In addition to four-color inks, spot color inks are also frequently used in modern printing, especially in screen printing and gravure printing. Sometimes spot color inks can be purchased directly for 

printing, while other times, due to cost or specific color requirements, they must be blended from primary color inks.

Basic Colors

Primary inks: These are the three primary colors that cannot be mixed from other colors, including yellow, magenta, and cyan. These three primary colors can be mixed in different proportions and 

methods to create a variety of colors, but in practice, no matter how they are mixed, a pure color cannot be achieved. Therefore, in color printing, four-color inks: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are 

generally used. Furthermore, the standards for four-color inks vary between countries and manufacturers.

Standard Intermediate Color Ink: This refers to a color ink formed by mixing equal amounts of any two primary colors.

Standard Complex Color Ink: This refers to a color ink formed by mixing equal amounts of any two or three primary colors in varying proportions.

Dark Ink

Dark ink blending involves mixing one or more primary colors without the addition of any diluent. According to the subtractive color process, when mixing dark inks, the amount of primary ink 

should be minimized; otherwise, the brightness and color vividness of the ink will be reduced. For special product requirements, such as dark brown ink, red and yellow inks may be mixed with a 

small amount of black ink.

Light Inks

Light ink mixing refers to any process that requires the addition of diluents or white ink. This involves gradually adding the primary ink to the diluent until the desired hue is achieved, then 

increasing 

the proportion.

Light inks can be divided into three types:

-Diluent inks offer a certain degree of transparency and are suitable for multi-color overprinting.

-Matte inks offer strong hiding power and a vibrant color.

-Light inks mixed with diluents and white ink.

Special Color Ink Mixing Methods

1: Proportional Method

When mixing ink colors, carefully observe and analyze the ink sample or print.

First, observe and analyze the approximate composition of the ink colors in the print. A graduated copper ink pipette can be used to roughly adjust the proportions. Check the rough ink sample 

(scrape) to see if it matches the standard sample, and record the ink ratio and ink volume. If so, convert the ratios to percentages and fine-tune using an analytical balance. If not, adjust the 

color-ink 

ratios and continue mixing.

2: Subtraction Method

After determining the ink colors that make up the standard sample, place 10g or 5g of slurry paper on a glass plate and randomly mix the ink. When the ink color approaches the standard, scrape a 

small amount of the ink sample to observe the top and bottom colors. The ink used during scraping should be recovered. If it approaches the standard, weigh the remaining ink to calculate the 

percentage content of the spot color. Fine-tune using a balance. If it matches the standard, continue mixing.

3: Pantone Color Matching Method

The Pantone Color Matching Guide contains 1,114 Pantone spot colors and is a universal color guide. Each color standard is numbered and has an ink ratio. It is fan-bound, making color selection quick and convenient. For Pantone spot color inks, you should carefully observe and analyze the printed sample, compare it with the color samples in the Pantone color guide, and find the closest color sample. After analysis, you can adjust the ink ratio of the printed sample, which makes the mixing work more convenient.