The Pantone CMYK swatches are a set of Process swatches developed by Pantone. The Pantone Solids (Coated or Uncoated) are the Spot colours you are most likely looking for to design your brand book.

Click “Edit,” then “Edit Colors” then “Convert to CMYK.” Then click on one of the Pantone colors twice. Next, click “Color Mode” on the menu and then click “CMYK.” Finally, go to “Color Type” menu and click “Process” then click “OK.” Follow these steps for every Pantone colors in your file.

In Illustrator, you can easily check the CMYK values of the Pantone color by selecting the Pantone color in question and viewing the Color palette. Click on the little CMYK conversion icon and your CMYK values will be displayed right in the Color palette.

So if you’re printing on something coated like poly tape, choosing a coated Pantone swatch will give you a more accurate representation of the final print. But if you’re printing on a kraft paper tape, that’s matte so you should choose an uncoated color.

Coated paper has a shiny gloss coating, and the ink sits atop the coating allowing for minimal ink absorption. Uncoated paper has no surface coating permitting maximum ink absorption into the paper. The same PANTONE color printed on coated and uncoated paper will have quite a different visual appearance.

Uncoated paper does not have a coating to fill in between the fibers. It is generally rougher than coated paper and tends to be more porous, which makes it very absorbent. Images printed on uncoated paper will be softer and less crisp.

Coated papers have a coating on them (typically clay), so they’re “sealed.” This restricts the amount of ink that is absorbed into the paper, allowing the ink to sit on top of the paper, in a crisp defined dot. Uncoated papers do not have this coating and thus are more porous.

Myth: Uncoated Text and Cover Paper costs less than Coated. Fact: Actually, the reverse is true. A premium smooth uncoated sheet may cost as much as 170% more than a comparable coated sheet such as Sappi’s McCoy paper (and this is Sappi’s highest quality and most expensive paper).

The terms gloss, glare, finish, and smoothness are used in describing the surface characteristics of paper. The broad term finish refers to the general surface characteristics of the sheet.

Uncoated bond paper is typically used for everyday drawing, printing, and copying. The coating fills in the tiny pits in the base paper, providing an even, less porous surface for the inks. Text, color renderings, and photographs look sharper on coated papers because less ink soaks into the paper.

Bond paper is a high-quality durable writing paper similar to bank paper but having a weight greater than 50 g/m2. The most common weights are 60 g/m2 (16 lb), 75 g/m2 (20 lb) and 90 g/m2 (24 lb). The name comes from its having originally been made for documents such as government bonds.

Bond paper is manufactured exclusively to be uncoated sheets. While text weight paper is manufactured to be uncoated or coated. You will never find a glossy or a matte “bond” sheet. However, the uncoated text shares a lot of the same manufacturing processes as the matte and glossy “text” sheets.

Paper is measured in pounds per 500 sheets (one Ream of paper) of a standard size of sheet based on the group or category of papers the grade. If 500 sheets of this size weigh 20lbs., then the paper is classified as a 20lb.

grams per square meter

In general, fine business papers, printer papers and personal stationery range in weight from 20 lb. to 32 lb. The most common paper weight today is 20 lb. One rule of thumb to follow is: The heavier the basic weight, the thicker the sheet. The thicker the sheet, the more impressive it feels.

Choosing the best paper for the print job

• HP Bright White Inkjet Paper delivers high-contrast colors and sharp text.
• HP Photo Paper, HP Premium Photo Paper, and HP Premium Plus Photo Paper are high-quality, glossy-finish or matte-finish, photobased papers.

Matte paper is the best for getting rich and deep dark tones, making it ideal for black and white photographers. For color photographers, matte paper can make colors look “older” than a glossy or semi-gloss paper will.