Pantone Guide Buying Guide — Which Pantone Guide Do You Need?
With many Pantone guides available across the Graphics and FHI ranges, choosing the right one can be confusing. This guide explains every Pantone guide we stock, who it is for, and which combination is right for your discipline.
Understanding the Two Pantone Systems
Before choosing a guide, it is important to understand that Pantone operates two completely separate colour systems:
- Pantone Graphics — PMS (Pantone Matching System) colours calibrated for printing inks. Used by graphic designers, printers, brand managers and packaging professionals. Colour codes end in C (coated) or U (uncoated).
- Pantone FHI (Fashion, Home + Interiors) — colours calibrated for fabric dyeing, surface coatings and product finishes. Used by fashion designers, textile buyers, product designers and interior designers. Colour codes end in TCX (cotton) or TPX (paper).
These two systems should never be used interchangeably. Specifying a Graphics PMS colour to a fabric mill, or an FHI TCX colour to a printer, will produce unpredictable results.
Pantone Graphics Guides — for Print, Packaging and Branding
Pantone Formula Guide GP1601B — The Industry Standard
Who it is for: Every graphic designer, brand manager and print professional.
What it does: Shows all 2,390 PMS spot colours on coated and uncoated fan decks, with ink mixing formulas for each colour.
Why you need it: This is the foundational Pantone reference. If you specify, approve or produce printed colour for any purpose, this is the guide you need. If you can only own one Pantone guide, this is it.
Pantone Colour Bridge GP6102B — For Print and Digital Workflows
Who it is for: Designers who work across print and digital, or who need to understand how spot colours will shift in CMYK process printing.
What it does: Shows 2,139 PMS spot colours alongside their closest CMYK, RGB and HTML equivalents on coated and uncoated stock.
Why you need it: The Color Bridge answers the most common colour problem in design — what will my Pantone spot colour look like when printed in CMYK? It is the essential companion to the Formula Guide for any designer working in a mixed print and digital environment.
Pantone Solid Guide Set GP1605B — The Comprehensive Library
Who it is for: Design studios and brand managers who need a complete PMS colour library.
What it does: Four fan decks — Formula Guide Coated, Formula Guide Uncoated, Pastels and Neons, and Metallics — covering 3,026 spot colours in total.
Why you need it: The most comprehensive single PMS purchase. Covers all standard spot colours plus the specialist ranges in one set.
Pantone Essentials Set GPG301B — The Portable Toolkit
Who it is for: Designers who need a comprehensive colour toolkit in a portable format.
What it does: Six essential fan guides including spot colours, CMYK, Color Bridge, Metallics and Pastels in a carry case.
Why you need it: Everything you need for client meetings, presentations and on-location colour specification in one case.
Pantone Metallics Guide GG1507C
Who it is for: Packaging designers, luxury brand specialists and print buyers specifying premium finishes.
What it does: 655 metallic spot colours for premium print, packaging and luxury design applications.
Why you need it: Metallic colours cannot be reproduced accurately in standard CMYK. If you specify metallic print finishes, this is the definitive reference.
Pantone Pastels and Neons Guide GG1504C
Who it is for: Designers working in FMCG packaging, beauty, fashion and trend-led design.
What it does: 224 pastel and neon PMS colours on coated and uncoated stock in one fan deck.
Why you need it: Pastels and neons sit outside the standard PMS colour range and require their own guide for accurate specification.
Pantone CMYK Guide Set GP5101C
Who it is for: Prepress professionals and print buyers managing CMYK colour accuracy.
What it does: 2,868 G7-calibrated four-colour process colours on coated and uncoated stock.
Why you need it: For precise CMYK colour specification and communication with printers without using spot colours.
Pantone FHI Guides — for Fashion, Textiles and Interiors
Pantone FHI Cotton Swatch Library FHIC100C — The Definitive Textile Reference
Who it is for: Fashion designers, textile buyers, colour directors and brands specifying fabric colours.
What it does: 2,801 actual dyed cotton swatches — including 175 new Dualities colours — showing exactly how each colour looks on fabric.
Why you need it: Nothing substitutes for seeing a real dyed cotton swatch when specifying textile colours. This is the gold standard reference for the fashion and textiles industry.
Pantone FHI Cotton Passport FHIC200C — Portable Cotton Reference
Who it is for: Fashion designers and buyers who need the complete cotton TCX colour range in a portable format.
What it does: All 2,801 FHI cotton TCX colours including 175 new Dualities shades in a compact book.
Why you need it: The same comprehensive colour coverage as the Swatch Library in a format that is practical for travel and on-location use.
Pantone FHI Colour Guide FHIP110C — Paper-Based FHI Reference
Who it is for: Interiors designers, hard goods product designers and accessories designers who work with paper-based colour references rather than fabric swatches.
What it does: 2,801 FHI colours on paper stock — the paper-based equivalent of the Cotton Swatch Library, showing how FHI colours translate to hard surfaces and print applications.
Why you need it: For industries where a paper reference is more practical than a cotton swatch, or where you are specifying colours for hard goods, surface coatings or accessories.
Pantone FHI Cotton Planner FHIC300C — Large Format Swatches
Who it is for: Design houses and studios who need larger swatch samples for presentations and client sign-off.
What it does: All 2,801 FHI colours in large-format dyed cotton swatches — significantly larger than the standard Swatch Library chips.
Why you need it: Larger swatches show colour more accurately in context and are more practical for client presentations and range planning sessions.
Pantone Skin Tone Guide STG202
Who it is for: Cosmetics brands, fashion photographers, portrait photographers and inclusive design teams.
What it does: 136 skin tone colours developed scientifically to represent human skin tones across ethnicities.
Why you need it: For colour specification in cosmetics, foundation matching, photography and any application where accurate human skin tone representation is required.
Fan Guide vs Chip Book — Which Format Do I Need?
Fan guides are the standard format — colours presented as a fan of swatches on a flexible card strip. They are the reference for colour specification and communication. They stay in your library permanently.
Chip books contain the same colours as individual removable chips that can be torn out and sent to suppliers, placed alongside physical samples and used in presentations. They are consumable — once you remove a chip it cannot be replaced. Chip books are used alongside fan guides, not instead of them.
Quick Selection Guide
- Graphic designer (print and branding) — Formula Guide GP1601B as the starting point; add Color Bridge GP6102B if you work across print and digital
- Brand manager — Formula Guide GP1601B plus Color Bridge GP6102B; add Metallics if you specify premium finishes
- Packaging designer — Solid Guide Set GP1605B for comprehensive coverage plus Metallics Guide if required
- Fashion designer — FHI Cotton Swatch Library FHIC100C for fabric, plus FHI Colour Guide FHIP110C for hard goods and trims
- Textile buyer — FHI Cotton Passport FHIC200C for portable reference; Cotton Swatch Library for studio
- Interior designer — FHI Colour Guide FHIP110C for a paper-based reference covering hard goods, surfaces and accessories
- Student — graphic design — Formula Guide GP1601B. If budget allows, add Color Bridge for the CMYK comparison reference
- Student — fashion/textiles — FHI Cotton Passport FHIC200C is the most practical and portable option for student use
2026 Pantone Updates
All 2026 Pantone guides include the latest colour additions. The most significant update for 2026 is the addition of 175 new Dualities colours across the FHI range — a new palette of age-inspired pastels and monochromatic shadows reflecting a mood of balance and duality. The 2026 Colour of the Year is Cloud Dancer 11-4201.
As Pantone's official authorised UK partner and Education distributor, Graphics Direct stocks all current 2026 editions. For university, college and student pricing, or for advice on which guide is right for your discipline, call us on 01423 359 730 or email sales@graphicsdirect.co.uk.