Current versions of the PANTONE® FORMULA GUIDE provide the ink mixing formulas in a percentage formulation. This breaks the color down into percentages of the total volume of ink being mixed. As an example, let us assume that we are mixing one pound of PANTONE® 285. One pound is 16 ounces; therefore, 16 is your whole. The formulation would be as follows:- PERTECH™ ECO Reflex Blue: 37.5% * 16 = 6 oz.
- PERTECH™ ECO Process Blue: 12.5% *16 = 2 oz.
- PERTECH™ ECO Transparent White: 50.0% *16 = 8 oz.
You can easily adjust the formulation for different volumes of ink. For example, to mix 1/2 pound, cut each proportion in half. To mix two pounds, double each proportion, etc.
Older versions of the PANTONE® FORMULA GUIDE also provide a parts mixture (abbriviated as pts). Very old triple-beam scales may contain a specific unit of measure called a 'part'; otherwise, you can use any unit of measure so long as it is equal. In this case, you would want to pick a unit that would not provide vastly more ink than is necessary. For example, if you use 1 part = 1 ounce the formulation for PANTONE® 285 would be as follows:- PERTECH™ ECO Reflex Blue: 6 pts = 6 oz.
- PERTECH™ ECO Process Blue: 2 pts = 2 oz.
- PERTECH™ ECO Transparent White: 8 pts = 8 oz.
Total volume: 16 ounces
In this particular case, the part formula would yield the same volume of ink, but that won't always be the case.
