. Representatives of the Pantone company constantly monitor the economic, social, environmental and psychological state of the entire planet.
Colors are chosen based on the issues that are most pressing at the time.
Miklós Kiss (kissmiklos.com) from Budapest presented Juceline juice packaging and identity, which will make designers and creatives happy: the design imitates the painfully familiar Pantone color guides. Each variety of juice corresponds to a real color code from the world-famous palette.
