Pantone or other fan?

[Kaye_Thomas@adobeforums.com]

I'm designing book covers that will be printed in CMYK, four colors. I don't need Pantone colors but I need something I can look at (besides my monitor) to have a more accurate idea of what the colors will look like when they're printed. Should I get a Pantone fan with CMYK equivalents? Or is there something better for this purpose, given that I'm not using Pantone colors?

TIA,
KAT

[Janette_Wotherspoon@adobeforums.com]

As a textile/fashion illustrator designer, colour matching is paramount. I have made up my own colour charts that have the illustrator pantone colour I want most commonly use. I use a cross section of colours from uncoated and process. I have printed them on my printer using the same settings and paper as the final artwork will be printed on. I can now physically match anything to these colour blocks. Make sure they don't have black outlines and also ensure they are a good size and that there is enough gap between the colour chips so that no reflection problems happen. This is the only way to get 100% colour match to anything. This resource is invaluable to me as I am able to match my purchased pantone textile colour chart to my printouts from illustrator. This is the only way we textile designers work with colour in Illustrator.

Janette W

[Timothy_Foolery®@adobeforums.com]

Same here, but I sublimated all of my CMYK charts onto a varity of different materials/knits I use most commonly for better accuracy on different media.

[Jacob_Bugge@adobeforums.com]

I am definitely a Pantone fan.

[Jacob_Bugge@adobeforums.com]

And I am, not only because of their delicate colours and special brilliance, but also because there are few enough of them so each colour has a character of its own. Therefore they are excellent as inspiration, even when you use CMYK.

But of course it is not WYSIWYG. If you want something close to the actual print, make a print, just as Janette and Timothy says.

Just be aware that prints may differ, even with the same settings and paper, and even on fans/swatch books printed at the same time and kept in the same safe way.

[Kaye_Thomas@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the help. My problem is that I don't have the capability to print anything here that will look like the final product. I'm creating the artwork in my office and sending it off to a printer in PDF format. They proceed to make film used for offset printing. I realize nothing is going to be perfect in terms of matching what I intend with what the offset printer will produce, but I'm looking for a way to get a more accurate idea than I can get by looking at my computer screen.

[Jacob_Bugge@adobeforums.com]

Kaye,

I believe the closest you can get, then, is a CMYK swatch book with rather large swatches in 10% steps, each page showing different 0 - 100% combinations of two colours with fixed values of the other two (K being one of the latter). You will need combinations of CM, CY, and MY.

That is if you can find one; the one I look in has already passed the age of consent, but it has been kept in the dark, so the colours are still an excellent match for new print.