One such use is standardizing colors in the CMYK process. The CMYK process is a method of printing color by using four inks — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. A majority of the world’s printed material is produced using the CMYK process, and there is a special subset of Pantone colors that can be reproduced using CMYK . Those that are possible to simulate through the CMYK process are labeled as such within the company’s guides.

However, most of the Pantone system’s 1,114 spot colors cannot be simulated with CMYK but with 13 base pigments (15 including white and black) mixed in specified amounts.^[6]

The Pantone system also allows for many special colors to be produced, such as metallics and fluorescents. While most of the Pantone system colors are beyond the printed CMYK gamut, it was only in 2001 that Pantone began providing translations of their existing system with screen-based colors. (Screen-based colors use the RGB color model — red, green, blue — system to create various colors.) The Goe system has RGB and LAB values with each color.

Pantone colors are described by their allocated number (typically referred to as, for example, “PMS 130″). PMS colors are almost always used in branding and have even found their way into government legislation (to describe the colors of flags). In January 2003, the Scottish Parliament debated a petition (reference PE512) to refer to the blue in the Scottish flag (saltire) as “Pantone 300″. Countries such as Canada and South Korea and organizations such as the FIA have also chosen to refer to specific Pantone colors to use when producing flags. U.S. states including Texas have set legislated PMS colors of their flags.

Pantone has many different color systems and is constantly developing new combinations and variations of their color chart systems.

Hexachrome Pantone color chart

The Hexachrome Pantone color chart is an ultra high six color printing system that produces far more brilliant colors than the traditional 4 color systems previously used. The Hexachrome Pantone charts are used by big companies in the design world such as Adobe, Macromedia, Quark and etc.

Textile Pantone color chart

In the interior design, fashion and textiles industries, the textile Pantone color chart is an absolute essential tool. Made up of over 1900 colors in cotton or paper formats its ideal for color scheming and manufacturing.

Plastic Pantone color chart

Plastic is one of the worlds most used materials and is used in huge range of manufactured products from toy boats to the keyboard I am typing this text on right now. The Plastic Pantone color chart is made up of hundreds of different colors, solid, transparent and opaque.

Color Cue Pantone color chart

Pantone developed the color cue Pantone color chart so that colors can be transported easily across material, industries and the global community. Color can be extracted from any flat surface and then determined to the nearest color in the pantone color chart. The color can then be identified and used in other matrerials and formats.

India, the world’s second-biggest cotton producer, scrapped a one-week-old ban on exports after protests from growers, traders and China, the nation’s largest customer. Prices dropped.

“Keeping in view the interests of the farmers, industry, trade, a balanced view has been considered by the Group of Ministers to roll back the ban,” Trade Minister Anand Sharmasaid in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Shipments of as much as 3.5 million bales registered with the ministry prior to the ban will need to be revalidated, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullarsaid today. Fresh registrations will not be permitted until further notice, he told reporters in New Delhi.

India barred exports to secure domestic supplies after sales exceeded the government’s estimate of the country’s exportable surplus. The resumption of shipments may add to global supplies and pressure futures, which have fallen 55 percent in New York in the past year.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade will revalidate the permits issued prior to the ban in less than 10 days and a panel of ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjeewill meet in two weeks to discuss exports, said Kiran Dhingra, textiles secretary.

“This will help farmers get a higher price immediately, at least 10 percent more, and encourage cotton planting for next year,” Dhiren Sheth, president of the Cotton Association of India, said in a phone interview yesterday. “The government decision will help avoid disputes and arbitration in international markets.”

India Prices

Cotton in India climbed the most in more than a week today. The April-delivery contract surged as much as 3 percent to 848.50 rupees ($17) per 20 kilograms and traded at 834 rupees at 12:04 p.m. Mumbai time on the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange of India Ltd.

Futures in New York fell for a fifth day, the longest streak since September. The May-delivery contract dropped as much as 0.9 percent to 88.01 cents a pound in on ICE Futures U.S. before trading at 88.06 cents at 12:06 p.m. in Mumbai. The ban drove prices up by the daily limit on March 5 and to 94.24 cents the following day, the highest level since Feb. 17.

India suspended sales

after shipments surged to about 9.5 million bales of 170 kilograms each, more than the surplus of 8.4 million bales estimated by the government. Traders had registered to ship 12 million bales, the Textiles Ministry said.

Opposition Protests

The government came under pressure to withdraw the curbs after Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said the prohibition would hurt planting prospects and an industry group in China said the move damaged international trade.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reversed another policy in December. The government on Dec. 7 suspended a decision to allow as much as 51 percent overseas ownership of multibrand retail stores after protests by opposition and some allies paralyzed parliament. Singh vowed in a December interview to pursue the proposals after regional elections.

The world will have a record trade surplus of 2 million bales of 480 pounds (218 kilograms) if India exported all the cotton registered, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Hussein Allidina said in an e-mailed report on March 9. The brokerage lowered its 2011-2012 price estimate to 90 cents a pound from $1, citing weak global demand.

The Liverpool, England-based International Cotton Association, which handles contract arbitration, has said the prohibition will “have a major, detrimental impact” on global trade. India is set to supply 17 percent of global exports in 2011-2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.