Emma Davis Print Production Specialist at 4OVER4.COM
Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
Question
What is a Pantone (PMS) color?
Answer
Pantone, short for the Pantone Matching System, is a library of pre-mixed spot-color inks, each identified by a unique number. Because every color is mixed to an exact recipe before it touches the press, Pantone delivers brand-color consistency that four-color process printing cannot always guarantee.
- Each Pantone color is a single premixed ink, not built from CMYK dots.
- Referenced by number, such as PMS 185, so the same color repeats run after run.
- Ideal for logos and brand colors that must look identical everywhere.
- Includes specialty inks like metallics, pastels and fluorescents that CMYK cannot reproduce.
If your brand relies on an exact color, a Pantone reference keeps it locked in across every reprint.
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