Spot color applies a premixed ink to the page. This color is usually identified by a color system such as the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM. Spot color is useful for documents that require only a few colors, such as newsletters, brochures and stationery. Spot color is also used to match specific colors very closely.

Spot color, selective color, or semi black and white processing is a technique that converts a color photo to black and white with a selected area retaining its original coloring. This strongly draws the viewer's attention. When some areas of the image are desaturated, the colored elements become the primary focus.

Usually spot colors are created through an ink system such as the Pantone Matching System, which can either provide a standard solid color that can be purchased whole or mixed before printing. In contrast, process color is a way of mixing inks to create colors during the actual printing process itself.

Spot Color: Pre-mixed Inks for Consistent Color The CMYK process mixes inks on the printing press to achieve a wide range of colors and the printed color may vary slightly from print to print. SPOT colors are pre-mixed inks that give you a consistent printed color print after print.