CMYK Pantone

My online printing outsource made a postcard containing my image and it came out about 1-1/2 stops too dark. When I questioned this I was advised as follows:
"For best prediction of color output on a 4 color offset press, please compare your CMYK percentages with an industry-standard Pantone Process guide."
>>This seems strange since a color image will have numerous different percentages of cmyk. I must be missing something. My friend who has the Pantone guide wants me to specify a Pantone number for use in comparing the image. I don't see how this can work for the same reasons (different colors, different percentages).
>>The easiest solution I can think of is simply to brighten the image the next time I order postcards from this printer.
>>Any other advice appreciated.

Well if the overal look was too dark, then the profile associated with it was incorrect. Sheetfed will print darker that SWOP.

Similar Messages

Colour is not right in illustrator cmyk pantone cyan and aqua

I am trying to work with colours in illustrator. I have set my colour mode to CMYK. I am trying to create a light aqua colour and just keep getting "out of gamut" errors. I tried using the colour book for Pantone and even entering the number of a pantone colour I want and just does not look right on the screen
The file will be used to print so RGB is not an option
can some one help me set up colour settings so I can get the best match for a light aqua colour.

For the sake of understanding: Spot colors are supposed to be printed as one dedicated ink in the physical world. Unless you convert it to a process color in a controlled (=calibrated environment) the on-screen simulation is merely a placeholder whose representation may not be at all exact. Likewise, converting it to CMYK may not give the same color result due to how the separate components interact differently from a single color ink. That and then there may be specific halftoning and ink density requirements as well as the paper stock that change "mix" colors or at least their perception. The default generic profiles should do just fine, but feel free to instate a specific FOGRA 27/ 39/ custom/ whatever setting if you know who's gonna print it using what profiles. Regardless, you have to at least calibrate the monitor either by eyeballing it with a calibrated reference chart or a calibration device and then of course you have to use it for proof preview. Beyond that - light colors are sometimes created by reducing the ink density/ opacity and/or flattening them against white and letting the halftoning take care of the rest, but this really depends on specific workflows. At least on my crudely calibrated system here at home I have no issues to get a reasonable representation of the color, so something may be up on your system.
Mylenium

CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge

I was wanting to know why the color breakdown that Indesign gives for a Spot Pantone color is different to the one specified in a Pantone Color Bridge book. Also the color on screen that Pantone Color Bridge breakdowns show seems more accurate than the ones specified by Indesign.
Any ideas on this or articles that can explain this?
Thanks

Jono10 wrote:
One last thing. If I use the 'Standard Lab values for spots' in Ink manager which gives me a better on screen reproduction of a color then I should do the same in Illustrator under 'Spot colour Options' in the swatches palette.
Lab might give you a better on screen preview of Pantone Solid inks (spot color, not CMYK), especially if the color is out of the CMYK gamut.
Lab doesn't necessarily give you a better preview of how the color would convert to process CMYK. If you want a preview of how a Lab color would convert to CMYK, you could check both Use Standard Lab... and All Spots To Process in Ink Manager.

CMYK/Pantone printed guide suggestions

I recently did some business cards, and despite using a Spyder4 to calibrate my monitor, and using the "view proof" CMYK setting, the printed cards came back very differently than the monitor colors.
To avoid this in the future, I want a pre-printed color guide book or swatches with corresponding CMYK values. Even better, would be a printed book or swatch collection with CMYK and Pantone spot colors.
With print media declining, I see more 4-color process (CMYK) options than Pantone spot printers available.
Can anyone suggest a CMYK color guide book that I can literally hold swatches up to the monitor and compare the colors?

This forum is actually about the Cloud, not about using individual programs
Once your program downloads and installs with no errors, you need the program forum
If you start at the Forums Index http://forums.adobe.com/index.jspa
You will be able to select a forum for the specific Adobe product(s) you use
Click the "down arrow" symbol on the right (where it says ALL FORUMS) to open the drop down list and scroll

CMYK/Pantone differences between CS3 and CS6

I have a file that was created in CS3. Pantone 534 C was used and the CMYK value that was shown was 100, 80, 30, 5. When I open the file in CS6 and choose Pantone 534 C, the CMYK value is shown as 98, 85, 36, 27. Am I going to get the same tone of blue when I print the file from the CS6 version as I did when I printed the file from the CS3 version?
In essence, is the PMS tone that was in CS3 the same PMS tone that is in CS6? I'm assuming it is, but wanted to confirm. And can anyone explain why the CMYK values have changed between the two versions if I'm using the same PMS number?

J,
My problem is, which CMYK values should I use to most closely match the Pantone 534C color? Should I use the CMYK values in CS3 or CS6 (because they are different numbers)?
I believe someone from Pantone would vote for CS6 because they have changed the values to more closely match the solid colours.
But the proof of the pudding is the eating, so you should try both and see what you think.
Some solid Pantone inks are impossible to match closely with CMYK, and who says that the closer match (by the parameters chosen) is the better/prettier/nicer colour?

Can't type (search) PANTONE+ numbers in InDesign CS5 7.0.4 Color Books

There is a glaring issue in trying to select Pantone+ colors by typing in the color number, like 97-8 (from the CMYK Pantone+ book) yields 17-1?! I have no idea why that comes up. And the panel is almost unusable due to this inexcusable oversight. It needs to be searchable by exact Pantone+ number. JUST LIKE REGULAR PANTONE NUMBERS in the regular color book, I could type in 18-1 and get 18-1 not some obscure number.
I have seen a few similar posts without proper answers EVEN IF it said it was answered.
I have pantone+ libraries installed. They just don't work when it comes to typing in the number you want...you have to scroll, and the scroll is way too slow or way too fast and very painful to use.
Please help!
Thank you!

This seems to only be the case with the Pantone+ Process color books. "Pantone+ CMYK Coated" & "Pantone+ CMYK Coated". This is a huge problem for me since 99.9% of our jobs are CMYK.
And I did reinstall the swatches recently and that did not fix InDesign.
But the Pantone+ CMYK color books work in Illustrator CS5 just fine... you can type in your number and get your color.

CS6 Pantones show up as labs

I just installed CS6 and am setting up ASE files for our team on our color palette. I have 3 palettes of the same colors: CMYK, Pantone spot, and RGB versions. When I load the spot ASE file, most of the colors show as lab colors rather than PMS spots, while others show as PMS. Am I doing something wrong?
The square icons on the right of the palette show that some are Lab colors. When I open the Options, sometimes it shows PMS, sometimes LAB. When I hover over the color without opening the options, it shows the lab breakdown. I never use Lab colors, so I have no idea how these show up as labs. Help!

Wholesale site and each supplier requires a different menu and lay out.

Best Pantone Metallic gold colour?

Hello all
Apologies for basic question.
I'm making some branding material, and the colour scheme is a metallic gold on a royal blue. I was just wondering the best way to achieve a good metallic gold effect when printing. I've done all the design, and am in the process of making it all print ready. The 'gold' colour I use for the digital previews is just a CKMY mix (38 42 84 12) with obviously no real relevance to actual printed gold - just looks good on the screen. I do Edit Colours - 3 Colour Job (royal blue, metallic gold, white), and the from the Pantone Metallic Coated swatch, Illustrator gives me 8383 C. Is this any good? I did a google search and it's not really mentioned... I also can't find a convention on what gold IS good to use. As the background is a dark blue, some light metallic gold would be best.
Additionally, I read the metallics are opaque. Thus, do I need to make a copy of any object that's in gold, make it white, and then underlay the gold object with it, so the printer is printing gold on white, rather than gold on blue? I may just do it anyway, as it's no effort. Good to know though...
And if anyone's feeling especially helpful, I was just wondering why the maximum output on AI is 300dpi, whereas on PS one can enter any value that one chooses? Is 300dpi absolutely fine for all print jobs? When I make photo-based stuff in PS, I use 600dpi...
Thanks so much for any help.
marko

Pantone 871 is the brassiest of the metallic colours.
BUT ... Don't use gold or metallic colours for branding. It can get you into deep spaghetti.
The thing is that you never know beforehand where or how branding material is going to be used.
For all you know it might end up on the side of an aeroplane. (Been there.)
My advice is to select colours that can be matched in all common colour systems; RGB, CMYK, Pantone, RAL, Toyo, Self-adhesive foil etc. etc.
O.k., you may want to make a metallic version for special purposes, but generally keep to easily matched colours for your standard version. You may feel it cramps your style a bit but in the long run it's worth it.

Acrobat 9 Standard missing Output Preview in Advanced...

Hi,
I find it weird that I can't find the Output Preview option on acrobat. I go to Avanced>Print Production>Acrobat Distiller???
Don't have a clue what Acrobat Distiller is, so I try going into Tools. Nothing. Then I try bringing up the Help and even that doesn't want to come up.
Does Acrobat 9 even have an Output Preview? I need to use it for checking CMYK pantones and such. After Google searching I'm desperate

I'm having the same problem...
Acrobat v.9.4.5
I go to the 'Print Production' menu and the only thing on the menu is 'Acrobat Distiller'
Where is Output Preview and all the other options? Where have they gone?
This is driving me nuts - can anyone please help or suggest a reason why? The only other Adobe application installed in Acrobat Reader X. Machine is running XP Pro. Everything is fully updated.
Thanks.

Windows 7 Word 2010 with EPS A4 Acrobat X Pro Paper Size Issue

I'm running into the following issue trying to create a PDF.
Word 2010 A4 page size. Document has some Illustrator EPS images used in it.
When I go to make the PDF using Acrobat from the top menu and then Create PDF, the page size of the PDF is A4, but the color is the low res bit map preview look. Not acceptable color, all colors converted to CMYK, but the EPS files have incorrect color values.
When I use File Print Acrobat PDF, the color is correct, but it reduces the pages to 8-1/2 x 11. Every setting I can find is calling for a A4 page size. This way the colors are left as the original files CMYK + Pantone colors.
I spent 2-1/2 hours with Adobe on this and they had no solution.
We have tried different Default Settings and no difference.
The Adobe PDF Page Size: is A4.
If we make the page size A3 then it generates a A3 size PDF.
When I was running XP with Word 2003 and Acrobat 9 Pro I didn't run in to this problem.
Any ideas?
Thanks

Anyone have any ideas?

Why do my colors print dark on my printer but display much brighter on my screen?

I'm on Adobe CC and use a PC that runs Windows 7. I noticed once we updated to Adobe CC the colors on my monitor are much richer but are actually much darker and muddy when I send the files to printer. This is especially evident in Illustrator. I even used a CMYK Pantone color for accuracy (which was a color of wine) but displayed magenta in Illustrator! Then I thought, maybe it was my NVIDIA Control Panel. So I adjusted my desktop color settings to match the colors I was going for but while that somewhat helped I knew it wasn't the answer when I noticed that the websites I went were not displaying the correct colors because they were hard to read. I am stuck and have no idea what to do. Can anyone help?

Downgrade to previous CS where color was color. Seriously, if you were getting correct color on output and the color appeared correctly on your monitor before you updated, then there's where the problem is. The update.

Illustrator vs Photoshop RGBs / What color profile to use for an online publication that is also to be printed?

Hi, I have been correcting the colors of a franchise company logo that is to be used for print, as well as online media.
I created EPS files in Illustrator using Pantone colors, and I will be providing these for professional printing (signs, brochures, business cards, etc.)
I have also converted these files to TIFF files through Illustrator, using CMYK, and will be providing these for in-house/desktop printing by business owners.
I have also converted these files to RGB for online usage.
When opening up the RGB files into Photoshop in order to work them into a publication template, I noticed the colors (which seem pretty true to the Pantone values I remember in Illustrator) were picking up as different RGB values from the ones provided to me from the marketing team. (The PMS color I was given was 280C, my file picks up as RGB 0-72-144 in Photoshop, and the RGB they gave me is 0.43.127) I understand that assigned Pantone colors can appear different than the RGB conversions when viewed on screen together (seeing that Pantones are printed, RGBs are on screen...I'm assuming the Pantone colors, when printed, should appear close to the RGB on screen versions...right?) Anyway, I changed my original RGB values (0-72-144) that were created from the original Illustrator values to the ones provided by the marketing team (0.43.127) just to play it safe.
Firstly, please let me know that all of this is correct, and that I am provided the owners with the correct types of files and color profiles dependent on the jobs.
Secondly, I am also to produce a publication using the logo that will be distributed online (RGB), but needs to also be able to be printed, in the case that the business owners would like to distribute it via hard copy as well (CMYK/Pantone)... need I provide them two variations of the same document (one for online, one for print), or is there a color profile that can be appropriate for both uses?
Forgive me, as I only know the basics of these color profiles, and don't quite yet understand the way they work together.
Thanks!

Hi, I have been correcting the colors of a franchise company logo that is to be used for print, as well as online media.
I created EPS files in Illustrator using Pantone colors, and I will be providing these for professional printing (signs, brochures, business cards, etc.)
I have also converted these files to TIFF files through Illustrator, using CMYK, and will be providing these for in-house/desktop printing by business owners.
I have also converted these files to RGB for online usage.
When opening up the RGB files into Photoshop in order to work them into a publication template, I noticed the colors (which seem pretty true to the Pantone values I remember in Illustrator) were picking up as different RGB values from the ones provided to me from the marketing team. (The PMS color I was given was 280C, my file picks up as RGB 0-72-144 in Photoshop, and the RGB they gave me is 0.43.127) I understand that assigned Pantone colors can appear different than the RGB conversions when viewed on screen together (seeing that Pantones are printed, RGBs are on screen...I'm assuming the Pantone colors, when printed, should appear close to the RGB on screen versions...right?) Anyway, I changed my original RGB values (0-72-144) that were created from the original Illustrator values to the ones provided by the marketing team (0.43.127) just to play it safe.
Firstly, please let me know that all of this is correct, and that I am provided the owners with the correct types of files and color profiles dependent on the jobs.
Secondly, I am also to produce a publication using the logo that will be distributed online (RGB), but needs to also be able to be printed, in the case that the business owners would like to distribute it via hard copy as well (CMYK/Pantone)... need I provide them two variations of the same document (one for online, one for print), or is there a color profile that can be appropriate for both uses?
Forgive me, as I only know the basics of these color profiles, and don't quite yet understand the way they work together.
Thanks!

Forum seems dead

This forum seems to have slowed down to a trickle and nearly died. Interestingly, it coincided with the switch to the new format. I have heard a lot of complaints from regular posters, who now shun this forum since it is slow and they just don't like it. It's a shame really.
Adobe....what can be done to this forum (and other Adobe forums) to "encourage" participation rather than discourage it? I miss the interchange we used to have here and in other forums.
Thanks, Lou

Printer_Rick -
I want to respond to your earlier post about the cost of color management, but I've not had a minute to spare. I'll post a response next week. But I do want to give a quick response to your concerns about CMYK - CMYK and Pantone builds.
The big problem for me with converting CMYK - CMYK is all the color builds. Converting can change swatch book values. Colors with matching numbers in different applications before conversion very often won't match after conversion (I can think of a multitude of ways this can happen).
You have highlighted the problem with most of the current Pantone process books: They use CMYK builds. And, as we all know, a given CMYK build will yield six different colors on six different presses. The difference is due to all the factors you've pointed out - paper, inkset, RIP settings, etc. In a world where designers are making creative color decisions on their (hopefully) calibrated monitors, relying on a set of device-dependent CMYK colors to carry those decisions forward in the workflow is a complete non-starter.
To me, the Pantone builds and custom CMYK swatch colors is the most perplexing problem in color management. It causes more color mismatch hiccups than any other single issue. I haven't even mentioned Pantone Color Bridge vs Solid to Process - what an absolute mess that is.
There you have it. A big cluster-f***.
The only way to communicate those Pantone colors is via Lab - the device-independent color space that is the hub of color management. Of course, Adobe98 could be used as well, but it cuts out a good chunk of the blue/cyan spectrum that CMYK can render.
Yesterday I discovered something, ashamed to say I wasn't aware of it before. With a CMYK document, I can proof preview another CMYK space and preserve numbers. I've been searching for that option for some time now, even asked about it in the Ps forum, and it was right there in front of me. This enables a user to see how the same numbers will appear under different print circumstances. I wonder how many people use this? It's a great feature.
Essentially, you are soft-proofing one CMYK space through another CMYK space. Same as Assign Profile. It shows you what those numbers will look like in another space - a sobering demonstration.
I believe this is the crux of the big color management "conflict" between the world of design and the world of print. Design focuses on appearance, and print focuses on numbers. But in the end, the numbers can't be torn apart from the appearance. After all, the Pantone build libraries are based on CMYK numbers. We can't change that.
Yes we can. In fact, Pantone is doing it with the GOE libraries - Lab and aRGB numbers, no CMYK numbers.
Look, let's be clear on what the point of the exercise is: appearance. It's ALL about appearance. That's what color is. Scientists have quantified color into sets of numbers, but in the end, it's about appearance. When a customer looks at a printed sheet, they see COLOR, not NUMBERS. The numbers are only the means to the end. That should be the focus of all of our efforts throughout the entire workflow. Blindly following numbers very often steers the workflow into the ditch.
That said, I'm very sympathetic to the plight of printers who have to deal with, among other things:
1) customers who want you to match their whacked-out monitor
2) customers who "helpfully" provide "print-ready" files when they really have no idea what they're doing
3) the crazy-making (and inconsistent) mish-mash of Pantone process books in the various Adobe and Quark apps
4) the liability they expose themselves to by providing contract proofs
5) etc, etc, etc
I'm offering no single solution here. The reality is that we are living in the middle of active evolution, knee-deep, and sometimes neck-deep, in the primordial ooze. Phasing into Lab-based Pantone is one step forward. The lingering existence of all of the CMYK-based Pantone books is one step back.
Just a thought...
[EDIT - By the way, the only way to get close to the designer's original intent when dealing with a CMYK Pantone build is to do a CMYK-CMYK conversion. It's blasphemy, however, to say that out loud in some circles. Go figure.]

Converting from pantone to cmyk color mode in Indesign CS3??

I am working on a business card for a customer, I am using Adobe Indesign CS3.
I use an outside company for the printing job called 4over (4over.com) and they require you use their cmyk pdf print engine so they can do the job properly... Basically to break it down: I am in Indesign CS3, I choose Print, and as the printer I choose their "4over pdf cmyk print engine" so the colors do not convert and the color doesnt change when they use their printers.
4over is telling me my document is in pantone color mode, they can see the pantone color 371C, but not the cmyk values.
How do I change from pantone color mode to cmyk color mode???
if anyone can help me please. I would really appreciate it.
I attached the file I sent to 4over incase that helps anyone answer my question.
Thank you,
Brandon

Before exporting, in the swatch panel, select your Pantone colour, right click and select swatch options. Change the color type to Process and the color mode to CMYK.
If it's a business card and you showed the client a pantone swatch, know that you won't get the same colour results. There's a very useful Pantone book available that shows swatches side by side with CMYK values.
http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/product.aspx?pid=283&ca=1&s=4

Why different values in Illustrator/InDesign/PS when converting Pantone to RGB & CMYK?

I'm starting off with a pantone color in InDesign and trying to determine a close and consistent approximation of RGB, CMYK, and Hex. When I do this conversion in InDesign, I get different results than if I do it in Photoshop or Illustrator. I have all the apps working at the same color management setting (Adobe RGB (1998) and US Web Coated (SWOP) v2). I'm working old school in CS1.
Here are my results for Pantone 187C:
InDesign
Photoshop
Illustrator
RGB
171 x 0 x 34
153 x 33 x 55
167 x 37 x 53
CMYK
0 x 100 x 79 x 20
21 x 100 x 81 x 12
16 x 100 x 86 x 6
HEX
992137
A72535
I realize that any conversion from Pantone is an approximation, but why do the different applications yeild different results? I'm fairly new to color management and print (I come from the video world), so any efforts to dumb down explanations are appreciated.

Photoshop's default is to use Lab values when converting from spot colors. So you need to set InDesign and Illustrator to use the same values.
In Illustrator, from the Swatches panel menu, choose Spot Color Options. Choose Use Lab Values specified by the book manufacturer.
In InDesign, from the Swatches panel menu, choose Ink Manager. At the bottom, check Use Standard Lab Values for Spots

CMYK Pantone

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