Glossary → Pantone / PMS

Pantone / PMS.

Pantone Matching System, a numbered library of spot colours with ink formulas, used to name a colour a printer must match

Pantone's Formula Guide page describes 2,614 spot colours in the Pantone Graphics System, shown on both coated and uncoated stock, with ink formulations for spot colour reproduction; it counts 224 new Pantone Matching System (PMS) colours in the latest edition. A PMS number is therefore a request for a named spot colour, not an RGB or CMYK value. On custom apparel the match is usually a paid extra: Custom Ink says each Pantone match adds $20 and one match is free for every $400 spent, with Pantone colours entered through Edit Colors or the Upload panel (the page is undated). Name the PMS colour in the order instead of leaving it as a swatch inside the artwork.

Where this matters: Screen printing › Pantone and spot colours · Colour › Screen printing: Pantone and spot colours

Related terms: Spot color

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