Making color selections for 4-color process without a Pantone swatch book

[wienerdog]

I was wondering what most designers do to choose colors for a print job that will be 4-color process. I don't have a Pantone > CMYK book as a guide because, as I recall, they're very expensive.

Do you select colors on-screen and print samples on an inkjet to test them out and see how they look?

Do you choose Pantone colors on-screen and print tests of those to see how they might look in CMYK?

Obviously, I'm going to want to give a proof to the printer I send the job to, and get one from them before they run the job.

[Andi Creffield]

I would suggest investing in a Pantone Formula Guide as it is guaranteed to match exactly whatever press or print application the finished job is going to be applied to.

Guessing colours onscreen is not a great idea even with all the calibration programmes around today.

Formula Guides are expensive but it will last a few years and you will never have to reprint a job because the output colours didn't match the digital proof.

[PrintDriver]

Giving you the benefit of the doubt...
Is your monitor calibrated at all?
What are you printing your tests on?

[PrintDriver]

Andi - the formula guide is a guide. It isn't always exact. Especially when paper matters.

And it does NOT work for all print processes. Especially not in wide format.

Some colors can be out of gamut in digital CMYK printing so even a Pantone chip book is only a guide.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Get one anyway. Then liase with your printer for the technicalities.

Remember, store it well and don't expose to the elements much...

[capezio]

I'm watching some on ebay at present, unused ones too

[wienerdog]

Giving you the benefit of the doubt...
Is your monitor calibrated at all?
What are you printing your tests on?

I'm printing on an inexpensive Epson CMYK inkjet, I haven't pushed the freelance work to be profitable enough to get really expensive home equipment.

I figure my best option is to get a ballpark idea on colors, and any fine tweaking will be done when my client gives me the printer they want to use.

[budafist]

If you don't care about the colours enough to get a colour guide, then you'll just have to go by your screen.

[Rocketpig]

I live by my Pantone book.

[urstwile]

A Pantone color guide and a CMYK tint book are must have tools if you're a designer. I would consider it an investment. You could probably write it off as a tax deduction, I'd think.

[PrintDriver]

Pantone guides are almost expensive enough to amortize. LOL!

Are we talking about formula guides here or chip books?
Definitely invest in the chip books or at the very least the fan decks.

Urstwhile is right. If you are going to be a designer at least get the essential tools to be one. Nothing like a carpenter who shows up without his tapemeasure.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

The fan deck is a good compromise. Works fine for me.

[panzer]

yes you have to have at least the fan book

apparently the is a book out that matches cmyk to the pantones and you can get very close

but as pd said they are guides

[urstwile]

Panzer, if you could locate the name of that book, that would be great. Going from CMYK to Pantone has always been a bit of a bear, even when you use Photoshop to get you there part of the way.

[greyghost]

I'd be interested in that book as well.

[PrintDriver]

It isn't published by Pantone...
If it exists, be sure to check your swatch book publishing date to this book's publishing date. Formulae change for Pantone colors every couple of years (that's why they call it a standard? :rolleyes: )

[undressedmonster]

I was doing some research about this a year ago. Ok there USED to be a Process Chip Book by Pantone. It was in a black binder with red letters if I recall correctly.

Sadly, it doesn't look as if Pantone makes this item any more. But they do have a Process to Solid Bridge fanbook, and probably a Process-only fanbook with tints.

If you search long enough on eBay and Google you can find places that sell the Process chipbook, but good luck.

[undressedmonster]

Here's what you might be looking for:

http://pantone.com/products/products.asp?idSubArea=0&idArea=1&idProduct=304&idArticleType_Products=0

http://pantone.com/products/images/prod_GGS201_detail_dk.gif
PANTONE® COLOR BRIDGE™ coated
$119.00 U.S.
Product: GGS201



And there's also this:
http://pantone.com/products/products.asp?idSubArea=0&idArea=1&idProduct=224&idArticleType_Products=0

http://pantone.com/products/images/prod_GPS204_dk.gif
PANTONE® 4-COLOR PROCESS guide set
$99.00 U.S.
Product: GPS204

[PrintDriver]

Pantone's Color Bridge, unless you know what you are doing with it, is going to become the bain of the printing industry. Especially the wide format printing industry.

If using an in-program PC color swatch palette, PC suffix is NOT equivalent to C suffix in all print processes. If you are using PC (Color Bridge) say so in BIG letters on your submittal hard copy. Not being in the regular print world I can't imagine why anyone would apply PC colors to a file anyway...but they do.

[panzer]

i thought i had it i will keep checking urstwhile

[PersonasBinar]

In time you can pick colours based on the numbers.
I use the Pantone Process Guides when sitting with a client, to help them visualize.

[panzer]

http://www.amazon.ca/Process-Color-Manual-Combinations-Printing/dp/customer-reviews/0811827577

apparently this is the bees knees but it isnt the link i had i will keep searching 9im sure it was made by hbs but thats a colour set too :( )

[PersonasBinar]

Call me old school but I've never used Pantones as a benchmark/palette for selecting colours, as far as I'm concerned they make inks. They are not the only players in the game. For me Pantones have always represented corporate colours already set and selected by the client, because Pantone doesn't do four colour, that's why so many people run into trouble trying to process a Pantone. That said I've never had a client come back unhappy with their printed results either.

[panzer]

your right personasBinar but sometimes we only have what we are given

i would love to work with some of the other inks

like that gradiant ink urstwhile keeps talking about :)

[urstwile]

Gradient ink? :confused:

Panzer, that book is very similar to one I already have, I don't know if mine has 24,000 combinations, I might consider investing in that one as well.

I was thinking you meant a book that shows that %C%M%Y%K equals Pantone #xyz (or closer than Photoshop seems to do).

Anyway, that book looks pretty cool.

[panzer]

that is exactly what i meant mate
yes but i cant find the d@@@@d site i found it you would think i would put it into favourites but oh no no no no tht would be too simple for me

[urstwile]

LOL, Panzer, I've been in that spot myself. That, or I forget which folder I put the bookmark in, I have so many. Aargh, somewhat defeats the purpose of bookmarking, eh?

[panzer]

at home i need an index for my index of my inexes of bookmarks

i am so disorganised you should see my bedroom

oh i forgot i live in a shoe box