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CMYK to PMS

S

scottfree13

Scottfree Graphics
I apologize if this is the wrong place to post. I tried converting a CMYK color to PMS today for something I need to have printed and ended up with a virus on my computer. My CMYK colors are C:37 M:19 Y:90 K:0. Can anyone tell me what the PMS color would be? TIA
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
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DarkerKat

DarkerKat

design & such
Just to add some confusion, PMS 2304C is Illustrator's best match (color build is C:32 M:6 Y: 77 K:12 - so you're trading mostly magenta for black)

+the build listed above for PMS618 is incorrect, actual build for that is C:19 M:16 Y:91 K:28 (per the PMS color bridge book)
I don't put a lot of stock in those online converters, you're going to get a different answer everywhere you go... If you have a swatch book handy, I would look at the suggestions made in this thread and just pick one/let the client pick one.
 
G

Graphic Extremes

Knows To Little
I use the Pantone Bridge Color books also, they seem to get closer on the color, but sometimes they are totally off from what you think you will get from the coated books and you compare it to the bridge book comparison.
 
myront

myront

Dammit, make it faster!!
Kimberly Hiles said:
Just to add some confusion, PMS 2304C is Illustrator's best match (color build is C:32 M:6 Y: 77 K:12 - so you're trading mostly magenta for black)

+the build listed above for PMS618 is incorrect, actual build for that is C:19 M:16 Y:91 K:28 (per the PMS color bridge book)
I don't put a lot of stock in those online converters, you're going to get a different answer everywhere you go... If you have a swatch book handy, I would look at the suggestions made in this thread and just pick one/let the client pick one.
Click to expand...
and more confusion. :doh:

1715780876511.png
 
B

bteifeld

Substratia Consulting,Printing,Ergosoft Reseller
A CMYK color specification without a color space profile(like US Web Coated Swap V2) is MEANINGLESS.
You are playing color roulette/pin the tail on the donkey when you try to specify color this way.
Using Pantone swatches to visually match is the same game.

Measure the color you want with a spectro like an i1 or Nix to get the L*a*b* specification.
Create a L*a*b* named swatch in your design program and/or RIP program based on this measurement.

You will have the actual color specified and then it is ultimately about whether the ink, paper, and illumination condition will
allow the color to be well reproduced.

The book Real World Color Management can be helpful in understanding things like this. www.projectbbcg.guide is also good.
 
DarkerKat

DarkerKat

design & such
bteifeld said:
A CMYK color specification without a color space profile(like US Web Coated Swap V2) is MEANINGLESS.
You are playing color roulette/pin the tail on the donkey when you try to specify color this way.
Using Pantone swatches to visually match is the same game.

Measure the color you want with a spectro like an i1 or Nix to get the L*a*b* specification.
Create a L*a*b* named swatch in your design program and/or RIP program based on this measurement.

You will have the actual color specified and then it is ultimately about whether the ink, paper, and illumination condition will
allow the color to be well reproduced.

The book Real World Color Management can be helpful in understanding things like this. www.projectbbcg.guide is also good.
Click to expand...
I mean... Yeah, you're right, but the OP is working from CMYK. What exactly is your suggestion here, they go buy a 1200$ tool and hold it up to the computer screen?
Using a spectrometer and lab values is the right way to go about it, but the job still has to get produced?
 
B

bteifeld

Substratia Consulting,Printing,Ergosoft Reseller
Kimberly Hiles said:
I mean... Yeah, you're right, but the OP is working from CMYK. What exactly is your suggestion here, they go buy a 1200$ tool and hold it up to the computer screen?
Using a spectrometer and lab values is the right way to go about it, but the job still has to get produced?
Click to expand...
I actually do think that people doing color work should own an accurate spectrophotometer
that they can afford. I certainly would not tell them to hold it up to their computer screen.

Even so, the real issue at base is that many people who use CMYK for a color specification
don't know that CMYK is a device dependent color specification that needs
a color space profile to give it meaning. If you have CMYK and a color space
profile, you can convert it to L*a*b* with something like http://colormine.org/color-converter
which has a CMYK to lab converter that has many of the common CMYK color space profiles
that are in use today. Someone can take a converter like this, and then see what works based
on trying each of the available color space profiles with the CMYK they are working with. There
are also ways in Adobe, Affinity, and RIP software to cycle through the CMYK color space profiles
to get a visual rendition- provided the monitor being used has been properly calibrated and profiled.

I am concerned about the common acceptance of using CMYK without some kind of
color space profile to give meaning to the CMYK numbers. With Pantones in particular,
I can tell you that Pantone-provided sRGB numbers(based on the sRGB color space profile)
always converted to Pantone's L*a*b* for the swatch someone wanted. Pantone NEVER specified a color space
profile for their CMYK numbers. They could have set a better example, but chose not to. My
comments on Pantone are based on my experience of the Pantone Color Manager software,
which was discontinued in favor of Pantone Connect.

I should have mentioned the color converter and software approaches in my original message
to be more effectively responsive- thank you for your message.
 
G

Graphic Extremes

Knows To Little
The books I just ordered for Pantone Bridge have the UC after the number for the uncoated book and CP for the coated book.

Not sure what the letters stand for
 

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G

Graphic Extremes

Knows To Little
bteifeld said:
I actually do think that people doing color work should own an accurate spectrophotometer
that they can afford. I certainly would not tell them to hold it up to their computer screen.

Even so, the real issue at base is that many people who use CMYK for a color specification
don't know that CMYK is a device dependent color specification that needs
a color space profile to give it meaning. If you have CMYK and a color space
profile, you can convert it to L*a*b* with something like http://colormine.org/color-converter
which has a CMYK to lab converter that has many of the common CMYK color space profiles
that are in use today. Someone can take a converter like this, and then see what works based
on trying each of the available color space profiles with the CMYK they are working with. There
are also ways in Adobe, Affinity, and RIP software to cycle through the CMYK color space profiles
to get a visual rendition- provided the monitor being used has been properly calibrated and profiled.

I am concerned about the common acceptance of using CMYK without some kind of
color space profile to give meaning to the CMYK numbers. With Pantones in particular,
I can tell you that Pantone-provided sRGB numbers(based on the sRGB color space profile)
always converted to Pantone's L*a*b* for the swatch someone wanted. Pantone NEVER specified a color space
profile for their CMYK numbers. They could have set a better example, but chose not to. My
comments on Pantone are based on my experience of the Pantone Color Manager software,
which was discontinued in favor of Pantone Connect.

I should have mentioned the color converter and software approaches in my original message
to be more effectively responsive- thank you for your message.
Click to expand...

One thing I have noticed is that in Illustrator you can not set lab values with decimal points, all numbers are rounded one way or the other,or am I missing a setting somewhere
 
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