New PANTONE Color Bridge Guide Lets Users Confidently Predict PANTONE Solid to Process Color Conversions.

CARLSTADT, N.J. -- Optimized for Today's Modern Design and Publishing Workflow; Includes sRGB and HTML Color Values for Cross-media Color Matching

Pantone, Inc., the worldwide leading provider of professional color standards for design industries for over 40 years, today announced the PANTONE(R) color bridge(TM) guide. The guide shows how PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM(R) Colors reproduce in CMYK on coated paper in a side-by-side comparison. The color bridge guide reflects higher quality color matches and includes color swatches that are nearly 25 percent larger than previous guides, for increased accuracy and visual reference when specifying and matching colors.

Since 1927, Freeman has been one of the leading full service contractors in North America for expositions, conventions, corporate and special events and exhibit programs. Ellen Beckert, corporate director of marketing and communication for Freeman, says, "We produce well over 10,000 corporate and special events each year and visual branding is a huge part of our services. It's important to have one standard, the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, to rely on, especially as we take shows on the road and are producing materials in different cities across the country. We need to produce large-scale images for signs and banners for clients at every one of our events and our large-scale printers are CMYK only. It's critical that we are able to accurately reproduce colors consistently. The PANTONE color bridge guide allows us to predict whether or not we can successfully reproduce our client's brand colors and images to their stringent standards using CMYK."

Although many PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors can be successfully reproduced in four-color, some cannot because of the inherent limitations of process printing. The color bridge guide displays 1,089 PANTONE Colors in fan guide format on coated stock alongside their closest four-color process match. The CMYK screen tint percentages are provided for each process color and RGB and HTML values are included for the solid colors. Including conversion formulas for multiple color spaces in a single guide makes it easier for designers to evaluate color choices when repurposing content for different media. A free color library download that includes the new CMYK screen tint builds for use in supported applications is available from www.pantone.com.

"Today's creative professionals are expected to design projects that can be executed across all forms of media. The versatility of the color bridge guide makes it an indispensable tool for this kind of work," said Richard Herbert, president of Pantone, Inc. "The guide now provides better CMYK matches for solid PANTONE Colors along with the color data needed to optimally display PANTONE Colors on monitors and Web pages. We also produced the guide using an all digital workflow to better emulate designer's current workflows."

Superior Color Consistency, Superior Results

The reproduction of color to exact standards is vitally important to designers, printers and clients. Most of the problems related to matching colors on the press are caused by the wide divergence of equipment, software, workflow and expertise of print service providers. There aren't standards for the materials and processes employed in print production.

The 2005 color guides are produced on Pantone's new customized KBA printing press, which has been precision-engineered for improved color consistency. The press uses state-of-the-art printing technology with integrated color measurement controls to reproduce colors with even greater consistency and tighter tolerances. This new technology greatly improves this critical process.

The color bridge guide was produced using a digital workflow based on ICC profiling. The spot to CMYK matching was first generated by software and then visually fine-tuned, resulting in better CMYK matches to PANTONE Colors than in the PANTONE solid to process guides. Production of the guide is in compliance with ISO ink standard 2846-1, and where applicable, ISO 12647-2 for printing the halftone dots.

The 2005 color bridge guide is printed on brighter, whiter paper to reflect the most commonly specified paper used by designers today. The stock is also more durable, which protects the guide when used in the field to accompany professionals to client presentations or on press runs.

Pricing and Availability

The PANTONE color bridge guide is available immediately for $119. A free color library download that includes the new CMYK values is available from www.pantone.com.

About Pantone, Inc.

Pantone, Inc., developer of the globally accepted PANTONE Color Systems, is the leading source of traditional and electronic products for the selection and accurate communication of color. With over 40 years of experience, Pantone is recognized as the worldwide market leader in color communication and color technology for the graphic design, printing, publishing, textile and plastics industries. More information is available at www.pantone.com and www.pantoneinkjet.com.

PANTONE(R) and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. (C) Pantone, Inc., 2005. All rights reserved.