I always considered them to be separate...Pantone Spot color guide for spot colors, the PMS Process guide for determining the CMYK "equivilant" of a PMS spot color...though they both set out to achieve the same color. There would obviously be some compromise in using CMYK equivilant instead of a PMS color with CMYK's limited gamut, but the benefit is that your not paying for an additional spot color. So perhaps your client wants you to match a specific color using CMYK and was thinking you were suggesting using a 5th color (?) but I'm not suere I fully understand the issue you present.
Quote:
|
What about output device calibration?
|
Well, CMYK is definitely a device dependant colorspace, but if your concerned about the color values given in the PMS-Process guide printing as expected on your device you could proof those CMYK numbers and see what it looks like compared to the Pantone guide. If its way off, you could measure the patch in the pms spot color guide with a spectrophotometer to get the LAB values. Then create a new document in Photoshop in the LAB color space and plug in those values, then convert to your output space (SWOP, proofer or press profile). The resulting CMYK values should give a close simulation, though it will be limited by the device's gamut.
