Design Atlas
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✎ Graphic, brand & print

Spot color

별색

A colour printed with one pre-mixed ink straight from the can, instead of being built from tiny dots of four process inks.

Also known as: Pantone ink별색 인쇄Special ink
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html
<div class="row">
  <div class="chip"><div class="dots"><span class="pat"></span></div><span class="cap">process</span></div>
  <div class="chip"><div class="solid"></div><span class="cap">spot</span></div>
</div>
css
.row{display:flex;gap:8%;align-items:center;justify-content:center;width:100%;height:100%}
.chip{display:flex;flex-direction:column;align-items:center;gap:8px}
.dots,.solid{width:min(120px,34vw);aspect-ratio:1;border-radius:14px;overflow:hidden;box-shadow:0 0 0 1px var(--line)}
.dots{position:relative;isolation:isolate;background:#fff}
.pat{position:absolute;inset:0;background-image:
    radial-gradient(circle at 30% 30%,#ff2ec4 32%,transparent 34%),
    radial-gradient(circle at 70% 70%,#ffe600 32%,transparent 34%);
  background-size:10px 10px,10px 10px;background-position:0 0,5px 5px;
  mix-blend-mode:multiply;animation:jiggle 5s ease-in-out infinite}
@keyframes jiggle{0%,100%{background-size:10px 10px,10px 10px}50%{background-size:11px 11px,11px 11px}}
.solid{position:relative;background:#ff6a3d;overflow:hidden}
.solid::after{content:'';position:absolute;inset:0;background:linear-gradient(115deg,transparent 30%,rgba(255,255,255,.45) 45%,transparent 60%);
  transform:translateX(-120%);animation:sheen 3.2s ease-in-out infinite}
@keyframes sheen{0%,20%{transform:translateX(-120%)}55%,100%{transform:translateX(120%)}}
.cap{font:700 10px/1 ui-monospace,monospace;color:var(--muted);text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.06em}

Standard printing (4-colour "process" printing) overlaps tiny halftone dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black so the eye blends them into one colour. Zoom in and it's really just a field of dots.

A spot colour instead uses one ink that's pre-mixed to be that exact colour — a solid, uniform film rather than a pattern of dots. That gives stronger, more consistent colour, and it's the only way to print colours CMYK can't reach at all, like fluorescents or metallics. The tradeoff: each spot colour needs its own mixed ink, adding a print pass (and cost) per colour.

It's mainly used where "always the exact same colour" matters, like a brand logo. Left: dots of process ink overlapping to fake a colour. Right: one solid spot ink laid down flat.

When to use

Use for brand logos or packaging where even a slight colour shift is unacceptable, or when you need a colour CMYK physically can't mix, like fluorescent, gold, or silver. Not a fit for photos with thousands of colours.