pantone help

[Typically]

Hey guys i'm doing a hang tag for one of our products and i'm trying to do a black on black effect. I have no problem making it look good in CMYK but they want pantones. I've been looking through my pantone book and i found 419C as the top color and 426C as the background. i can't tell if there will be a big enough difference in the colors though. any input would be greatly appreciated!

[SpugNothuson]

Erm if I've got this right you're printing in 2 Pantone Colours 419 and 426, any white text or stuf in this? Or is it just the two colours?

Won't people give themselves a headache trying to see the design?

You've confused the Spug. :(

[Typically]

haha yea the logo is going to be in white. this is just for the background so it's not a flat black.

[SpugNothuson]

Ah ha, you want to double print the black. For a real dark black.

At our printers we print in Midnight Black twice, once at 30% trapped back and then at 100% (Solid) obviously untrapped.

Midnight Black should be an available colour, it's basically black but is more opaque than normal.

[Typically]

ok now is there a way i can set this up for them without giving them any special directions? we get these printed over in china and they get confused very easily with anything out of the ordinary =]

[CkretAjint]

we get these printed over in china and they get confused very easily with anything out of the ordinary =]

I know exactly what you mean!!!!

[SpugNothuson]

Ah, for the easily confused that be a problem.

Its possible that 419 will serve you well by itself. After all it is a mix of Black and Green (3:1) both are very high in pigment. 426 is Reflex Blue instead of Green.

In the interests of saving confusion I'd do a 30% tint of 426 overprinted with a 419 solid. I'll check the density values first though to make sure that the 426 will trap under the 419 (if they're using auto trapping).

[SpugNothuson]

419 does indeed have a lower density tahn 426, this is the method that most trap programmes use to work their magic.

All should be good.

*crosses fingers, closses eyes and starts humming "It's a small world"*

[Typically]

thanks a bunch spug! ok i've never done something like this before so let me just run it by you real quick to make sure i have this setup right. the background is solid 419. i have the 426 set to a 30% tint (i just change the percent next to the color on the color palette right?) and have that above the 419. does that sound right?

[SpugNothuson]

Almost everything perfect except slap the 426 in the background.

Also request that the 426 is printed first and the Solid 419 after.

[Typically]

ok so the 426 in the back and the 419 in front. do i change the % of the 419 to 30% now?

[budafist]

You can always try spot UV for some interesting patterns in the black.

[carter the artist]

You can always try spot UV for some interesting patterns in the black.

oh yeah!!

[milano.design]

No the standard is reflex blue at 30% under the 100% black (or whatever color you are doing).

keep me updated on this, i want to hear how it comes out. I take it you can't just ask them to mix you a rich black by just adding more to the panton breakdowns (just by adding the reflex blue to your color should achieve the same results in the ink wells).

[SpugNothuson]

Adding Reflex Blue to Black would give you 426.

Typically; the 30% tint needs to be under the solid so that when the trap software reaches it it "spreads" underneath. Unless the printers have flawless colour registration this will help immensly.