ColourMod :: Dynamic (DHTML) Color Picker

Pantone colors (PMS), a necessary evil, is always a sticking point for print designers. They have a monopoly on the print industry (practically) and they make it hard for printers to get CMYK, RGB, Hex equivalents.

A few people have written me about the possibility of creating a PMS to CMYK conversion for ColourMod. After scouring the web on any information regarding this procedure I realized that Pantone holds the sole information of this process. They actually have a few electronic products that have the most up-to-date PMS to CMYK, RGB and Hex conversion values. Unfortunately, they haven’t released how they determine those conversions.

I thought I’d try to get to the bottom of everything and see if I (lowly me) would be able to have access to this information somehow. Here is their response:

“We appreciate your interest in our proprietary color systems, technology and other intellectual property.

Please be advised that we have reviewed your inquiry and due to our current business strategies, we are unable to permit the use of our intellectual property in this manner. Please confirm that your firm will not be moving forward so that we may close out our files.

Again, thank you for your inquiry and please do not hesitate to contact us again in the future for other projects that may be of interest.”

There you have it. Straight from the horses mouth. Any PMS to whatever other color you want is proprietary. So, as of right now, no PMS conversions will be available on ColourMod. Sorry