Neons & fluorescents (801–814) · spot ink
PMS 806 C
Pantone® 806 Coated — PANTONE 806 on coated stock
Translucent — will not cover dark stock. Printers write it PMS 806 C; brand guidelines usually write it Pantone® 806 Coated. Same ink, same plate — the letter is the paper it lands on. On uncoated stock the same colour is PMS 806 U, and it does not look the same.
- Neon pink accents
- Event and music work
On-screen approximation — not a colour-accurate reference. Match to a physical PANTONE® chip before you sign off.
Coated vs uncoated, honestly
See 806 C and 806 U side by sideThe 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.
| Stock | Reference | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Coated | 806 C | Denser and brighter. Ink sits on a sealed surface, edges stay sharp. |
| Uncoated | 806 U | Softer and less saturated. Fibres absorb the ink; expect a step down in punch. |
How it behaves in production
- Fluorescent pink — the loudest ink we run and the most-requested neon by a distance.
- It fades. Direct sun will visibly dull it within months; kept in a drawer it lasts years. Never specify a fluorescent for something that lives in a window.
- Prints best as a solid. Tints of a fluorescent lose the fluorescence and just look pale.
On dark stock
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.
See the foil directoryThe paper matters as much as the ink
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.
Browse the paper directoryCommon questions
- What does PANTONE 806 look like on uncoated paper?
- Softer, duller and a touch lighter than the coated chip. Uncoated fibres absorb the ink instead of letting it sit on a sealed surface, so saturation drops across the board. The uncoated swatch here is modelled from the coated approximation — order a printed sample before you sign off.
- Can you print PANTONE 806 on dark or coloured stock?
- Not as a standard ink hit. PANTONE 806 is translucent, so on dark stock the paper colour comes through and the result is tone-on-tone. For this colour on dark paper we foil stamp or run an opaque screen instead.
- Can PANTONE 806 be matched in CMYK?
- No process build reaches it. This is spot-only, full stop.
- Will PANTONE 806 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.
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.
Pairs beautifully with
Three combinations that hold up on press. Open one and the Studio starts with the stock, the foil and the ink already locked in.
PANTONE 806 on Constellation Jade E48 Intreccio emboss
PANTONE 806 on Constellation Jade E48 Intreccio emboss. Uncoated fibres drink the ink, so expect it a step softer than the coated chip — that softness is the reason to do it.
Compatibility matrix
Start this combinationPANTONE 806 on 16pt
PANTONE 806 on 16pt. Uncoated fibres drink the ink, so expect it a step softer than the coated chip — that softness is the reason to do it.
Compatibility matrix
Start this combinationPANTONE 806 on Triplex white/black/white
PANTONE 806 on Triplex white/black/white. Uncoated fibres drink the ink, so expect it a step softer than the coated chip — that softness is the reason to do it.
Compatibility matrix
Start this combination