: How does 5th color Pantone printing work? We are trying to communicate with our factory regarding a 5 color process (CMYK + 1 Pantone). For some reason something is getting lost in translation

@Samaraweera207

A 50% tint of a Pantone spot colour is achieved by using a 50% halftone screen, 100% is simply solid ink. Both are printed using the same plate.

Digital proofs can't show you an actual Pantone spot colour, merely a simulation of it in CMYK which will be reproduced using halftones. If you want to see it in reality, you'd need to ask for a press proof. A press proof is often quite expensive, because they need to make all the plates and do a short run on the press.

If you don't want the 50% tint to be a halftone screen, then instead of a tint, you could print it as a 6th solid colour chosen from the Pantone Solid book. But that will increase your printing costs - an extra plate, an extra print head, an extra ink mix, and perhaps even a second run through the press if they don't have a six colour press.

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@Debbie163

A Pantone plate is just another plate.

But in my opinion, if you are asking for a 50% Pantone that have the potential for not be accurate. It could have some dot gain or can be printed a bit lighter.

You need to prepare a physical sample of that 50% color, so the printer can lower or raise a bit the 50% screen when printing.



Regarding your proof. You can not have a Direct Pantone on a digital print proof. You are only using 4-6 inks and the Pantone is simply simulated. Of course, they are screened. For an actual press proof, you need to actually print it, in the real machine, with the actual plates and the real inks.

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