Pantone Introduces New PANTONE PLUS Revision

CARLSTADT, NJ—May 10, 2010—For nearly 50 years, the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM has been the worldwide color communication standard. As technology and working styles advance, Pantone continues to evolve its color tools and technology to reflect today’s design and production workflows. Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT) and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announces PANTONE PLUS, the next generation of the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM.

“PANTONE PLUS takes what designers and printers know and love about the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM and supercharges it with a host of new features, colors and digital tools,” said Ron Potesky, senior vice president and general manager of Pantone. “The PLUS series provides designers with greater freedom for selecting, specifying and matching color. And, since the PANTONE PLUS series is based on the widely used PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, there’s no training or new equipment required to start pushing the boundaries of creativity.”

"Adobe Creative Suite plays a central role in helping designers realize their artistic visions and Pantone is also crucial to this process, allowing creatives to make and implement critical color decisions,” said Lea Hickman, senior director, design and web segment at Adobe. "PANTONE PLUS provides Adobe Creative Suite users with expanded color sets and more intuitive selection to help streamline the creative process."

PANTONE PLUS Series
A modern evolution of the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, the PANTONE PLUS series provides designers and printers with new features and capabilities to fulfill their creative desires. Enhancements include the chromatic arrangement of colors for more intuitive selection, an expanded palette of spot colors, the addition of new premium metallics and a broader range of neons.

PANTONE COLOR MANAGER Software, available free-of-charge with every PLUS series purchase, lets designers update their favorite design applications with the new PLUS series Color Libraries. An added feature allows users to convert spot colors to CMYK simulations based on loaded ICC profiles. Creatives can also access the entire PANTONE PLUS series from their iPhones with the myPANTONE™ iPhone® application, empowering designers to capture, create and share PANTONE Color Palettes – wherever they go and whenever they find inspiration. Additionally, with the myPANTONE X-Ref iPhone application, designers can easily cross-reference all PANTONE Color Libraries.

Making a color-critical decision under the wrong lighting conditions can greatly compromise the final product. All guides in the PLUS series include a ColorChecker Lighting Indicator to instantly show whether current lighting conditions are suitable for color evaluation.

All books in the PLUS series are printed on text-weight paper to more closely reflect the majority of printed work today and meet certification standards set forth by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an independent organization that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. Products carrying the FSC label assure consumers they are choosing products from forests managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations (Certificate Code SW-COC-003183).

The complete PANTONE PLUS series includes:

PANTONE FORMULA GUIDE (Solid Coated and Uncoated)
PANTONE SOLID CHIPS (Coated and Uncoated)
PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE® (Coated or Uncoated)
PANTONE CMYK (Coated and Uncoated)
PANTONE METALLIC FORMULA GUIDE (Coated)
PANTONE METALLIC CHIPS (Coated)
PANTONE PREMIUM METALLICS (Coated)
PANTONE PREMIUM METALLICS CHIPS (Coated)
PANTONE PASTELS & NEONS (Coated/Uncoated)
PANTONE PASTELS & NEONS CHIPS (Coated/Uncoated)
PANTONE COLOR MANAGER Software
myPANTONE and X-Ref iPhone applications

PANTONE PLUS SERIES FORMULA GUIDE and SOLID CHIPS
The FORMULA GUIDE and SOLID CHIPS introduce 224 new solid colors for a total of 1,341 colors, offering designers more options and flexibility in the creative process. The new colors are formulated with the same 14 ink bases that were the foundation of the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, ensuring that printers worldwide can reproduce the new colors when specified. Consistent ink film thicknesses make the new colors easier for printers to match on press.

PANTONE PLUS SERIES COLOR BRIDGE
After extensive technical research, development and testing, a single version suitable for worldwide use is now available. The new COLOR BRIDGE guide has been printed within today's ISO specifications and G7® processes, with the exception of a more desirable, optically brightened paper.

PANTONE PLUS SERIES CMYK
The new CMYK guide offers a smoother progression of 2,886 CMYK colors for four-color process printing. The guide is printed with bio-friendly ISO-certified inks using a digital workflow within ISO specifications and G7 processes, but on optically brightened paper, allowing for a single version that is suitable for worldwide use.

PANTONE PLUS SERIES PREMIUM METALLICS and PREMIUM METALLICS CHIPS
The PANTONE PLUS SERIES provides significantly enhanced tools for working with specialty colors that add flair and pop to any design. PREMIUM METALLICS includes 300 new, non-leafing metallics that have been formulated for greater brilliance even when coated.

PANTONE PLUS SERIES PASTELS & NEONS and PASTELS & NEONS CHIPS
Neon colors have been gaining popularity in print, spurred by the sportswear, swimwear and footwear markets. To satisfy this increasing demand, PASTELS & NEONS offers a broad collection of 154 pastels with 56 neon colors.

Pricing, Availability and System Information
The PANTONE PLUS SERIES products are available immediately and can be purchased from the Pantone website at www.pantone.com or from PANTONE resellers worldwide. COLOR BRIDGE will be available in June 2010. Through the PANTONE Chip-in Program, customers can trade in old PANTONE Products and receive a rebate to help offset the cost of upgrading to PANTONE PLUS.

Every PLUS series purchase includes COLOR MANAGER Software free-of-charge upon registration. The public beta version of COLOR MANAGER will be available in June 2010 to registered users. PANTONE PLUS Digital Libraries for Adobe and Quark will also be available in June 2010 free-of-charge to anyone wanting to update their favorite software with the new PLUS SERIES colors.

myPANTONE and X-Ref are available for download at the Apple iPhone App Store for U.S. $9.99 and $1.99 respectively. myPANTONE and X-Ref are compatible with iPhone OS 3.0 or higher, and can be used on the iPhone, iPod Touch® and iPad. Automatic updates to the applications including the new PANTONE PLUS SERIES Color Libraries will be available June 2010.

For more information on PANTONE PLUS and workflow support, please visit www.pantone.com/plus.

U.S. Pricing
PANTONE FORMULA GUIDE (Solid Coated and Uncoated)
$109/set

PANTONE SOLID CHIPS (Coated and Uncoated)
$259/set

PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE (Coated or Uncoated)
$129 or $209/set

PANTONE CMYK (Coated and Uncoated)
$125/set

PANTONE METALLIC FORMULA GUIDE (Coated)
$69

PANTONE METALLIC CHIPS (Coated)
$169

PANTONE PREMIUM METALLICS
$79

PANTONE PREMIUM METALLICS CHIPS
$175

PANTONE PASTELS & NEONS (Coated/Uncoated)
$79

PANTONE PASTELS & NEONS CHIPS (Coated/Uncoated)
$175

PANTONE COLOR MANAGER Software
Free software download with purchase, $49 value

myPANTONE and X-Ref iPhone applications
Automatic upgrades for previous owners, $9.99 and $1.99 respectively for new purchases

About Pantone
Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world’s color authority for almost 50 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at HYPERLINK "http://www.pantone.com"www.pantone.com.

About X-Rite
X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.