Ink Colors Used in Commercial Printing
CMYK and Spot Color Printing
There are two main types of printing inks used in commercial printing:
In addition to inks, printing projects are often coated with varnish, aqueous coating, laminates or UV coatings to seal in the inks, minimize scuffing, scratching & fingerprints, and effect the paper sheen.
CMYK Process Ink Colors
Process color printing, also know as "Full Color Printing" or "Four Color Printing," is the mixing of four ink colors to produce a nearly unlimited number of colors. They are Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K).
With CMYK printing, artwork is half-toned (also called screened), distributing the image into a pattern of dots onto the printing plates and then transferred to the paper. The tiny dots of each primary color are printed in a pattern so small that they are perceived as the many various color tones within the image of the artwork, including photos, type & background colors.
For example, when Yellow and Magenta are mixed at full saturation, it appears to be red. But when each color is screened to a lesser percentage, the color appears to be pink.
Pantone makes ink color charts of many common CMYK colors for accurate color matching.
On each Pantone color chip is the "recipe" of the exact mix of CMYK to yield each particular color.
Spot Ink Colors
Pantone PMS Colors
A Spot Color (PMS Color) is an ink color that contains one matched color of ink printed on one printing plate. Spot colors are often used when only one or two color printing is needed. Instead of mixing ink colors on the printing press, as is CMYK printing, spot ink colors are mixed before putting them on a printing press. PMS inks do have some advantages:
- Some ink colors cannot be accurately achieved in CMYK printing
- PMS colors do not have to contain dots of color (shading) to achieve color, so they may appear crisper. Most corporate logos contain Spot Color inks.
Pantone is the maker of the "PMS Color Charts" (Pantone Matching System).
On each Pantone PMS color chip is the "recipe" to tell the printing company how to mix inks for each particular ink color.
Your computer monitor will not represent CMYK or Spot PMS colors accurately unless it has been calibrated for color accuracy. Even with a calibrated monitor, nothing beats an actual Pantone Chart for a critical color matching situation.
Printers often add coatings to finish off a printing project. Coatings can be used to reduce scratching and fingerprints and to add visual impact. Typical coatings include varnish, aqueous, UV and laminating. Varnish and UV can be "spot coated" for added artistic and reflective situations: to add or eliminate sheen to some areas but not others for visual impact and to control glare.
Varnish - a clear gloss or dull coating sealant.
Aqueous Coating - aqueous coating is a water based sealant available in gloss, dull, and satin which is more durable than varnish.
UV Coating - a clear gloss or dull liquid that is cured with ultraviolet light. UV coating gives more protection and sheen than either varnish or aqueous coating.
Laminate - laminates protect the paper from water and are available in various thicknesses. They are costly, but provide a strong, washable surface often used on menus and books.
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