Pantone (spot colour)

Pantone is the most widely used spot colour reference system. Each colour has a code and is printed with its own pre-mixed ink, rather than being built from CMYK dots.

Why use spot colours

Spot inks give flat, consistent, vivid colour, keep brand colours stable across orders and SKUs, and reach shades CMYK cannot, such as bright oranges, metallics and fluorescents.

What to watch

Swatch books show colours on coated (C) or uncoated (U) paper, but on flexible packaging the result also depends on the substrate, whether a white underprint is used and whether a matte varnish goes on top. The same code looks different on glossy BOPP and on kraft paper. Every extra spot colour also adds a plate or cylinder.

Tips

• Define brand colours by Pantone code and share them with all designers and suppliers.
• Provide a printed reference for critical colours and agree how tolerance will be measured.
• Print less critical colours in CMYK to limit the colour count.