Convert colors to PMS

[carter the artist]

Okay, maybe i'm just having a stupid day, but the client has their logo with process colors called out. I need to find a close match to a pms color... what would be the best way to figure this out?

[Virgo Nightingale]

If you have a swatch book, print a copy of the logo on your best printer and do some comparing. That's what I do, anyway...

[carter the artist]

I was thinking of that, but I don't know if that's a good option in this project. The logo is going to be sent to an outside shop to be done on cut acrylic. They will be painted at that place. They need a pms color selected. I have on my side a CMYK mixture. The problem is that with large format printing, those numbers don't always translate 100% to the printer. That's my fear.

[urstwile]

Unfortunately, there's no easy way to do this, but you could try this.

In Photoshop, type in your CMYK values in the picker, then click on color libraries. Photoshop will bring up a spot color number.

However, this is often not the closest match, so often what I do is then refer to a swatch book, go to the vicinity of the spot color number PS gave me, and see if I find anything that's closer than Photoshop's answer.

[rickself]

In a pinch, this is what I do:
Open Photoshop, click on the color swatch at the bottom of the tool palette, plug in the process color formula, go to custom colors and see what spot color PSD comes up with.

[urstwile]

:d

[rickself]

OK, urst, aren't you in here a bit early today??? Hmmmm?:D
(ancient prepress secret)

[CamDesign]

wait, wait, they have a pantone color. and you need to find the cmyk match? or they have a cmyk build, and you need to find the Pantone match?

If you need to find the cmyk build for a pantone, you can always click the little cmyk icon below the ink level meter on the color selector.

Different printers have different builds for pantone colors. For instance, my printer uses 100c 60m 0y 10k to match Reflex Blue, instead of the standard build which is 100c 75m 0y 0k . Im sure there are matching systems online, but they arent that reliable, best thing is to talk to the printer. Good luck!

[rickself]

There is definitely an echo in here today!!

[urstwile]

He needs the Pantone, it's already in CMYK. :)

[carter the artist]

I generally do it the other way, so this is making me feel really stupid. I know if I start with a pantone, I can find the process, no problem. I will try the photoshop trick. It doesn't have to be exact, but close at least.

Thanks everyone, i'll try it out.

It's my last "real" day in the prepress, and I have too much to do besides look at every color in my pms swatch guide.

[rickself]

It's my last "real" day in the prepress, and I have too much to do besides look at every color in my pms swatch guide.
Thems fightin words! Nobody escapes prepress!

[carter the artist]

That's it. I was being stupid and thinking you could do this in illy as well. I really wish Illy and Photoshop would stop competing and cooperate.

[carter the artist]

Don't worry Rick,
I'll be putting in 40+ hours a week at a Direct Mailer place doing "jr. graphic design/production artist" and then come to the shop and do prepress for a few hours a night and on the weekends, plus trying to do my freelance...

...boy is my girl going to hate me. :)

[CamDesign]

He needs the Pantone, it's already in CMYK. :)


oops! sorry, I'll go back to my corner now :rolleyes:

[urstwile]

OK, urst, aren't you in here a bit early today??? Hmmmm?:D
(ancient prepress secret)
Yeah, it's really slow at work today.

[rickself]

Me too!
Cleaned out some shelves today. Take care of the inevitable now instead of March. (nobody knows, not til November)

[rickself]

Okay, maybe i'm just having a stupid day...
I'm feeling stupid right now...

Stupid fairy is flying a wide pattern today! :eek:

[Buda]

You could get them to ask their previous printer what they printed their stationery in?

[CamDesign]

Stupid fairy is flying a wide pattern today! :eek:


thats why im sitting in the corner :o

[rickself]

thats why im sitting in the corner :oLOL! Careful, corners are a favorite spot for ghosts to hide, too. Voice of experience!

[Ned]

Carter the Artist:

There is no need to convert your colors to PMS.

They will turn themselves, about once a month. If they miss a month, that is when you start worrying.

[urstwile]

Carter the Artist:

There is no need to convert your colors to PMS.

They will turn themselves, about once a month. If they miss a month, that is when you start worrying.
http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/sign/sign0024.gif

[carter the artist]

You cannot ban a man for a funny play on words.

[urstwile]

I thought it was funny actually, myself. But Ned and I have this kind of big sister/little brother relationship on the forum, so I chose that as my response. :D

[Ned]

You cannot ban a man for a funny play on words.

A woman may ban or damn a man for whatever reason that pleases her! Especially during that certain time of month... :D

[urstwile]

"If women are supposed to be less rational and more emotional at the beginning of our menstrual cycle when the female hormone is at its lowest level, then why isn't it logical to say that, in those few days, women behave the most like the way men behave all month long?" Gloria Steinem

:p

[Ned]

You can be a man for 3 days! Lucky you...

When I try to be a woman for 3 days, I get beat up. :(

[urstwile]

Clearly, you're just choosing the wrong accessories, Ned. :D

[Ned]

Dammit... I knew I shouldn't try to match that gold purse with anything! But it's the latest thing, y'know, and I hate to see it go to waste...

[Buda]

I have a sparkly silver beaded bag for you Ned. I got given it, won't ever use it, but silver goes nicely with most things!

[Ned]

Thanks Buda, you guys are so helpful!

What would a guy do without y'all? ;)

[morea]

are you guys taunting Ned for a reason? Let's think here:

Nobody who has posted so far in this thread is likely to get anywhere NEAR fully-accessorized dressed-to-the-nines silver-handbag-toting Ned unless we get another Canadian in here with a digicam.

Sheesh! :p

[Ned]

...and if you do, I'll b!tch slap her a$$ to Prada-Hell! :D

[carter the artist]

I don't think anyone has had so much fun watching their forum get hijacked, now where is the popcorn?

[Buda]

I ate the popcorn already, but you can have some chocolate bars, I'm not much of a sweetooth.

[morea]

I ate the chocolate bars, but I have some leftover socks, if you're interested...

[Buda]

...socks leftover from what??