When obtaining the background color gray of this plate, the CMYK system is applied. This system is different from the pigment or gouache mixing because it utilizes the values derived from taking the complement values of the symbol. The complementary values for these plates come from taking the highest value within the CMYK system (C is the highest value in the red swatch example shown below) of one of the two colors and setting it to zero. The remaining values are calculated by subtracting the highest initial value from the other color’s initial value.
initial
C = 78 M= 64 Y = 35
comp.
C = 0 (C – M = 78-64) M= 14 Y = 43 (C – Y = 78-35)
(8,100,64,0) (78,64,35,0)
CMYK
(8,100,64,0)
(78,64,35,0)
(0,16,8,0)
(12,0,43,0)
(80,100,20,20)
(44,88,88,5)
(23,0,27,13)
(8,5,81,0)
PANTONE
DS 107-1C
DS 202-4C
DS 107-9C
C = 78 + 0 = 78 M= 64 +14 = 78 Y = 35+ 43 = 78
DS 294-6C
DS 174-1C
DS 84-2C
DS 278-7C
DS 2-4C
(100,0,40,35)
DS 253-2C
(17,20,81,65,)
DS 315-1C
(78,72,72,0)
The formula for obtaining a neutral gray through the CMYK system is to take highest % of the symbol’s initial color and apply that percentage to its C,M and Y values.
DS 325-2C
CMYK process system matched to Pantone (spot) color matching systems.