What is Pantone Color & Pantone Matching System – How to Find PMS Color in Illustrator | CNCLATHING

2021.5.28

Pantone colors set a standard of color used in the design and production across the world, regardless of the location and production equipment. As the Pantone Color System is widely adopted by practitioners in various industries, here we’ll talk about what is Pantone color and PMS system, also introduce how to find Pantone color or add Pantone swatches in Illustrator.

What is Pantone Color? - Pantone Matching System

Pantone is a standardized color matching system that designers and printers use when there is a need to ensure color consistency, Pantone color refers to the color specified in the Pantone Matching System (PMS). The most commonly used Pantone system is known as the Pantone solid system (Formula Guide), there are also other Pantone systems such as Color Bridge, Extended Gamut, and Pastels & Neons. In Pantone Matching System, there are a ton of different colors, every color in this book has a color reference, when you have your logo designed, your designer will specify a specific number for each Pantone that they use in the logo. PMA is a proprietary, standardized color system used in many sectors of the manufacturing industry, which describes colors by assigned numbers. Pantone color system standardizes 1,114 colors and assigns each color a number and name. By standardizing the colors, manufacturers in different locations can refer to the PMS and ensure the colors match efficiently, also avoid color deviation between the design and finished parts.  

Common Pantone Matching System:

– Formula Guide (Coated & Uncoated): one of the most commonly used Pantone color guides. It provides all the Pantone Spot Colors and their ink formulations, it’s a good tool whether you want to look for inspiration for your design or need to match colors as a supplier. 

– Color Bridge (Coated & Uncoated): the only Pantone Tool that offers CMYK, HTML, and RGB values for Pantone Spot colors. It allows you to see what your spot color will look like if printed using a 4-color process.

– Extended Gamut (Coated): the latest development in process printing technology with 90% better Pantone spot color matches over CMYK by adding Orange, Green, and Violet to the color gamut. 

 

How to get Pantone swatches? You can purchase Pantone color from the page: https://www.pantone.com/color-finder

How to Find PMS Color in Illustrator - How to Find Pantone Color (Swatches) in Adobe Illustrator

PMS Color Matching System is so prevalent in modern visual culture, you can find it in Adobe Illustrator, which allows you to use Pantone colors for color consistency. Here are the steps for locating Pantone color in Adobe Illustrator:

1. Open your Illustrator, select “Window” > “Swatches” to open the Swatches panel. By default, you should only see colors that fall within the CMYK range.

2. Click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner of the Swatches panel, and choose “Select All Unused” from the list, then click the arrow again, choose “Delete Swatch” to remove unwanted CMYK colors. If you find some extra colors remain, you can delete them individually. 

3. Select “Window” > “Swatches Library” > “Color Books”, click on the Pantone color guide you need among a large number of Pantone books and add the Pantone swatches. 

4. Then the Pantone swatches are added into your Swatches panel, and you can see new PMS color options there organized by designated number. 

5. To find a specific Pantone color, click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner of the Pantone panel, and then select “Show Find Field” from the list. Then you can search for the color by entering the corresponding number.

Pantone Color of the Year 2021

The Pantone Color of the Year is a prediction of the color trend for consumers, which means that it is used for consumer product creation and marketing. Every December, the Pantone Color Institute studies color trends throughout the year to determine the next Pantone Color of the Year, which gets plenty of media coverage. Pantone Institute has chosen two colors as Pantone Color of the Year 2021: Ultimate Gray 17-5104 and Illuminating 13-0647. The combination of solid and reliable Ultimate Gray and vibrant Illuminating yellow is a celebration of the human spirit. 

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