PantoneLIVE™: Cloud-Based Architecture Enabling Digital Specification and Communication of Pantone Standards to All Stakeholders in the Supply Chain

Sun Chemical has collaborated with other market leaders—Pantone, X-Rite and Esko—to provide PantoneLIVE, a cloud-based architecture that enables digital specification and communication of Pantone standards to all stakeholders in the global supply chain. With centralized digital color standards and spectral values, everyone accesses and utilizes the same Pantone color libraries, creating unsurpassed color consistency and a new way to manage and communicate color.

Together with Pantone and X-Rite, we have taken one master Pantone book, measured it with a spectrophotometer and created a digital version with values that will never change. Then, based on real inks and real substrates and printing under real production conditions, we have similarly created more than 30 PantoneLIVE dependent libraries covering the most common print processes and substrate types used in the marketplace today. Sun Chemical, as a partner, is committed to adding new libraries and expanding the existing ones as they are updated with new colors.

Hosted on the PantoneLIVE Cloud, the dependent libraries can be accessed through workflow and production software from companies such as Adobe, Esko and GMG, so that it’s possible for everyone in the supply chain—brand owner, designer, prepress, ink manufacturer and printer or converter—to work to a consistent digital standard.

A further benefit is that the PantoneLIVE dependent libraries not only contain the solid measurement data for a color, but also its tonal breakdown information. As packaging design becomes more complex to catch consumers’ attention, there is a definite trend on some packaging to use a spot color for a vignette effect, in which the concentration of the color slowly fades from 100% to 0%.

Whereas the gradient of the spot color cannot be predicted using a traditional Pantone reference that only contains the solid color information, the tonal information available in PantoneLIVE provides benefits throughout the supply chain:

• Designers can see spot color gradient in their artwork using the PantoneLIVE ColorBook and Adobe Illustrator Viewer.
• Prepress can accurately create a full digital contract proof for color approval through PantoneLIVE-enabled software from Esko, GMG or CGS.
• Ink manufacturers can formulate to the desired PantoneLIVE dependent standard in X-Rite Ink Formulation software.
• Printers and converters can control the quality of production using X-Rite Color iQC, ColorCert and other common quality control software packages.

With every party working to one achievable point of data—a digital standard hosted on a cloud-based system—considerable time and effort can be saved, shortening the color approval process and meeting your customers’ expectations.

Sun Chemical is best placed to implement, support and supply PantoneLIVE colors due to its network of global color centers being PantoneLIVE enabled.

Sun Chemical Partners

“PantoneLIVE, X-Rite and Sun Chemical have partnered to build the most powerful and comprehensive cloud-based digital color libraries for print and packaging applications available today. As partners, we continue to improve the product through the collaborative development of new libraries based on the needs of brands and converters. These libraries become foundational building elements of digital color management programs adopted by global brands and their supply chains, as well as by leading printers and converters for their own internal use.”

• -Adrian Fernandez, Vice President and General Manager of Pantone