What’s the difference between Pantone+ CMYK and Pantone+ Solid?

When you choose a Pantone Solid color, you are describing a color using a distinct recipe provided by Pantone’s COLOR MATCHING SYSTEM. It’s an incredibly accurate way of reproducing the color internationally. Once you have this Pantone Color (also described as a spot color), their website will supply the closest available CMYK color.

In a visual identity process, you would use their physical books to preview the color on coated and uncoated paper, bring that Pantone+ Solid color into Illustrator and continue to develop the identity.

If you need a CMYK Process color for your identity, understanding that color accuracy will be diminished, you can use their physical Pantone+ CMYK books to understand how certain swatches will print on Coated and Uncoated paper. The Pantone color names returned from the Pantone+ CMYK color books do not match Pantone Spot Colors.