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Affordable PMS matching ?

3K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  lben 
#1 ·
I had an order come through today and, after every little detail was hammered out, they casually mention the two Pantone numbers that I'm to use. Thanks guys. We're talking 70 shirts so I only need a quart of each if possible.

The cheapest price I've found so far was thru Jay Products, at $95 a gallon. The customer doesn't want to pay more, and REO gallons at that price would destroy my profits ... Any suggestions of other suppliers would be super appreciated. Otherwise I'm going to try to eyeball it and show 'Em a sample before going to production... But I get the feeling theyre going to be particular about these two colors matching precisely.
 
#10 ·
You won't get anywhere in this business (or in life) if you let other people dictate terms to you.
Really?.....I figure the best way to grow your business and not piss folks off and let them go elsewhere.....Any sale requires a meeting of the minds.....If you have something in mind that you client does not agree with, then no sale....
 
#11 ·
I just did a quote last week involving matching Pantone colors, I found pints and quarts available here International Coatings but I have not used there pantone matching service before.
Just make sure you read the fine print on all custom mixing. This I found interesting on the link you provided above;

NOTE THAT ALL ABOVE INFORMATION MUST BE PROPERLY FILLED OUT IN ORDER FOR YOUR ORDER TO PROCESS CORRECTLY.
RYONET CAN ONLY MIX COATED COLORS or (C)! DO NOT SUBMIT (UC) or UNCOATED PANTONE NUMBERS BECAUSE THEY WILL DIFFER
Fluorescents, glitters, and shimmers are mixed by eye and may not exactly match perfectly every time ordered.



So they can ONLY mix coated colors. The thing about fluos, glitters and shimmers being mixed by eye makes me nervous that they'd possibly go by eye on the standard pantones as well.



I've had stuff mixed by these guys and they use the Wilflex Ink. Never had a problem with the few colors they mixed for me, coated or uncoated. They were pretty damn close. They're out of MA (I'm just outside Boston) so it's a proximity thing for me.

Hope that helps.
 
#6 ·
Matt:

We use the Wilflex Epic PC system and can match any Pantone color very easily in a few minutes. There's a computer program that determines the amount of base and pigments to use based on the final total of ink needed. It's CPSIA compliant, and a breeze to use. Other ink companies have similar systems...you just need to ask about it.

Also, there's a "recycle" feature that allows you to mix in other Pantone colors with a new color to extend the life of the ink you have. I keep track of this every day and we're usually around 14-16% of the total weight of our inks mixed use pre-mixed ink. This saves a lot of money.

You should contact a rep and get them to give you a quote.

Then...charge for this if you want. However, I have to tell you that at a certain level and clientele matching a Pantone color is considered a default skill, and you'll get tremendous pushback if you try to charge for it.

Good luck,

-M
 
#12 ·
I just bought 3 quarts of custom pantone mixes from MelRay Industries in Crescent City, FL. They use International Coatings inks, which I'd never used before. The quarts ran around $28 average with the custom mixing charge included. I also purchased a quart of plain black which was $21, so I'm guessing the custom mixing charge was about $7.50 each, which is reasonable. I have to say I'm really pleased with the ink. Nice and creamy, excellent opacity, prints like a dream through 305 mesh. These mixes are for a QuikSeps Pro simulated process job I've gotta pound out. I have the Union Mixopake mixing system, but some of the colors come out kind of gummy and tough to pass through the screens (might be the fact that they're high opacity inks).
Anyway, just thought I'd pass it along. They also sell Matsui inks and screens, plus other supplies. Very nice people to work with. I plan on rounding out the specified pantone colors for QuikSeps Pro with the IC inks fro MelRay.
 
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