So, what’s the big deal about color anyway?

And what are all these codes: HEX, RGB, CMYK, Pantone®, PMS? These are a few of the questions that might come to mind when our designers inquire about colors for your logo or design files. We want to break it down, so you understand the difference between color mixes and why it may (or may not) be important for you to send your brand colors with PMS color codes.

Color types can be broken down into two categories – print and screen. CMYK and Pantone® are used in print, while RGB and HEX relate to onscreen viewing.

  1. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is probably the widest known color profile. Starting with television, it carries over to all digital interfaces including computers, mobile and handheld devices. RGB is the process by which colors are rendered onscreen using combinations of red, green and blue light. Without getting too scientific, RGB uses an additive process in mixing the colors. When all three are combined to 100% the result is white, vice versa when all colors are removed, you’re left with black. The most noticeable difference with RGB colors is the vibrancy, because they rely on the background illumination of a screen. This results in a larger gamut of color than you’d visually see on a printed page. Therefore, when we print a file using RGB color, the result can be disappointing, as it’s less colorful than what is presented onscreen.
  2. HEX (Hexadecimal Color) is a scientific code that developers created for use on websites. It is a mix of red, blue and green (RGB) that is broken into 6-digit combination of letters and numbers for use in web design. Because HEX is a breakdown of RGB values, it also is not a good option for printing.
  3. Pantone® (PMS or Pantone® Matching System) can also be referred to as a spot color and is used in offset printing most often for 1 or 2-color print jobs. It is a patented formula developed by the Pantone company, created to standardize ink color. It is also the recognized model for generating and matching color in the graphics industry. Our designers will reference color swatch books that are produced by Pantone®, and then our print technicians refer to the same swatches to ensure the color is consistent. Due to this color standardization, most businesses rely on PMS colors for brand guidelines, specifically when it comes to logos. This is to make certain the brand color is uniform across print products. At Pro Image Design, we also use PMS colors to match paint swatches during sign production to maintain brand uniformity.
  4. CMYK (or 4-Color Process) is the color method used for full-color printing. It uses tiny overlapping dots consisting of four colors of ink: cyan, magenta, yellow and black, creating a wide spectrum of colors. CMYK is referred to as a subtractive color model, as each color of ink absorbs colored light. If you were to look through a magnifying glass at a CMYK print, you’d notice a pattern of dots that overlap to create the overall color. Because our wide format printers are 4-color process, using the same CMYK color profile for your art files ensures that the printed product will look as closely as possible to the intended colors.

Color codes can be confusing, even to those of us in the industry. That is why we want you to have an explanation for our questions concerning CMYK art files as well as PMS logo colors. No two printers are the same, so color may vary slightly from one printer to another, even at the same facility. Pantone® colors, especially for logos, allow us to compare print samples with our Pantone® swatch books, resulting in a final print that is as close as possible to your brand color.

Our designers sometimes run into brand logos that don’t have PMS colors. It takes more time and effort, but we can work through this important piece of missing information with some help. The simplest option is to drop off a print sample of the correct logo colors so we can match to PMS swatches. Otherwise, clients can work directly with our designers to review samples and choose colors. Some businesses aren’t particular about logo colors, and that’s ok. However, we will put forth our best effort to ensure your colors are true to their brand. Each step of the way, PID is committed to making your final product look the way you want and expect it to.