CMYK color is cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. Each color prints from a separate plate as dots and screens in layers to create colors. CMYK is also known as process color or four color printing.

PMS stands for Pantone Matching System. This system was developed in the early 1960s and is internationally recognized and used in print, graphic, fashion and interior design. PMS colors are assigned numbers and formulas for ink mixing. A palette of 14 basic colors are used to mix inks according to the formulas. The color PMS 285 printed in two parts of the world on the same paper will match due to the consistency of the formulas. Printers can order the colors by numbers or use the formula to mix the ink color themselves.

CMYK will always be the standard in most color printing, however PMS offers an expanded horizon of choices.