How to Convert Pantone to CMYK & Vice Versa

Swatches are useful for comparing colors for reproduction.

Pantone is a proprietary color matching system owned by Pantone Inc. Pantone is a spot color system used to help match colors for everyday applications such as painting and logo design. Usually, Pantone colors are matched using fan-guide swatches for portability. CMYK describes four colors of a process printing system used to recreate a variety of colors on paper. Not all Pantone colors can be duplicated in the CMYK printing process and vice versa, but many colors can be matched using an online conversion guide or by using swatches.

Things You'll Need

• Conversion guide
• Swatches

Instructions

1. Select a color to convert between CMYK and Pantone color processes. If selecting to convert from Pantone to CMYK, keep in mind that many colors will not always reproduce exactly due to variations in printing presses, operators, and several other variables.

2. Identify the Pantone color using a swatch. Pantone swatches are available for ordering from several vendors online or at a local hardware store. If the color to be converted is a CMYK color, continue to Step 3.

3. Verify whether the color conversion is possible using an online CMYK conversion chart. If the Pantone or CMYK color is not listed on the chart, a conversion is likely not possible. If the color is listed, write down the correct Pantone or CMYK values.

4. Convert the Pantone color to CMYK by entering the numerical color values into the digital swatch of a photo editing software such as Photoshop or GIMP. Alternatively, take the Pantone conversion values to a local hardware store to find paint that matches the conversion from CMYK. If the project for conversion is a large-scale printing or graphics creation, have the conversion values proofed by a professional graphic artist prior to print.

References

• PsPrint: Matching Pantone to CMYK Color
• Colorguides: What is Pantone?

Resources

• Zedimage: Table de couleurs --- PMS, CMYK, HEX