Category: General discussion
Later topic: Dip Dye + Letterpress
Earlier topic: Where to order dies?

Lighter Shade of Pantone

  • pompilia
  • on 4 Mar 15 (07:25)
  • Updated 4 Mar 15 (12:32)

Hello to all

I am interested in using a lighter shade of Pantone 413U. Since Pantone 413U is a mix between Pantone Green, Pantone Black and Pantone Transparent White, using the information from the pantone site (https://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20459&ca=1) about how the formulas are “calculated”, I’m assuming that a lighter shade would be made of 0.19 Pantone Green 0.56 Pantone Black and 99.25 Pantone Transparent White. Any idea if these numbers would be correct for achieving a lighter shade of Pantone 413U? I contacted Pantone to confirm this but they were not very helpful and stated that a lighter shade would not be derivative from Pantone 413U.
Using the Pantone X-ref Guide (http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/color_xref.aspx) I believe this lighter shade should be very similar to P 175-1 U in the Pantone CMYK Uncoated Guide.

Also,I recently purchased the Pantone Color Bridge Uncoated Guide to replace my old Formula Guide and have been using it is choosing Pantone solid colours. Is it safe to assume the solid colours represented in the Color Bridge Guide are an exact match to those represented in the Formula Guide?

Any thoughts or comments on these issues would be helpful.
Thanks in advance

Log in to reply   5 replies so far

I would probably mix it to spec, then cut it with additional amounts of Transparent or Opaque White to get to the shade you’re looking for.

Yes, but I won’t be mixing it myself. I intend to place an order for the ink, so it will be lab mixed.

Assuming you plan to print the job by letterpress, and with the understanding that the Pantone guides are based on use in offset printing with its (usually) thinner ink film, getting a color match for letterpress will be chancy. This is why the suggestion to mix to the formula and then adjust with white — a formula mixed for offset will print darker letterpress. Are you either printing an enormous job or planning to print everything with that color? Even just a pound will be enough for a lifetime.

Bob

You could try ordering from an ink lab local to you instead of direct from Van Son or some other large ink manufacturer. A local lab is usually willing to make custom mixes (i.e. lighter shades, etc.).

such a light shade of grey will only look good in screen what kind of work is it you want to achieve it will hardly be apreciated on letters unless youre planing some deep impression with some added contrast even in those conditions i dont think you notice a difference with a light grey. mixed with transwhite and black