Pantone Announces Cross-referencing Application for iPhone and Web

Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT) and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced the myPANTONE^TM X-Ref iPhone^® application and Web tool that let graphic, digital, multimedia, fashion, interior and industrial designers easily cross-reference all PANTONE^® Color Libraries – from the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM^® and PANTONE Goe™ to PANTONE FASHION + HOME.

myPANTONE X-Ref makes it easy to match any PANTONE Color to any other PANTONE Color Library. X-Ref is available as an iPhone application or Web based tool. The myPANTONE X-Ref iPhone application is a companion product to myPANTONE, an iPhone application released in September 2009 that allows designers to capture, create and share PANTONE Color Palettes – wherever they go and whenever they find inspiration.

In addition to the new cross-referencing tools, Pantone is reducing the price of PANTONE Goe specification products to make them even more affordable for all designers and printers to incorporate into their workflows.

"In today’s design world where creatives are expected to work across media, myPANTONE X-Ref makes it easier for designers, printers and manufacturers to select the most suitable PANTONE Colors for their project requirements,” said Ron Potesky, senior vice president and general manager of Pantone. "While the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM remains the global design standard for printing, publishing and advertising, there are benefits to adding other PANTONE Color Libraries to your workflow, such as the Goe System or our FASHION + HOME Color System. We are introducing X-Ref tools as well as reduced Goe pricing to enable designers to use various PANTONE Color Libraries together more effectively.”

While many designers primarily rely on one PANTONE Color Library for their day-to-day work, they regularly need to repurpose or create content for multiple media. For example:

Fashion designers use the PANTONE FASHION + HOME Color System to select fabric colors, but when it comes time to create all of the other elements that bring a garment to market, such as advertising campaigns, Web sites and even hang tags, they need to translate the original fabric color for print, packaging and Web. Using either of the X-Ref tools, designers can enter their FASHION + HOME Colors and easily access the solid Goe color, CMYK, sRGB and HTML values that most closely correspond in PANTONE GoeBridge™, getting all the color information they need to keep their colors accurate across all promotional activities.

Packaging and graphic designers who have traditionally worked with the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM may want to expand their color options with the Goe System’s broader palette of 2,058 spot colors, which are more suitable for aqueous and UV coatings. The new X-Ref tools and reduced pricing for Goe products make it even easier for designers and printers to take advantage of using both PANTONE Color Libraries.

Cross-referencing PANTONE Colors

Both myPANTONE X-Ref cross-referencing tools allow users to pick a PANTONE Color, find matches in any other PANTONE Library and display side-by-side color swatches for easy comparison. Additionally, the X-Ref iPhone application allows users to enter RGB or HTML values and find the closest color in the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, PANTONE Goe System or PANTONE FASHION + HOME System. It also allows users to enter CMYK values and find the closest PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM or PANTONE Goe Color.

myPANTONE X-Ref tools include the following PANTONE Color Libraries:

• PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (coated, uncoated, matte)
• PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE^® (coated, uncoated)
• PANTONE Goe (coated, uncoated)
• PANTONE GoeBridge (coated)
• PANTONE FASHION + HOME (paper, cotton)

PANTONE Goe

Pantone developed the Goe System to complement the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, the most widely used color system for almost 50 years. Goe contains a broad palette of 2,058 spot colors that are chromatically arranged for intuitive color selection. Goe colors are specially formulated with a set of 10 base inks that are readily available worldwide, are suitable for aqueous and UV coatings, and are printed at uniform ink film thicknesses, ensuring accurate color reproduction in today’s multimedia workflow environments.

PANTONE iPhone/iPod Cases

Personalized PANTONE iPhone and iPod Touch cases are now available in eight eye-catching hues on the Pantone Web site. Free laser engraving is offered on all orders and free logo engraving is available with orders of 10 or more.

Pricing, Availability and System Information

The myPANTONE X-Ref iPhone application is available immediately for U.S. $1.99 for download at the Apple iPhone App Store. The myPANTONE iPhone application is also available for U.S. $9.99.

myPANTONE X-Ref and myPANTONE are compatible with iPhone OS 3.0 or higher, and can be used on the iPhone, iPod Touch^® or iPad. Due to the limitations of the displays, PANTONE Colors displayed on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad may not match PANTONE identified standards. Please use current PANTONE Color publications for accurate color.

The myPANTONE X-Ref Web based tool is available free-of-charge at www.pantone.com/xref.

PANTONE iPhone/iPod cases are available for U.S. $19.99 at www.pantone.com/pages/ipodcase/product.aspx. (iPhone/iPod cases are only available in the U.S. and Canada at this time.)

New prices for the PANTONE Goe System products, available at www.pantone.com, are as follows:

About Pantone

Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world’s color authority for more than 45 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com.

About X-Rite

X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.

PANTONE^®…The color of ideas^SM.

PANTONE^® and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC © Pantone LLC, 2010. All rights reserved. iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple.

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