# Pantone vs hex: matching brand colours across print and screen

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/pantone-colors)

A brand colour needs to survive a business card, a shop sign, a website and an Instagram story. Pantone and hex each solve half of that. Here is how they relate and how to make them agree.

## The short version

- Pantone vs hex is a difference of medium: a Pantone colour is a specific premixed printing ink, while a hex code is an RGB colour for screens.
- Pantone colours are printed as spot colours, one exact ink per colour, while ordinary print builds colours from four process inks, CMYK.
- Pantone publishes RGB, hex and CMYK equivalents for its colours, but they are approximations, and some Pantone inks cannot be reproduced exactly on screen or in CMYK.
- A coated and an uncoated version of the same Pantone number look different, which is why the codes end in C or U.
- A complete brand colour specification lists a Pantone reference, a CMYK breakdown, an RGB value and a hex code, each checked by eye rather than converted blindly.

**Pantone vs hex** is really ink versus light. A Pantone colour is a numbered, premixed printing ink you can hold as a physical swatch. A hex code, such as `#1d4ed8`, is a set of red, green and blue values that tells a screen how much light to emit. Neither converts perfectly into the other. Pantone publishes hex and CMYK equivalents, and they are useful starting points, but a brand that looks right everywhere chooses each version by eye and writes all of them down.

## What a Pantone colour actually is

The Pantone Matching System is a catalogue of standard ink recipes, each with a number. A printer anywhere can mix the same recipe and get, within tolerance, the same colour. The suffix tells you the paper it was designed for: **C** for coated and **U** for uncoated. The same ink looks brighter and crisper on coated stock and softer, darker and flatter on uncoated, so a code like *PMS 186 C* and *PMS 186 U* are deliberately listed as separate swatches.

## Spot colour vs process colour

### Spot colour (Pantone)

- One premixed ink per colour
- Very consistent from print run to print run
- Can reach colours CMYK can't, including metallics and fluorescents
- Each extra spot ink adds a plate and cost
- Ideal for logos, stationery, packaging and signage

### Process colour (CMYK)

- Colours built from four inks in tiny dots
- Can vary more between presses and papers
- Smaller range; brightest colours get pulled in
- Handles photos and gradients easily
- Ideal for flyers, brochures, magazines and posters

Many brands use both: the logo printed as a Pantone spot colour on letterheads and packaging, and a CMYK match for full colour leaflets. [RGB vs CMYK](https://gradiently.design/guide/rgb-vs-cmyk) explains why process colour loses some of the brightest shades.

## Hex and RGB: colour as light

A hex code is just RGB written in base 16: two characters each for red, green and blue, from `00` to `ff`. `#1d4ed8` means red 29, green 78, blue 216. It is precise as a number but not as an appearance, because every screen renders it a little differently depending on its panel, brightness and settings. [Colour codes explained](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-codes-explained) covers hex, RGB, HSL and the rest.

| System | What it describes | Used for | Example notation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pantone | A physical premixed ink | Logos, packaging, signage | PMS 186 C |
| CMYK | Percentages of four process inks | Most commercial print | C0 M60 Y90 K0 |
| RGB | Amounts of red, green and blue light | Screens, video, apps | rgb(29 78 216) |
| Hex | RGB written in base 16 | Websites, design tools | #1d4ed8 |

Four ways to name one brand colour. Each belongs to a different medium.

## Why Pantone to hex conversions are approximate

- **Different gamuts:** some Pantone inks, especially bright oranges, greens, fluorescents and metallics, sit outside what a standard screen can show.
- **Paper and light:** an ink swatch changes with paper and with the light you view it under; a screen emits its own light.
- **Screens vary:** the same hex looks different on two monitors, so no single hex can match a physical ink everywhere.
- **Updates:** Pantone has revised its digital values over the years, so older brand guides may list different hex equivalents for the same ink.

> **Treat converters as a starting point** Online Pantone to hex tools give a number, not a match. Use Pantone's own published values or Pantone Connect as the first guess, then adjust by eye against a physical swatch.

## How to match a brand colour across print and screen

1. **Decide which medium leads** If the brand lives mostly in print, such as packaging or a shop front, choose the Pantone first. If it lives mostly on screens, choose the hex first and find the nearest Pantone.
2. **Pick from a physical guide** Choose the ink from a printed Pantone guide in daylight or neutral light, in the coated or uncoated book that matches your paper.
3. **Find the closest screen colour by eye** Start from Pantone's published hex, then hold the swatch beside a calibrated or good quality screen and adjust until the two feel the same.
4. **Get a CMYK breakdown from your printer** Ask for the best CMYK version on their press and paper, for jobs that won't use the spot ink.
5. **Proof everything** Print a test of the CMYK version and compare it with the swatch before a large run.
6. **Write all four values down** Record Pantone, CMYK, RGB and hex in your [brand style guide](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-style-guide), so nobody converts on the fly.

```json
{
  "brand-blue": {
    "pantone": "Chosen from the coated guide, e.g. PMS xxxx C",
    "pantoneUncoated": "Matched separately in the uncoated guide",
    "cmyk": "From your printer, checked on a proof",
    "rgb": "rgb(29 78 216)",
    "hex": "#1d4ed8"
  }
}
```

A brand colour record with every version in one place. Fill the print values from swatches and proofs, not from a converter. [Design tokens](https://gradiently.design/guide/design-tokens) show how teams store this.

Business card for a physiotherapy clinic called Northside Physio

A business card at 1050×600 px. In print, the brand colour runs as one spot ink so every reprint matches.

Portrait Instagram post for the same physiotherapy clinic announcing evening appointments

The same brand on Instagram at 1080×1350, where the hex chosen to sit beside the printed ink takes over.

## Brand colours beyond a single swatch

A flat brand colour is easy to specify and easy to copy, and on screen many brands now add depth with light, gradients and texture. Those live in RGB: build them from the brand hex and its neighbours, and keep the flat Pantone for print jobs where a single exact ink matters. [Brand colour codes](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-color-codes) and [how to choose brand colours](https://gradiently.design/guide/how-to-choose-brand-colors) go further.

- Brand blue, lit to deep: `linear-gradient(135deg, #1d4ed8 0%, #1e3a8a 100%)`
- Brand blue with a light source: `radial-gradient(circle at 75% 25%, #3b82f6 0%, #1d4ed8 45%, #0b1a4a 100%)`

Screen versions built around one brand hex. In print, a gradient like this is usually reproduced in CMYK rather than as a spot ink.

A Gradiently Mark takes that idea further: a living background with its own colours, light and grain, owned by one brand at a time. Search the Market by colour words such as "deep blue" to find one close to your brand colour.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Pantone and hex?

Pantone identifies a physical premixed printing ink. Hex is an RGB value that tells a screen how much red, green and blue light to show.

### Can you convert Pantone to hex exactly?

No. Pantone publishes hex equivalents, but they are approximations because inks, paper and screens behave differently, and some inks are outside the screen's range.

### What does C and U mean in Pantone?

C means the swatch is for coated paper and U means uncoated. The same ink looks different on each, so they are listed separately.

### What is a spot colour?

A spot colour is printed with its own premixed ink rather than built from CMYK dots. It is more consistent and can reach colours CMYK cannot.

### Do I need Pantone colours for my brand?

Only if you print things where exact colour matters, such as packaging, signage or stationery. A digital-first brand can start with hex and RGB, plus a checked CMYK version for occasional print.