Post #28, in which I mix Pantone color #113

It’s time to print a yellow car! Using the Pantone guide I find the right shade, Pantone 113. to mix this color I need to combine 4 parts Pantone Yellow, 1/8 parts Pantone Warm Red, and 28 parts Pantone Transparent White. First I work on the mixture of Yellow and Warm Red. 4:1/8 is the same as 32:1. I plop a blob of yellow ink on the table, declare that blob to be 32 parts and divide it in half over an over until I find one part.

I set aside this mixture and plop a blob of transparent white onto the table and repeat that process, dividing until I find the right amount of ink to add from the yellow mix.

Mixing inks can be confusing because the color you are mixing on the table can look very different from that same color on the press. This is one of the reasons why the guide is so helpful. When you are looking for a specific color, you can avoid a lot of wasted ink and time by following the recipe.

It is a touch lighter than I was aiming for, but right in the range of what I want.

When I am done printing for the day, I wrap up the mixed ink and label it. If I need to reprint or print this color again later in the book, I will not have to match it since I have it in reserve.

Next up: the cork.