Using Pantone ("PMS") codes when setting theme colors

Linda...@officeformac.com

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 4:30:57 PM4/8/10

to

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel In PowerPoint for PC, I was able to enter a 3-digit PMS code to set the color. (I.e., I want to use maroon = PMS 222; grey = PMS 443.) Doesn't seem to be possible on PowerPoint for MAC. Anyone know how to do it? Thanks.

CyberTaz

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 5:09:59 PM4/8/10

to

Entered them where? How? I'd truly like to know.

AFAIK, MS Office doesn't support CMYK in either the Mac or Windows versions.
The only color models for Theme Colors (or any others) are RGB & HSL.

--
Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

<Linda...@officeformac.com> wrote in message
news:59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0...

Linda...@officeformac.com

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 6:10:17 PM4/8/10

to

Ah, maybe those were RGB values people have given me in the past and I entered the 3 digits under that graphic in PPT for Windows that looks like a honeycomb. I can't find anywhere to enter 3 digits in the Mac version of the PPT color menus.

CyberTaz

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 6:37:02 PM4/8/10

to

Well, that still doesn't add up because each RGB value can range anywhere
from 0-255, so 2/2/2 or 4/4/3 (per you examples) wouldn't produce anything
but black :-) I'm sure that they are Pantone Spot Colors but there also
should be a letter at the end to denote whether it's Coated, Uncoated,
Matte, etc. [222u, 222C, 443m]. But anyway...

What you're looking for is in Format> Theme Colors... You'll find everything
available in the Windows version plus a good deal more, including CMYK
sliders... Just keep in mind that the availability is more from the
standpoint of compliance with copyright/trademark requirements than actual
commercially printed output.

HTH |:>)

Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 4/8/10 6:10 PM, in article 59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

CyberTaz

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 6:40:37 PM4/8/10

to

P.S. - I should have mentioned that any of the color tools include a 'More
Colors' listing which takes you to the color pickers. Use the 5 colored
buttons at the top of the picker to select different color models.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 4/8/10 6:10 PM, in article 59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

Linda...@officeformac.com

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 9:06:57 PM4/8/10

to

Thanks!

> P.S. - I should have mentioned that any of the color tools include a 'More
> Colors' listing which takes you to the color pickers. Use the 5 colored
> buttons at the top of the picker to select different color models.
>
> Regards |:>)
> Bob Jones
> [MVP] Office:Mac
>
>
>
> On 4/8/10 6:10 PM, in article 59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

> "Linda...@officeformac.com" wrote:
>
> > Ah, maybe those were RGB values people have given me in the past and I entered
> > the 3 digits under that graphic in PPT for Windows that looks like a
> > honeycomb. I can't find anywhere to enter 3 digits in the Mac version of the
> > PPT color menus.
> >
> >>>>> Entered them where? How? I'd truly like to know.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> AFAIK, MS Office doesn't support CMYK in either the Mac or Windows
> >>>> versions.
> >>>>> The only color models for Theme Colors (or any others) are RGB & HSL.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> Regards |:>)
> >>>>> Bob Jones
> >>>>> [MVP] Office:Mac
> >>>>>
> >>>>> wrote in message
> >>>>> news:59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0...

Steve Rindsberg

unread,

Apr 8, 2010, 9:26:11 PM4/8/10

to

In article <59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0>,

Pantone sells or used to sell a Windows PPT add-in that allowed you to
choose PMS colors, then converted them to the Pantone-approved RGB
values and applied those values to whatever you were coloring.

PowerPoint itself has never used PMS colors directly.

I doubt that the add-in would be available for Mac PPT 2008; you'd need
to work out the RGB values for the colors you need some other way and
enter them as RGB values in Mac PPT.

CyberTaz

unread,

Apr 9, 2010, 8:29:49 AM4/9/10

to

Hi Steve;

<snip>
On 4/8/10 9:26 PM, in article VA.0000586...@localhost.com, "Steve
Rindsberg" <ab...@localhost.com> wrote:

> I doubt that the add-in would be available for Mac PPT 2008; you'd need
> to work out the RGB values for the colors you need some other way and
> enter them as RGB values in Mac PPT.

<snip>

Although I'm sure you're right about the add-in, manual translation to only
RGB values isn't a singular alternative. One of the Color Model buttons
provides sliders & value boxes for CMYK, HSB & Grayscale in addition to
those for RGB. There is also an icon just to the left of that list box that
provides a surprisingly wide variety of Color Profiles to select from & it
automatically updates relative to the selection from the list.

I can't attest to the accuracy of the interpolation methods but I would
expect them to be within an 'acceptable' range :-)... One of a few features
in Mac Office (PPT & Word but not Excel) that the PC versions don't offer.

Linda...@officeformac.com

unread,

Apr 9, 2010, 10:25:58 AM4/9/10

to

Can I just ask you guys -- do you like working in PPT 2008 for Mac? I was a pretty sophisticated user (for a regular biz person) of PPT 2007 for Windows and trying to find things I used to be able to do -- in the PC versions of PPT, Word and Outlook -- in the Mac versions is driving me nuts. Is it worth the switch to Mac?

Steve Rindsberg

unread,

Apr 9, 2010, 11:17:13 AM4/9/10

to

> Although I'm sure you're right about the add-in, manual translation to only
> RGB values isn't a singular alternative. One of the Color Model buttons
> provides sliders & value boxes for CMYK, HSB & Grayscale in addition to
> those for RGB.

I'd be inclined to look for Pantone-recommended RGB values just the same.

Why? Well ...

Pantone will sell you a swatchbook showing the PMS color next to the closest
CMYK equivalent ("close" being a relative term, and some of these relatives
are pretty distant!) That's useful for the printing industry; they work in
CMYK if they're not printing spot (ie, PMS) colors.

But PowerPoint is strictly RGB. That puts all PMS colors through two
"equivalence conversions", one from PMS to CMYK and another from CMYK to RGB,
potentially tossing the color off into the weeds at each step.

> There is also an icon just to the left of that list box that
> provides a surprisingly wide variety of Color Profiles to select from & it
> automatically updates relative to the selection from the list.
>
> I can't attest to the accuracy of the interpolation methods but I would
> expect them to be within an 'acceptable' range :-)... One of a few features
> in Mac Office (PPT & Word but not Excel) that the PC versions don't offer.

It'd be interesting to run some tests on the color profiling. It's possible
to add at least some degeree of color profiling to the PC version, but only
using profiles generated by special hardware. I wrote the add-in for it.
Talkaboutajob!!

CyberTaz

unread,

Apr 9, 2010, 11:51:29 AM4/9/10

to

That's a question that each user has to answer for him/her-self :-) The apps
are 'compatible' but by no means identical wrt their respective feature sets
& there are definitely pros & cons on each side. There always have been
differences but the gap widened considerably with the latest releases.

In all fairness, though, making the comparison using Office 2008 v. Office
2007 doesn't make the Mac version shine :-) The development of Office 2008
was hamstrung in a number of ways from the onset & resulted in a product
that is only 'good enough' in order to make the marketing deadline. [Just
one example: MacBU was instructed to drop VBA support because it was being
dropped altogether, even on the PC side. Once the Mac products were rebuilt
beyond the point of no return, guess what? The Win Office team incidentally
mentioned that they not only were keeping VBA in their products but actually
kicking it up a notch.] I'm confident that you'll be far more favorably
impressed when Office 2011 hits the streets late this year.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 4/9/10 10:25 AM, in article 59bb6...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,