Ink directory
Spot colour, and what actually happens when we print it
The Pantone® solid coated and solid uncoated inks we run, organised by family. Notes from the jobs we run: how colour shifts between stocks, what process printing cannot reach, and when foil is the better answer.
On-screen approximation: not a colour-accurate reference. Match to a physical PANTONE® chip before you sign off.
Colour families
Reds & pinks
20The hardest family to hold across stocks. Reds go warm and dusty on uncoated, and the deep magentas are the classic CMYK failure case.
Browse reds & pinks →
Oranges
10Bright oranges are out of CMYK gamut almost across the board: 021 and its neighbours are the reason spot colour exists.
Browse oranges →
Yellows
9The most translucent inks in the book. Yellow over anything but near-white is a coverage problem, not a colour problem.
Browse yellows →
Greens
22Deep greens hold well on uncoated and are our most-requested corporate family after navy.
Browse greens →
Blues
32Our single most-run family. Navies read almost black on uncoated; brights lose their edge and need checking on a physical chip.
Browse blues →
Purples & violets
8Violets are the widest coated-to-uncoated shift in the book, and the family CMYK gets most obviously wrong.
Browse purples & violets →
Browns & warm neutrals
11Excellent on uncoated and natural stocks, where the sheet's own warmth does half the work.
Browse browns & warm neutrals →
Greys
13Cool Gray and Warm Gray are the quietest decision on the page and the easiest to get wrong. The temperature of the grey has to agree with the paper.
Browse greys →
Blacks
6There is no single black. Black 6 is the cold, dense one; Black 5 is a brown-black; a straight process black on uncoated is closer to charcoal.
Browse blacks →
Metallics (871–877)
7Printed metal flake, not foil. A sheen, never a mirror: and worth knowing the difference before you specify it.
Browse metallics (871–877) →
Neons & fluorescents (801–814)
13Impossible in CMYK, impossible to keep. Loud for a reason, and honest about the fade.
Browse neons & fluorescents (801–814) →The colours our clients actually specify
Ranked by how often they appear in our order history. Compare coated and uncoated screen previews; the physical chip remains the reference.
Coated vs uncoated
The same ink is not the same colour on the two stocks. On coated sheets the ink sits on a sealed surface: denser, brighter, sharper edges. On uncoated the fibres absorb it: softer, duller, slightly lighter, and warm colours lose the most punch. Some colours change character outright: brights go chalky, deep navies go grey-blue.
Ink is translucent
Offset and letterpress inks are translucent. On a dark or coloured stock a light ink will not cover: it sinks into the sheet and reads tone-on-tone. For light colour on dark paper the answer is foil stamping or an opaque screen pass, never a straight PMS hit.
Metallic ink vs foil
Metallic PMS is a printed approximation of metal: aluminium or bronze flake suspended in ink. It has a sheen, not a mirror. Foil is actual metal transferred under heat and pressure: reflective, sharp, and unmistakably different in the hand. If the brand asset is 'gold', foil gives a reflective highlight while metallic ink gives a satin sheen.
Fluorescents fade
Fluorescents fade. UV exposure kills them in months in a window, years in a drawer. They also cannot be matched in CMYK: there is no process build that reaches them, so a neon is a spot ink or it is nothing.
CMYK is an approximation
A CMYK build of a spot colour is an approximation, not the colour. It matters most on large flat solids, on brand-critical marks, and in the brights and deep blues where process simply cannot reach. It matters least in small type and inside photography.
Ink, paper and foil are one decision
A colour is only half the specification: the sheet under it and any metal beside it change what you get. Browse the paper directory and the foil directory alongside this one.
Ink meets material
The paper and any foil beside it change how a colour reads. Consider them together.
Common questions
- Why use a Pantone spot colour instead of CMYK?
- A spot colour uses one mixed ink rather than four process screens. It can reach vivid oranges, deep blues, fluorescents and metallic effects that CMYK cannot reproduce exactly. Paper and printing conditions still affect the result, so specify the stock alongside the colour.
- Will my colour look the same on coated and uncoated paper?
- No. Coated stock holds ink at the surface; uncoated fibres absorb it, usually making it softer and less saturated. Match the physical reference to the paper you intend to use.
- Can you print a light ink on dark paper?
- Standard offset and letterpress inks are translucent. For light colour on dark stock, opaque foil or a suitable screen-printing pass is the better answer.
- Is metallic Pantone the same as foil?
- No. Metallic ink contains suspended metal flakes and gives a satin sheen. Foil transfers a separate reflective layer onto the surface, with a much brighter highlight.
- Are the colours on this page accurate?
- They are on-screen approximations, not colour-accurate references. Match to a physical Pantone® chip; order the sample kit, or ask us to curate inks after you order.
PANTONE® is a registered trademark of Pantone LLC. Print Peppermint is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pantone LLC. Codes are referenced to identify the inks we print.