Metallics (871–877) · spot ink
PMS 871 U
Pantone® 871 Uncoated — PANTONE 871 on uncoated stock
Metallic — sheen, not a mirror. Printers write it PMS 871 U; brand guidelines usually write it Pantone® 871 Uncoated. Same ink, same plate — the letter is the paper it lands on. On coated stock the same colour is PMS 871 C, and it does not look the same.
- Budget gold
- Large gold areas where foil would be cost-prohibitive
On-screen approximation — not a colour-accurate reference. Match to a physical PANTONE® chip before you sign off.
Coated vs uncoated, honestly
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.
| Stock | Reference | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Coated | 871 C | Denser and brighter. Ink sits on a sealed surface, edges stay sharp. |
| Uncoated | 871 U | Softer and less saturated. Fibres absorb the ink; expect a step down in punch. |
How it behaves in production
- Metallic gold ink: bronze flake in a varnish base. It has a satin sheen and reads as gold across a large area, but it does not reflect like foil and it will not hold a crisp hairline the way a foil die does.
- Prints best on coated stock, where the flake sits on the surface and stays bright. On uncoated the flake sinks and much of the metallic effect is lost — plan on a duller, sandier gold.
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 directoryMetallic 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 is usually the honest answer and metallic ink is the budget one.
Browse the paper directoryCommon questions
- What does PANTONE 871 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 871 on dark or coloured stock?
- Not as a standard ink hit. PANTONE 871 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 871 be matched in CMYK?
- There is no CMYK equivalent. A metallic is a spot ink or a foil, never a process build.
- Is PANTONE 871 the same as 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 is usually the honest answer and metallic ink is the budget one.
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 871 on Materica Limestone
PANTONE 871 on Materica Limestone. 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
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PANTONE 871 on Savile Row Brown
PANTONE 871 on Savile Row Brown. Ink is translucent: on a rich cocoa brown sheet the printed colour shifts toward the paper. Sign off against a printed sample, not the chip.
Compatibility matrix
Start this combinationPANTONE 871 on Bamboo ply
PANTONE 871 on Bamboo ply. Ink is translucent: on a pale straw blonde sheet the printed colour shifts toward the paper. Sign off against a printed sample, not the chip.
Compatibility matrix
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