Color Consistency with PantoneLIVE

Posted March 15, 2023 by X-Rite Color

PantoneLIVE SunChemical LogoIf ensuring color consistency is part of your job description, you’ll want to learn more about PantoneLIVE. Our customers report that it helps them get products to market an average of four times faster!

PantoneLIVE is an end-to-end, digital color communication ecosystem that helps everyone involved in a packaging workflow visualize and communicate color. It shows which colors are achievable, and which are not, across everything from flexible packaging to corrugated board. And, since the digital color data is stored in a secure cloud database, everyone from brand owners through designers and production managers can reference the same digital color data to make informed decisions.

From concept…to production!

From concept…to production!

To fully understand how PantoneLIVE works, you need to know the difference between Master and Dependent Standards… our topic for today.

Why go digital?

Traditionally based on physical references, Pantone is the language of color. Spectral color specification using Pantone references enables expectations to be managed without ambiguity. While physical references are critical, they can change over time. Digital standards are scientific, precise, and repeatable. The values will not change.

Master vs. Dependent

Here’s where Master and Dependent Standards fit in.

Pantone Master Standard

Master Standards are digital targets based on the Pantone Formula Coated Guide. They’re used by many brands you interact with daily. Unfortunately, Pantone Master Standards cannot always be achieved with all printing processes or on all substrates.

Pantone Dependent Standard

Dependent Standards remove subjectivity by showing what can be achieved on relevant substrates using the target printing process.

PantoneLIVE Dependent Standards are available for a number of important packaging substrates; all accessible in the cloud and from within many applications. Our libraries contain spectral color data for both solids and tints and the number of available libraries is growing. Check out the full library specification on our website.

PantoneLIVE Visualizer

PantoneLIVE Visualizer is a valuable tool that allows packaging designers and suppliers to see and compare the impact of substrates and printing processes on Private Brand or PANTONE Colors. It helps set realistic color expectations of Master PANTONE Colors by creating side-by-side comparisons to the corresponding Dependent Colors. You can then share the resulting palettes to visually communicate design intent and convey achievability.

Master vs Dependent StandardsWith PantoneLIVE visualizer, you can also generate printable PDF fandecks of color selections. Everyone will need to color-manage their monitors and printers for best results.

If you’re working with physical standards, you can use the X-Rite eXact handheld spectrophotometer to measure physical references to get the spectral color data. PantoneLIVE Visualizer will objectively compare multiple materials on-screen, and using the spectral data you measured, convert them to specific PANTONE and PantoneLIVE references.

Interested?

PantoneLIVE currently offers over 50,000 Pantone Color choices and supports 80 percent of packaging applications. For more information or to see PantoneLIVE for yourself visit www.pantone.com/live, or check out our YouTube channel.

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