Expert: LizaL - 8/9/2005

Question
What exactly does spot color do?" and why do people use it?
Thank you

Answer
Hi Dianne,

Spot color, as opposed to process color, is a means of printing each color with its own separate ink. I'm sure you've heard of Pantone colors? Those are a good example of spot colors. An advantage to using spot colors is that if you use spot colors in a print job, and you send that job to a printer and ask them to print with spot (Pantone) colors, chances are they'll have that color in stock, and not have to mix any inks to achieve the color you want -- resulting in lower cost and and an easier, quicker job to print.

A disadvantage to using spot colors is that it will get costly and complicated if you use more than three or four spot colors in one job.

Process color, on the other hand, is the mixing of different values of cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks, and is much more exacting and costly than spot colors.

Pantone, by the way, is not the only company who makes spot colors. There are also Toyo and DIC, but Pantone is the most widely used.

Hope this helps!

Lisa