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| Smart Computing® Encyclopedia |
| Pantone Matching System (PMS) | ||
| The PMS is a standardized set of more than 1,100 colors, each designated by a number. PMS was developed in 1963 when Pantone introduced its Formula Guide of 942 color swatches. It solved a major problem for the graphic design and printing industries because
it took most of the guesswork out of adding spot color to printed materials to meet a customer’s expectations. Before what came to be known as PMS, a customer would specify a color name or provide a color sample and the printer would mix inks to approximate
a match. With the Formula Guide, a customer could select a color and its number from a PMS swatch book, and the printer would follow the formula for creating the color using Pantone’s proprietary set of seven ink colors. In 1974, Pantone introduced its Color Data System for computerized color matching and formulation, and in 1984, the company created its Electronic Color Systems Division to develop color management systems for the digital age. Pantone is the standard throughout much of the computing and Internet world. Its licensees include makers of graphic design software, desktop publishing tools, presentation software, Web site development software, printers, and monitors. Terms associated with PMS: Pantone ColorUp: In 1993, Pantone introduced its first end-user software called ColorUp, a color management tool businesses could use to improve the appearance of presentations and reports. Pantone ColorWeb: Pantone introduced Pantone ColorWeb software, a color management tool for Web site designers, in 1996, and ColorWeb Pro in 1998. The program lets designers select “Internet-safe” colors, those colors that are most accurately represented on users’ screens in spite of display variations found in monitors or browsers. The innovation was especially important for online catalog merchants because customers often said the reason they were returning merchandise was because it was the wrong color. Pantone Hexachrome Color System: In 1994, Pantone developed the Hexachrome Color System, a high-fidelity six-color process used to produce more vivid colors than a four-color process. It adds orange and green to the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) four-color process, the longtime standard for mixing inks to produce different colors. The Hexachrome Color System is supported by graphics software, high-end office printers, and 6-color presses used in commercial printing. Pantone Personal Color Calibrator: The Pantone Personal Color Calibrator is software that corrects the color distortions on many monitors. It lets users see the colors of a Web site the way they should be viewed and enables desktop publishers to see the colors on the screen as they will appear when printed using a Pantone-calibrated printer. Pantone Process Color System: The Pantone Process Color System is a palette of more than 3,000 colors created using the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) 4-color process. Unlike printing with spot colors, printing with process colors can achieve the continuous tones and shadings needed to reproduce photographs. | ||
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