PMS Colors

Need to determine PMS value for logo

[ControlZ]

I had a logo designed for a client, which I used on a website I developed. Several months later the client asked for the PMS values for the logo. The printer working on the business cards asked for this vaule. Since I don't work with the medium, I have no idea and cannot get in touch with the original designer of the logo.

I presented the client with a psd file, evidentally, this is not enough for the printer or he is just lazy. Can someone tell me how to determine the pms values?

[Don_Hoagie]

Crap, sorry I don't have the links on me to the sites i'm about to talk about... (not that it matters, I can't seem to sneak a URL into this forum without it being edited out).

Ok first of all, you created the logo digitally? If its origin is digital, then simply take the hex code of the colors (if you don't have a working version of the graphic anymore, then just use an eyedropper tool and sample the colored area). Then, since I can't give you the links directly, Google for stuff like "PMS color conversion" or something like that... there are plenty of cool little sites and apps that will tell you what PMS value your hexidecimal color refers to.

Also, since you're the one who created it, you should try to check out a PMS book (PMS colors can also be found online, but of course that kinda defeats the purpose because they're digital) and make sure the color is what you want. Printing, as you probably know, is a whole different realm for color. You might decide that your logo looks truer to life if the PMS blue used is lighter and more vibrant than the blue used in your digital file.

So, short answer: Google it... just a little bit.

[lZakl]

-- BUT ... be careful of online conversions. The way the color looks on your monitor is NOT what a Pantone printed color will look like. You could have what looks like a deep blue to you, and it may actually print purple when put on a CMYK press. The BEST way to ensure that it prints correctly is to get a Pantone guide. Either chips, cards or a book, they’re all the same. But you need to be looking at a physical item rather than trying to do it electronically. The printer is not being lazy, he simply wants to know what the logo is supposed to look like because you can’t “really” tell on the monitor. The fact that he’s asking for the PMS number should be looked at as a very positive thing -- He cares about whether the end product looks as intended.

Pantone was set up to be a “catch-all color standard” to bridge the gap between design and professional print. So that the designer looks at a card and says “This is the red I want ... PMS 458” and the printer can look up that exact same color by number. So now there is no guessing, and as the item rolls off the press the printer can compare the product with the card in his hand to make sure his ink mixture, impression, etc. is all correct.

So in short -- There is no electronic substitute for Pantone. This is why it was designed, because everyone’s monitor is different. So if you Google anything ... search yourself out a good Pantone guide.

-- Zak

[ControlZ]

Thank you both. I determined the Pantone value using the color picker in Photoshop. I guess where I am confused is that when you use the color picker, there are varations in the actual color of the pixels, thus it's dificult to know if the color choosen will look correct when printed.

I suggested to the client before the printer actually prints an entire run, to make sure she gets a color proof in order to verify the actual colors.

This is a problem I run into often -- pick up new clients who either have no logo or a poorly designed logo. The logo is recreated and then I am hit with all these print medium issues that I am unfamilar with.

Next time, I will make sure I get these values before I send logo to the client.