Pantone to HTML Conversion
Graphic designers, printers and those in the marketing profession often use Pantone colors (commonly referred to as PMS colors) to communicate specific color values. Requesting the color "orange" could result in any number of colors or shades, but request PMS 159 and that is the specific shade of orange used by The University of Texas Longhorns.
Pantone colors refer to specific colors when ink is printed on paper; however, designers and marketers may still request that a specific PMS color be used on a website. A Pantone number can not be used to specify website colors so you must convert it to the HTML color.
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Pantone Colors
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The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a "reference for selecting, specifying, matching and controlling ink colors," according to Pantone, Inc. Pantone colors are used by printers and designers to communicate exactly how a color is to be printed on an offset printing press. Printers custom mix ink according to the Pantone formula to ensure a consistent color match from job to job or printing press to printing press.
HTML Colors
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HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is a programming language used to create websites. Colors are defined in HTML by using hexadecimal notation (hex) to represent the combination of red, green and blue. All hex values begin with # and are made up of a series of six letters and numbers. Numbers range from 0 to 9 and letters from A to F. For example, the hex value for black is #000000 and the hex value for white is #ffffff.
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Converting Pantone to HTML Using Swatch Books
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Pantone's Color Bridge swatch books provide assistance in converting to different color formulas. Swatch books are organized in numerical order based on the Pantone number. Each swatch contains the CMYK, HTML and sRGB equivalents. Swatch books are available for purchase from Pantone.
Converting Pantone to HTML Using Adobe Photoshop
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Adobe Photoshop's color picker converts Pantone colors to HTML colors with a few clicks of the mouse. First, open a new Photoshop document. Then, double click on the foreground color square at the bottom of the tools pallet. Next, click "Color Libraries." Choose the correct Pantone book and scroll through the color list to find the correct swatch. Click on the swatch and then click "Picker" to display several color values. The HTML color will be in the box labeled #.
Warning
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It is important to note that the appearance of HTML colors will vary based on the operating system, browser and monitor settings. Because of this, matching a printed Pantone swatch to a computer screen will not always result in a perfect match, regardless of which conversion method is used.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Pantone 02 image by Marco from Fotolia.com
