Have Pantone and other Support Colors Printed

Support colors – a brief introduction

Spot colors are colors that we use in addition to the CMYK color space. These spot colors can also be used to print colors outside the (CMYK) four-color printing process. From rich Pantone colors to delicate pastels and shimmering silver printing – at unieketiket.nl we can simulate Pantone colors with digital printing. We explain how this works and what options you have.

Pantone spot colors

Pantone spot colors are an ideal marketing tool to give your own brand a very individual design feature, such as a logo or lettering in a Pantone® color. You can choose from almost 5,000 different Pantone® colors, divided into two color systems:

• Pantone® Plus Series for the graphic, printing and packaging industry
• Pantone® Fashion, Home & Interiors for product design

Pantone® spot colors printing at unieketiket.nl:

At unieketiket.nl we print digitally. By default, we print in four-color printing (CMYK), consisting of the four colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (yellow) and Key (black). There are basically two options when printing Pantone colors: Simulate and print with the original Pantone® spot color. Pantone colors can be simulated using the four-color model (CMYK). However, special Pantone® colors cannot be matched one hundred percent. To simulate the colors more accurately, we can (at an additional cost) supplement the CMYK model with additional colors. The so-called 7-color model is called an expanded color space and consists of CMYK + OVG: in addition to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (yellow) and Key (black), we can add Orange, Violet or Green (OVG). This allows some Pantone colors to be more accurately simulated and matched.

Note: Simulating Pantone® colors requires an additional operation during the printing process, comparing the printed color with the desired Pantone® color. If we find a difference the CMYK colors are adjusted until the printed color matches the desired color as closely as possible. We can therefore only simulate Pantone® colors if you place the order with conventional (die cut) production. For (the cheaper) laser orders, color matching is not possible due to the automated printing process of these orders.

If you wish to have a Pantone® color simulated, we ask that you format the spot color in the print file to be submitted with the order as a spot color with the original Pantone® color name as the sample name. Do not set the spot color to overprint. Then send an e-mail to our customer service department: info@unieketiket.nl and tell us which (pantone) color in the design you would like to have simulated. If the special color is very important to you or your brand, we recommend having the color simulated in a printing proof.

If you do not ask for simulation of the Pantone® color, we will convert the color to the corresponding CMYK value without checking if the simulation matches the Pantone® color. We can only simulate Pantone® colors of type C (for coated/coated material) and type U (for matte material) with CMYK printing. So always use the appropriate type (C or U) Pantone® color with the material of your choice! During printing, we will match desired Pantone® color as closely as possible. However, we do not guarantee a 100% match to the original Pantone® color. For a 100% match, it is possible, for a label order of 10,000 pieces or more and at additional cost, to have the original Pantone® color printed. We will gladly send you a quotation for this.

Other special colors

In addition to Pantone spot colors and pastel shades, unieketiket.nl also offers the option of silver printing, printing with opaque white or even fluorescent colors.

Digital silver printing

In silver printing, the CMYK color model is supplemented with “ElectroInk silver,” a special silver color. For optimal color results, we print the ElectroInk silver twice (200%). The desired color is then printed over it in CMYK or CMYK+OVG. In this way, almost any desired metallic color can be produced. Another tip on material selection:

Note: Silver printing comes out well only on smooth materials. Matt papers absorb the color, so the metallic effect is almost completely lost. We are happy to give you our recommendations. Just get in touch with us. If you like, we can also send you samples or a quote for an order with silver printing!

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Fluorescent colors/invisible ink

With fluorescent colors (invisible ink) you can create a very special effect that is not visible at first glance. Only in combination with black light does this color show its hidden talents: the special UV printing inks reflect the black light due to their chemical composition and begin to glow. Invisible Ink is available in fluorescent yellow and blue. The fluorescent printing inks are mainly used for trendy drinks such as beer, mixed drinks, or spirits to really stand out in bars and discos!

Printing with opaque white

The last variation of special colors is opaque white. We use this when printing on non-white materials, such as transparent or metallic materials or natural paper that is not completely white, such as grass paper. A label design with white or colored elements is then printed with opaque white, followed by the color printing if necessary. For your print files it is important to format the opaque white as a spot color, with the color name opaque white, and set the opaque white elements to overprint, so that the printing machines recognize them correctly. For more information, read our blog about opaque white.

Almost anything is possible!

Additional information: In principle, we can combine all of the above mentioned spot colors on a single label. For example, CMYK can be combined with one of the OVG colors plus opaque white, silver, or a fluorescent color. There are few limits to your creativity! We are happy to advise you on the implementation of your ideas and wishes, and help you turn your label into something truly special: with one or more special colors!

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