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    Time to Shine

    UNDERSTANDING WHICH PANTONE METALLIC COLORS GUIDE TO USE

    Metallic finishes are a perfect way to add a touch of luxury and create designs that dazzle. These brilliant, luminous colors are on trend for a range of applications, from graphics and print to fashion and hard and soft goods for the home.

    Pantone offers two different metallics tools that designers can use to bring a brilliant finish to any project. Our Pantone Metallics Guide and Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors (FHI) Metallic Shimmers Guide are easy-to-use collections of market-relevant colors for visualizing and specifying metallic finishes. With 655 colors in the Pantone Metallics Guide and 200 colors in the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Metallic Shimmers Guide, there is an extensive array of options to enable a beautifully brilliant and luxurious finish. However, each set of colors is specially formulated for use on a particular material. By using the right guide for your application, you can save money and time during production, and ensure your true color intention shines through based on the medium selected.

    When should I use the Pantone Metallics Guide?

    If you’re planning to use metallic inks for printed materials on paper, such as brand logos, marketing collateral, stationery, corporate reports, announcements, and cards, as well as multimedia, interactive, and digital design, reference the Pantone Metallics Guide. This handy fan guide is part of our Pantone Graphics System, and displays 200 metallic colors as ink printed on coated paper—including 54 newly minted colors added in 2019. For graphics applications requiring more durable coatings, such as signage and consumer packaged goods, be sure to specify from our range of Packaging Metallics at the front of the Metallics Guide.

    When should I use the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Metallic Shimmers Guide?

    If you’re designing non-printed projects such as toys, cosmetics, housewares, electronics, fashion accessories, furniture, or automotive products, you’ll want to consult the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Metallic Shimmers Guide. The 200 colors in this portable fan deck are carefully chosen to reflect global trends, and produced using a paint-like nitrocellulose coating on paper.

    I love both of my guides! Is there an opportunity to use both guides?

    For those working to match colors across multiple materials, or when projects require matching logos and printed collateral to hard or soft goods, we recommend referencing both the Pantone Metallics Guide and the Metallic Shimmers Guide.

    Start with the right Pantone Metallic Colors guide, or equip your toolkit with both for optimal flexibility, and you’ll be ready to go for the gold on your next project.