Pantone Matching System: PMS Colors

If you’ve ever ordered customized t-shirts or other printed products, you’ve likely heard the term ‘PMS Colors’. But what are they, and why are they so important in screen printing? Let’s demystify this jargon and simplify what you need to know as a customer.

What are PMS Colors?

PMS stands for Pantone Matching System, a standardized color reproduction system used by designers, manufacturers, and printers worldwide. Developed by the Pantone company, this system uses a unique coding mechanism to identify over 1,800 distinct colors, ensuring color consistency across different platforms and mediums.

You can think of PMS as a universal color language. A color like ‘blue’ can vary widely, from sky blue to navy blue to turquoise. But with PMS, every color has a specific code. For example, the code ‘PMS 2384c’ always refers to a particular shade of bright blue, no matter where or how it’s used. This universal coding prevents confusion and guarantees that the color you pick is the color you get.

PMS Colors and Screen Printing T-Shirts

When it comes to screen printing t-shirts, PMS colors play a crucial role. They offer you the advantage of precision and consistency.

1. Precision: You’re not just printing your logo in blue; you’re printing PMS 2384c blue. That means the printer knows exactly what shade of blue to use. Whether you’re ordering for a sports team, a corporate event, or a family reunion, you can pick the exact color you want, down to the precise shade.

2. Consistency: Using PMS colors ensures that everything you print will be the exact same color. It also means that if you reorder t-shirts six months or a year from now, you’ll get the exact same color.

Understanding PMS Colors as a Customer

As a customer, PMS colors give you control and certainty over your ink colors. You can pick from a Pantone color chart, which displays a range of colors with their corresponding PMS codes. Just remember, the color you see on your computer screen may not exactly match the printed color due to differences in screen calibration. Therefore, if precise color matching is crucial, it’s best to check a physical Pantone color chart.

The best part? Using PMS colors eliminates any guesswork or subjective interpretations of color. When you say ‘PMS 2384c blue’, there’s no ambiguity. Your printer knows exactly what color you’re talking about.