Pantone, CMYK, RGB: What are they and what do I need?
Pantones
The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a standardized color-matching system used by printers to ensure that colors are the exact same color every time. In 2022, Pantone ended their relationship with Adobe, making it much more difficult for us to find exact matches to colors. Since it is more expensive to print in Pantone, and we cannot guarantee an exact match, we no longer provide Pantone swatches and suggest working with the printer if exact color swatches are needed. We have, however, found that most of our clients have had success when printing in CMYK, it just depends on the printer.
Quick Facts:
This tends to cost more to print
Only used in printing
There are several color books depending on the material you are printing on.
Each year, Pantone selects a "Color of the Year" that influences trends in fashion, home décor, and design industries. The chosen color often reflects current cultural moods and global trends.
CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.
This is the standard 4-color process that printers use. Inks are mixed and can sometimes cause slight variations throughout a printing run, but it is usually marginal. It is imperative to make sure your colors are in a CMYK color profile before sending to print. Failing to do so may result in more dull colors. Likewise, these colors are only used for printing and may show unexpected results if you put them on the web.
Quick Facts:
Only used in Printing
Typically the standard color format for printing
Cheaper than using Pantone
RGB
Red, Green, Blue
RGB colors are the standard for digital screens, such as monitors, TVs, and smartphone displays, where each pixel is made up of red, green, and blue sub-pixels. When putting your logo or photos online or to be viewed on a screen, you will want to make sure it is in RGB, otherwise the colors can start to look funky.
Hex Code: Hex codes are often used to identify an RGB color for the web, They start with a # followed by a combination of 6 numbers and letters.
Quick Facts:
RGB is an additive color model, meaning that colors are created by combining light of these three colors at varying intensities. The more light added, the closer the color gets to white.
Each RGB channel (red, green, and blue) typically has 256 possible intensity levels, allowing for over 16 million possible color combinations.
