Using premixed ink swatches (such as the Pantone Matching System), a designer, client or printer is able to select the exact color tones desired in a particular logo. This is very similar to selecting swatches of premixed paint to go on your wall at home. Your printer will take the file, and output a metal plate for each color. These colours are referred to as Spot Colours. The plates are applied to the press, inked up with the appropriate color, and then the paper is run though the press, with one impression for each color. What comes out at the other side is your completed image.

When working with your logo design, your designer can still add the 'appearance' of more colours by adding screens and tones of a particular Spot Color (see illustration 3). If handled correctly, this should not be a concern - it will not increase the reproduction costs of your logo, while giving the appearance of more colors than we're actually using.



Spot Colour reproduction is generally more economical than Four Colour Process printing which requires four sets of plates, film and usually a larger press. Spot Colour reproduction is also more accurate in terms of colour matching as the colour values are absolute. IMPORTANT - Spot Colour reproduction requires a vector based version of your logo. Spot Colour logos will require careful colour matching to be accurately converted into Four Colour Process format - required by many discount print shops who 'gang up' several print jobs in order to offer cut-rate pricing.