Pantone® COLOR BRIDGE GUIDE UNCOATED

The PANTONE Color Bridge Guide Uncoated is a professional colour conversion and communication tool for translating Pantone Spot Colours into their closest CMYK process-colour equivalents. The compact fan deck presents side-by-side comparisons for all 2,587 Pantone Spot Colours and supplements them with CMYK, RGB and HTML values for print and digital applications.

Designed for graphic designers, brand teams, packaging specialists, printers, prepress professionals, marketing departments and digital creatives, the guide creates a shared reference for projects that must move between Pantone spot-colour printing, standard four-colour production and screen-based media. Its uncoated paper references are especially relevant for stationery, brochures, booklets, inserts, labels, packaging and other applications produced on absorbent, matte substrates.

Pantone Spot Colours and CMYK process colours use fundamentally different reproduction methods. A Pantone Spot Colour is printed with a specifically mixed ink, while CMYK builds colour through combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Color Bridge makes these differences visible before artwork reaches production. Each original Pantone Spot Colour appears beside its nearest industry-standard CMYK match.

This comparison is commercially important. If a CMYK match is sufficiently close, a project may be produced through standard four-colour printing without adding a separate spot ink.

The updated guide contains 2,587 Pantone Spot Colours, including 224 new, trend-driven PMS colours.

The Uncoated edition is printed on widely used 80 lb uncoated paper with a weight of 118 g/m². Unlike coated stock, uncoated paper has a more porous surface that absorbs a greater proportion of the ink. Colours frequently appear softer, more matte and less saturated, while fine tonal differences and darker shades can behave differently than they do on coated paper.

Evaluating colour on the appropriate substrate is therefore essential. The Color Bridge Guide Uncoated provides a substrate-specific reference that helps teams assess these effects before proofing and production.

Pantone states that the guide is aligned with G7-calibrated CRPC6 and CRPC3 press references for uncoated paper stocks. These established print reference conditions provide a controlled basis for visualising industry-standard CMYK conversion.

Every Pantone reference is accompanied by CMYK percentages, RGB values and HTML/Hex information. Color Bridge is the only physical Pantone guide that combines these three conversion formats with Pantone Spot Colours.

The CMYK percentages give artwork and prepress teams a defined starting point for process printing. RGB and HTML values help digital teams translate the same Pantone colour intention into screen-based applications.

Brand teams can use the guide to establish related spot, process and digital references within colour guidelines. Packaging designers can assess whether a Pantone colour remains effective when converted for uncoated cartons, labels or inserts. Graphic designers can define realistic CMYK values for corporate stationery and editorial materials, while web, video and animation teams gain directly connected RGB and HTML values.

The chromatic organisation supports open-ended colour inspiration and palette development.

A Lighting Indicator page demonstrates whether the surrounding illumination is suitable for visual colour evaluation. Inappropriate light can make colours appear warmer, cooler, lighter or darker and may distort the perceived difference between a Pantone Spot Colour and its CMYK match.

The portable handheld format allows the guide to travel easily between the design studio, customer meeting, brand department, print supplier and production site.

Pantone Connect can complement the physical fan deck with access to more than 20,000 current Pantone colours, Adobe application integration, colour conversion, palette creation and collaborative digital workflows. Pantone Connect is separate from the physical guide and may require a trial or paid subscription.

The printed Color Bridge references are professional conversion benchmarks rather than production guarantees. Actual CMYK output is influenced by paper, ink, press calibration, screening, colour profiles, production tolerances and finishing.

For projects that combine uncoated print, Pantone Spot Colours, CMYK production and digital media, the PANTONE Color Bridge Guide Uncoated provides essential colour intelligence. It makes conversion differences visible, helps prevent unrealistic expectations and gives creative and technical teams a common colour language throughout the complete design and production workflow.

KEY BENEFITS

• - 2,587 Pantone Spot Colours with CMYK comparisons
• - Includes 224 new, trend-driven PMS colours
• - Spot and process colours shown side by side
• - CMYK percentages provided for every colour
• - RGB values for screen-based applications
• - HTML/Hex values for web and digital design
• - Printed on 80 lb / 118 g/m² uncoated paper
• - Aligned with G7-calibrated CRPC6 and CRPC3 references
• - Chromatic arrangement for intuitive colour selection
• - New colours positioned at the beginning of the guide
• - Numeric index for locating colours quickly
• - Lighting Indicator page for viewing-condition checks
• - Portable handheld fan-deck format
• - Supports workflows from inspiration to press check
• - Ideal for branding, packaging, print and digital design