Short answer: Yes. Send us your Pantone (PMS) references (or a physical sample of your brand color), and we match against them during proofing — you approve the match on a physical sample before bulk production, so there are no surprises.
How Color Matching Actually Works
Color matching is not a machine setting; it’s a controlled comparison loop:
- You provide the target. A Pantone number (e.g., PMS 186 C) is ideal because it’s an unambiguous, internationally recognized reference. A printed brand guideline or an existing package also works.
- We mix and print to the target on your actual board stock — because ink looks different on white board versus kraft.
- You approve the physical proof. The sample in your hands is the binding color reference for the production run, not the number on paper.
This loop typically happens inside the standard ~7-day sampling stage — color matching doesn’t add a separate timeline.
Pantone vs. CMYK: What You Need to Know
- Pantone (spot color): A pre-mixed ink matched to a specific numbered reference. Best accuracy for brand colors, especially bold reds, deep blues, and metallics. Each spot color needs its own printing plate.
- CMYK (process color): Four inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) combined to simulate colors. More economical for full-color designs, but some brand colors — particularly vivid oranges, bright greens, and deep navy — fall outside what CMYK can reproduce exactly.
Practical rule: If exact brand color is critical (logo, primary brand field), use spot colors and reference Pantone numbers. If your design is photographic or multi-color illustration, CMYK is the economical choice — and we’ll still proof it against your target.
Why the Board Stock Changes the Color
The same ink prints differently on different stocks:
- White coated board: Colors print bright and true — closest to what you see in a brand guideline printed on coated paper.
- Kraft (uncoated) board: The brown base mutes everything. A red that pops on white prints earthier on kraft. This is a physics constraint, not a quality defect.
This is exactly why we proof on your actual stock. Approving a color on white board and then printing on kraft is how mismatches happen — our process doesn’t allow that gap.
What to Send Us for Accurate Matching
- Pantone numbers for each critical brand color (from a current Pantone guide — references drift between old and new editions).
- Where each color is used in the artwork (logo, background field, accent) — full-bleed backgrounds are less forgiving than small logos.
- A physical reference if you have one (existing package, printed guideline). Helpful, not required.
- Your tolerance call: “Must match exactly” (spot colors) vs. “close is fine” (CMYK) — this decides the plate plan and the quote.
FAQ
Can you match colors from a photo or screen?
Not reliably. Screens show RGB; cameras white-balance unpredictably. Always work from a Pantone number or a physical printed reference.
Will the color be identical across reorders?
We keep your approved proof and plate records on file, so reorders target the same reference. Minor run-to-run variation is normal in printing; the approved proof is the arbiter.
Does color matching cost extra?
Spot colors add plates (one per color), which is reflected in setup. The proofing and comparison itself is part of our standard sampling process.
My designer only has RGB files. Is that a problem?
Convert to CMYK before proofing and re-check the critical colors — some RGB brights shift in conversion. Our prepress check flags problem colors before you approve anything.
Start with your Pantone numbers — get a free quote and we’ll confirm the match plan with your proof. Background reading: the full custom printing process and artwork file requirements.
