- When more than three inks are used to design a printed piece, it is often more cost effective to print using four-color, or CMYK (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black), printing. CMYK photos print with all their intended hues and shading.
- There are certain colors, such as Pantone metallic colors, that cannot be reproduced using cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks. Also, if company branding requires the uses of certain Pantone colors for consistency, it is nearly impossible to reproduce those colors using CMYK inks accurately.
- In cases where a design can be reproduced using less than three colors, it is much more cost effective to use one or two Pantone colors, rather than CMYK printing. Using Pantone inks also creates better color consistency between the design and the final printed piece than CMYK colors can offer.
- Photos printed with Pantone inks are limited to one to four colors with some degree of shading. Pantone inks are nearly impossible to replicate on CMYK digital output devices. If a designer designates CMYK color values, the designer has a much better chance of achieving a better color match.
- With high-end presses, it is possible to mix CMYK printing with Pantone printing to achieve the best of both worlds.
