The 336 new colours - which range from pale pastels to intense deep tones - bring the total number of hue variations in the Pantone Plus series to 1,677 in both coated and uncoated formats. Pantone Plus is the relatively new name for the 50-year-old Pantone Matching Syste, which, was extensively revamped in March 2010.
Pantone says the new colours were inspired by the Pantone Goe System, which brings new ink combinations and depth to its colour library. “The Goe System represents important technical improvements in the area of ink film consistency and coatability and these benefits have migrated to the 336 New Colours,” Pantone said in a press statement. “Formulated for consistent ink-film thickness, the 336 New Colours can be easily reproduced by printers worldwide.”
Pantone guide updates
To help designers and other creative pros discover and use the new colours, Pantone is updated its range of colour guides, both as standalone volumes and as supplements to existing guides. It’s also rolling out updated versions of its Pantone Colour Manager Software (May 4th) and myPantone iPhone and Android apps (early June). The company’s Capsure system will be updated with the new colours by the end of May.