Spot color
A pre-mixed ink printed as its own color, rather than built from CMYK dots.
Also called spot colors, spot ink
A spot color is a single pre-mixed ink, often a Pantone color, printed on its own plate. It gives exact, consistent color, including metallics and fluorescents that CMYK cannot make.
Brands often specify spot colors for logos so packaging looks identical everywhere.
Guides that cover Spot color
- Harmony What Is Color Harmony? Color harmony explained: complementary, analogous, triadic and other harmonies, and how balanced color relationships make a design feel right. Read on.
- Pantone What Are Pantone Colors? Learn what Pantone colors are, how the Pantone Matching System and color codes work, and how Pantone compares to CMYK, RGB and HEX for print. Read on.
- Warm & Cool What Is Color Temperature? Color temperature explained: how Kelvin is measured, warm vs cool light and colors, and how temperature affects lighting, design and photos. Read the guide.