PantoneLIVE has been expanded with six new colour libraries for gravure printing. X-Rite has also released PantoneLIVE Visualiser, a new software tool that helps graphic designers, brands and print suppliers better compare, evaluate and visualise colours across multiple substrates and printing technologies.
‘PantoneLIVE was created to help share accurate and achievable colours across a package printing supply chain,’ said Adrián Fernández, Vice President, PantoneLIVE, X-Rite. ‘In partnership with our customers, we are continuously evolving the platform to support a wide range of packaging applications and help designers easily visualise on-screen how colour palettes will appear in production. PantoneLIVE now offers over 50000 Pantone colour choices and supports 80 percent of packaging applications. By increasing the depth and scope of PantoneLIVE, designers and brands can speed up the entire packaging design process and get products to market on average four times faster.’
PantoneLIVE includes six new libraries for gravure printing technology ideal for flexible packaging and label applications. Two of the new libraries are designed to help brands and converters match colour on increasingly popular metallised flexible packaging and label structures. In total, PantoneLIVE offers 28 libraries of Pantone solids and tints that are tailored to specific package printing applications and technologies such as folding cartons, labels, flexo and paper packaging. Expanding the colour libraries gives PantoneLIVE users greater choices and flexibility to determine which packaging material and processes will help brands and suppliers achieve the best possible results.
The new libraries include:
• Labels gravure process using solvent ink printed on coated paper with gloss-neutral varnish.
• Flexible packaging gravure process using solvent ink printed on clear film substrate with gloss-neutral varnish.
• Flexible packaging gravure process using solvent ink printed on clear film substrate over white ink with gloss-neutral varnish.
• Flexible packaging gravure process using solvent ink reverse printed on clear film substrate over white ink.
• Flexible packaging gravure process using solvent ink reverse printed on clear film substrate over white ink laminated to aluminium.
• Flexible packaging gravure process using solvent ink printed on aluminium substrate over white ink with gloss-neutral varnish.
To help designers and brands visually show the variability in colour that is the result of changes in the base material, printing process and ink types, X-Rite has developed PantoneLIVE Visualiser. Available immediately at no additional cost to PantoneLIVE users, Visualiser delivers an on-screen visualisation of Pantone Master colours and achievable PantoneLIVE Dependent colours. The results can be exported into print-ready PDF documents that can be shared across the supply chain to better communicate design intent.
Sometimes, due to the realities of production materials and processes, the desired Pantone Master Standard colour cannot be achieved with the target substrate and printing technology. Pantone Dependent Standards are designed to represent desired Master Standards in these cases, and are the Pantone-approved best match to the Master standards. With PantoneLIVE Visualiser, users can now visually compare and assess colour selections in a variety of production scenarios.
PantoneLIVE Visualiser works with the X-Rite eXact handheld spectrophotometer allowing users to measure the spectral colour data from existing physical materials and objectively compare multiple materials on-screen. Using the spectral data, the software will also convert local colour samples to specific PANTONE and PantoneLIVE references for precise colour communication across suppliers.
PantoneLIVE Visualiser should be used with a colour-managed monitor or printer for best results. When used in conjunction with calibration tools, customers can accurately visualise the impact of printing processes, substrate and even lighting conditions on brand colours in order to make more informed decisions on colour selection and print processes.
