Pantone names...

[JoeatData]

This is incorrect. The naming of colors is critical. The name is often ALL the printer has. Inconsistent spot color naming has been a prepress challenge forever.

No doubt.

This has led to additional problems. Customers always don't created files in the same PMS(color) or will change the color last minute without changing the file. Other times files will be supplied black only, but the customer wants a PMS color. This also had led to lazy customer service and lazy managers.

I had an experience years back when I was working 2nd shift. We had a hot 3 color job coming in later in the evening. I was to output to film, strip, plate and print the job on press. While going over the details of the job, I asked what PMS colors were used. The Production Manager told me to use what was listed in the Quark doc. His answer scared me and I asked him contact the customer. He wouldn't. I printed exactly what the Quark file said.......PMS 287, PMS 186, PMS 123.

Customer used PMS 123 for his PMS 872 because metallics had trapping/RIP prob's back in the day. Who was at fault? Me! The PM told me I should of known better. The stupid PM was never one to admit to his own mistakes. This could of been solved by a 5 minute phone call but because he was too lazy it was my fault.....in his eyes anyway.

There are times where I have a 4 color process job with a 5th color. I have to ask if there it's suppose to be 4 color process + PMS or to convert the 5th color. I still have managers and customer service ask me what colors are in the supplied files. I relay the info in the file, but I always give them the disclaimer of check and confirm with the customer before printing.

[Lukas Engqvist]

Branding companies are the ones that issue directives they don't understand. I've seen branding manuals with same pantone colour for coated and uncoated, and CMYK "equivalent" that give something completely different to either.

There are serious branding companies (I'm making a diplomatic assumption), but too often they don't like to do, or don't know how to do, the documentation of the brand.

[gordo]

Branding companies are the ones that issue directives they don't understand. I've seen branding manuals with same pantone colour for coated and uncoated, and CMYK "equivalent" that give something completely different to either.

There are serious branding companies (I'm making a diplomatic assumption), but too often they don't like to do, or don't know how to do, the documentation of the brand.

It's not the branding companies that are the problem. It is the graphic designers who work for them, either internally or on contract, that don't always know what they are doing.

best, gordo

[JoeatData]

It's not the branding companies that are the problem. It is the graphic designers who work for them, either internally or on contract, that don't always know what they are doing.

best, gordo

It was much worse 10 years ago where a designer would use CV, CVC, CU, CVU and this could be within one piece of art or throughout all the links and text. I always found myself backtracking from Quark to Photoshop and Illustrator where this mislabeling/multiple usage by the designer seemed to be more common.

Enfocus Pitstop and most of newer workflow systems have made remapping much easier. Although it isn't fool proof. I will still get jobs that have a PMS that has CV and a CVC. It's fairly rare where I have to track back to the native any more. I do have an occasion depending on the colors where(for example) PMS 347 CV will spread, while PMS 347 CVC will choke.

[monq]

I think that for my next job I will convert Pantone 485 C to "Luscious Lovely Red CVCU" to see what happens... I feel curious now!

[Lukas Engqvist]

@Gordo thanks for correcting me, even if the "authority" of the branding firm is the implicit authority it is the competency of the designer that is the flaw.

[prepressguru]

Why do people have a need or urge to change a standard is beyond me. Just leave it alone!

p

[monq]

I inherited a lot of Pantone colours to use in my artwork with modified names / hence my question. So thanks to this post I have renamed everything back to what it should be!

[Sherbert]

Why do people have a need or urge to change a standard is beyond me. Just leave it alone!

p

Wise words. Seems all I've been saying to our customers all this week is "its a standard for a reason".

Got some new clients who don't know what a PDF/X is. Output files different each time, sometimes CMYK sometimes CMYK+37 Spots. Oh and these are replacement pages for the same job Fun.

Oh yeah and they're on their high horse because they do loads of print stuff and are based in London. As are 95% of our clientle who get it right most of the time.