CMYK values for a pantone color

Which blue? There are just a few hundred to choose from.

Hi Weed -

thanks for the reply.  The client's printer has told us it is a Pantone process color: Pantont Process Blue.  We are a web design company, not familiar with print, so if this is bogus info please let me know.   Otherwise, as far as I know the color is Pantone Process Blue.

TIA

There are just a few hundred different shades of blue that you can get in a Pantone color. They need to tell you WHICH pantone blue.

I've seen colors denoted as pantone "process blue" or pantone "process red", etc.  Are you saying that these are not standard colors?  Sorry about the drawn out questions but as I said, we work in (RGB) Web colors, not print.

Myabe ive been out of the loop too long but i've never heard of a "process blue". Usually you get a pantone color number. In any case even if there IS a process blue is it from the coated or uncoated palette? They will be different.

Perhaps the more important question is what are you using it for? If it's a print piece, they should be able to give you the Pantone number, or a chip, or both. IIRC, there is a process blue, but have them tell you what book it's in and, as weed stated, whether it's coated or uncoated.

And if it's NOT for a print piece, forget CMYK values, and get a chip or some kind of sample. Even if it IS -- ask THEM for the CMYK values. They have the Pantone books, they can look it up. If it's a print piece and you're using Pantone inks, you don't NEED the CMYK values.

So maybe the question is why do you NEED the CMYK values?

Actually I need the CMYK or RGB values; the purpose is to match the predominant color for their Web site to the color of their brochure as closely as possible (Web safe is not necessary).  Unfortunately, this is the best answer I can get from the printer for which color it is - their answer: "Pantone process blue".  This seems to be a common problem when dealing with chain retail printers (won't mention names here) in that finding someone knowledgeable enough to answer questions like this is difficult at best.  Will probably resort to visually matching the color as close as possible.

Thanks.

And really, that's the only way to do it. If they give you the CMYK values, they're not necessarily going to look even remotely close onscreen, and of course, what you see can be vastly different than what THEY see.

Pantone does have a PMS-to-RGB/hex color wheel/book, it probably would be a good investment. Then when they tell you that the color looks nothing like the print color, you can tell them that Pantone says it should match perfectly... ;-)

Thanks both of you, you were both helpful.

I'd like to up the points and split them between you.  Will a moderator please tell me how to do this.

Pantone Process Blue is an "improved" version of Cyan.....   The CMYK values for it are:

100C 9M 0Y 6K

Good vibes!!!

As for an inline source for Pantone to CMYK conversions I don;t think there is one but you can always buy the Pantone Process Swatch Book at your local arts shop.  It comes with a CD that contains palettes for most Pantone color models.

btw, the values I gave belong to the PMS (Pantone Matching System) color model.

Good vibes!

Lobo's right. It's at the start of the books/swatches. It doesn't have a pms number, just called PANTONE PROCESS BLUE.