Understanding Printing: Pantone or Process?

If you've ever had to order printing either for personal use or for your company, you know that the available options are endless. How do you know if you need pantone or process? Offset or digital? What's a pms #? The following is an easy-to-understand guide with all the information you need to know before starting a printing project.

PANTONE OR PROCESS?

Let's start with the definitions:

PANTONE: Pantone is a coding system for different ink colors. Each color is assigned a number and is created using a specific formula. A PMS number is the number assigned to each pantone color. They can be definted as either C or U, meaning Coated or Uncoated (Coated sheets are extremely smooth and generally have a shine to them, whereas uncoated sheets may be smooth but you can still feel the texture of the paper). Generally, you would want to use a C color on a coated stock, since the formula was specifically designed to show up best on coated paper (Same goes for U and uncoated). There are also several pantone colors that have a name rather than a code, such as "Cool Gray 10" or "Reflex Blue". When a printer uses pantone colors, he buys that specific ink and loads it into his press. Your local art store will most often carry a pantone swatch book, which shows all of the different colors available (they can also be purchased online).

PROCESS: Process color, otherwise known as 4-color process or CMYK, is a blend of 4 standard ink colors; Cyan, magenta, yellow and black. These are printer's primaries and can be combined to create the majority of visible ink colors. Process color is used on a press that is 4-color and above and the four individual inks are loaded into the press.

So the question is, which type is best for you?