Pantone Colour Matching on Board

Pantone colour matching means printing a brand colour with a spot ink mixed to a Pantone reference, rather than building it from the four CMYK process colours. On packaging, how close the result looks depends on the guide you chose, the board it is printed on and the lamination over it. Always judge the match against a physical reference in good light, never on screen.

Pantone printing is the most dependable way to keep a brand colour consistent across a range and across reprints. It is not magic, though, and knowing what changes the colour helps you set the right expectations from the start.

How Pantone matching works on packaging

The Pantone Matching System gives each colour a reference number and an ink formula. When your artwork calls for a Pantone colour, the ink is mixed to that formula and printed as a solid, rather than being made from overlapping dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

That gives two advantages over CMYK: a cleaner, more even solid colour, and access to colours CMYK cannot reach. Our guide to CMYK vs Pantone compares the two approaches in detail.

To specify a Pantone colour in your artwork, set it up as a spot colour named with the exact reference, including its suffix, for example "PANTONE 186 C". Supply it the same way on every file so every item in the range is printed to the same reference.

Coated vs uncoated guides

Pantone publishes its references in two main versions: coated, marked C, and uncoated, marked U. The ink formula for a reference is the same in both. What changes is the paper it is printed on, and that makes a visible difference.

The rule is to choose the guide that matches the surface your box will actually have. If your folding carton is white coated board with lamination, use the coated reference. If your rigid box is wrapped in an uncoated textured paper, the uncoated reference is the fairer comparison.

How the board changes colour

Ink is slightly transparent, so the surface underneath always affects the result.

For more on surfaces, see our guide to coated vs uncoated board.

How lamination and varnish shift colour

Lamination is a thin film over the print, and it changes how light reflects from the colour underneath.

This matters when you compare the finished box to a guide. A gloss-laminated carton will look richer than the coated swatch; a matt-laminated one will look a touch paler. Decide your finish first, then judge colour with that finish in mind. Our lamination page explains each option.

Pantone colours that CMYK cannot match

If a job is printed in CMYK only, Pantone colours are simulated using the four process inks. Many colours convert well, but some fall outside what CMYK can reproduce:

• bright and warm oranges;
• vivid and fresh greens;
• strong, clean blues and violets;
• fluorescent colours;
• metallic colours.

If one of these is your brand colour, print it as a spot ink. For a genuine metallic shine, foil blocking usually gives a brighter result than metallic ink.

Proofs and how to judge a match

A digital proof shows your artwork on the dieline. It confirms layout, content and position, but it cannot show a spot ink colour accurately, because every screen displays colour differently. Our guide to why screen colours differ from printed colours explains why.

To judge colour properly:

• Use a physical reference. Compare against a current printed Pantone guide or a previous approved print, not a screen.
• Use the right guide. Coated for coated surfaces, uncoated for uncoated.
• Use a current guide. Printed guides fade and yellow with age and light exposure, so an old guide can mislead.
• Use consistent light. The print industry judges colour under standardised daylight-type lighting. Colours can look different under shop lighting, warm LEDs and window light, so compare under the same light each time.
• Compare like with like. Hold the reference flat against the printed panel, at the same angle.

Printers can also measure colour with a spectrophotometer, which expresses the difference between two colours as a number called Delta E. The lower the number, the closer the match, and small differences are hard for most people to see side by side.

If colour is critical, ask about sample options when you request your quotation. Our guide to when a physical sample is needed will help you decide.

Keeping colour consistent across a range

A brand that uses rigid boxes, folding cartons and mailer boxes will be printing the same Pantone reference on three different surfaces. The colour will be close on each, but not identical, because each surface absorbs and reflects ink differently. The best approach is to specify the same reference on every file, choose boards and finishes that suit the colour, and approve each item against the same physical reference.

Once approved, the dieline, artwork and specification are kept on record against your job, so a reorder follows the same specification.

Pantone checklist

• The colour is set up as a named spot colour with the full reference and suffix.
• The reference comes from the guide that matches your board: C or U.
• The board and finish are decided before the colour is judged.
• The colour has been checked against a physical, current guide.
• Colours outside the CMYK range are printed as spot inks.
• Kraft artwork uses colours strong enough to hold up on brown board.
• The same reference is used on every item in the range.

Common mistakes

Choosing colour on screen. Screens cannot show spot ink accurately. Choose from a printed guide.

Mixing up C and U. The same number looks noticeably different in each guide.

Ignoring the board. Kraft and uncoated papers always change the colour.

Forgetting the lamination. Gloss deepens colour and matt softens it.

Expecting CMYK to match every Pantone. Some colours need a spot ink or a foil.

Using a faded guide. Old guides drift. Compare against a current one or an approved print.