According to the Pantone Corporation's website, the Pantone Matching System was introduced by the company's founder, Lawrence Herbert, in 1963 to alleviate difficulties that arose when trying to match colors within the graphic arts industry. As use of their color-matching system grew, Pantone began to expand and now provides color resources that accommodate other industries, such as interior design, fashion, paint, plastics and architecture.
The Pantone Matching System is comprised of a variety of color types, created by Pantone to serve the various needs of the design communities in which they are used. Pantone's "About Us" page states that their color palette includes solid, metallic, neon, pastel and tints--all of which can be printed on coated, uncoated and matte paper. They also created the Hexachrome and Goe lines, which have more modern colors and use a simplified printing process.
Color can be printed in one of two ways: either through process or spot application. The four-color CMYK process is the most used in the printing industry, meaning that four base colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and K for black) are combined in varying percentages to create a new color. For example, a green might be made from 75 percent cyan, 0 percent magenta, 100 percent yellow and 0 percent black, with each base color applied on its own layer and the final product reflecting their combined green color. According to the Pantone website, however, PMS colors are spot colors, pre-mixed using 14 PMS basic color inks and applied to the page on one, single layer. Because of their patented ink formulas, PMS colors can't be perfectly matched in the CMYK process, but the company provides tools for locating similar or equivalent matches.
In an attempt to make the Pantone Matching System more efficient for international usage, it was updated and replaced in 2010 by the Pantone Plus Series. In the new series's information sheet, the company explains that the Plus Series incorporates all the current PMS colors, while adding 224 new solid colors, 300 premium metallic colors and 42 new neon colors. The guide books, color chips and programs have also been updated with a new organization and a uniform-printing system, further standardizing the Pantone colors.
Pantone makes many color-reference products for both printers and designers, but according to their website, the most popular are their formula guides. The company's main Pantone Color Guide is a three-piece set featuring ink formulas for all Pantone colors on solid, coated and matte stock paper. Similar guides also exist for the company's metallic, pastel and tint colors as well as for equivalent CMYK combinations.