X-Rite, a leader in colour science and technology, and Pantone have announced that their cloud-based digital colour standard ecosystem PantoneLIVE will include the official spectral data from the popular Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors System for cotton and nylon and the Pantone Matching System (PMS) for plastics and coatings.

For the first time, colour specifiers and manufacturers will have instant access to up-to-date spectral values for Pantone colours for plastics, coatings and textiles, including the Pantone Colour of the Year 2018: PANTONE 18-3838, Ultra Violet.

The new offering, PantoneLIVE Production – Plastic, Coatings and Textile, integrates with X-Rite colour management tools to ensure seamless colour communication from design to production, improving consistency between design intent and finished products.

“While physical colour references continue to play a critical role in specifying and managing colour for textile and product applications, we are seeing many companies transition to digital processes across their design and manufacturing teams,” said Adrián Fernández, General Manager, Pantone.

“The PantoneLIVE Production – Plastic, Coatings and Textile licence gives users instant access to the official Pantone spectral color values as their single point of truth. Suppliers can easily integrate these values into digital workflows and begin production faster and with confidence. By using both physical and digital standards, customers can more easily and effectively communicate and verify color intent while improving manufacturing efficiency, reducing errors and rejects due to colour issues in production. The ability to start formulation with digital references can save significant time that otherwise would be consumed waiting for physical samples to arrive.”

Fashion, homeware and product designers routinely use physical Pantone Color Standards for inspiration, specification, communication and verification of colour intent. The PantoneLIVE Production – Plastic, Coatings and Textile licence can be used to improve colour communication with production suppliers, giving them access to the precise spectral data for the coloured material they need to produce, the companies explain.

This allows coatings, plastics and textiles suppliers to seamlessly match any Pantone Color Standard and begin formulation immediately. Spectral matching also helps suppliers determine the most cost-effective amount of pigment to achieve accurate colour at any opacity level. This saves valuable time in the formulation and production process while reducing costs.

Manufacturers and suppliers can access Pantone spectral data in PantoneLIVE Production – Plastic, Coatings and Textile standards through X-Rite Color iMatch and Color iQC software, while measuring with an X-Rite benchtop spectrophotometer or a Ci64 handheld spectrophotometer. This is designed to provide an integrated colour management workflow designed to ensure accurate colour formulation for Pantone colours.

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