· TUTUORIAL · The Colors (or Colours in Canada)

 

  Template download
  Introduction
  The process
The colors
  2 color examples
  2 color picture discs
  4 color picture discs
  Center hub area
  Spec diagrams
  Complete film specs
  Trapping
  Silkscreen compensation spec

Most labels are printed using 1, 2, or 3 PantoneĀ® PMS colors. Pantone is a company that specializes in color communication. They publish color swatch books every year that designers, printers, and film service bureaus use to specify colors. These books are needed because we can't trust what is displayed on a computer screen. Just think about it - monitors have brightness and contrast controls, so how do you know what the color is supposed to be?

Pantone has many different guides - we need one specifying the regular PMS spot colors. We find the Solid to Process Guide the most useful for daily use. By specifying the PMS number, we are sure to have a very close color match - not perfect, but close (there are so many variables in printing that a perfect color match is impossible). The Solid to Process Guide also shows you how the spot color will look when it is converted to 4-color process printing.

 

 
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