Paulson Colors converted to CMYK & Bonus Card Mold Color Wheel CMYK codes (1 Viewer)

[QuailValley]

So on my quest for my custom card molds I wanted to match some color and chip designs from some famous Paulson sets. So I compiled all the HEX codes from the Poker Chip Design Tool (https://www.pokerchipforum.com/pcf/pokerchiptool/), as @Tommy and others have done some extensive research and color patching to Paulson chips. I then converted the HEX codes to RGB and CMYK. There might be some colors/nuance slightly lost in translation, as going from different color formats is not 1:1. But its the closest I have and for most custom applications its really gonna be the closest we will be able to get.

A few other notes neon and metallic colors will not be 1:1. So if you hold up say a card mold chip and a Paulson chip side by side with the same "color" they will not look the same. Also colors will change based on the medium in which they are printed/viewed. And most monitors are not color accurate. So what you see on your screen might not be what is printed.

Also as part of what I was doing I needed to check/verify the Pantone colors so I have added some Pantone matches based on the CMYK codes to Pantone's website. That being said, most of them were pretty spot on, but there were a few that got really weird or really off. Their color matcher is based on algorithms and I dont think it is perfectly dialed in.

CARD MOLD SPECIFIC INFO: If you are dealing with one of the card mold vendors they might not take and use the colors you provide 1:1. Start by ensuring that the color you are using is on their 'approved/preferred' list (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HbzLVH5aznUFJUihsR3wsCwZtMlxZ7k-/view?usp=sharing [originally provided by @Kid_Eastwood]). Then simplify your color palette. Just because you are using a color that is approved does not mean they wont try and cut down the amount of colors used. The simplest your color palette the more likely it will be printed as close to what you provided.

Anyways here is what I have figured I would share it:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JeRS1goTKyxHee6cYQ8o8I3KKNEnO4TiMPgwViLokYU/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: Ok thanks to @Eloe2000 I have updated the spreadsheet to include the CMYK codes for the Card Mold Color Wheels (as seen below) The codes can be found on the second sheet of the spreadsheet (little tabs at the bottom of the page labelled "Card Mold Wheel Colors")

 

[khp]

So on my quest for my custom card molds I wanted to match some color and chip designs from some famous Paulson sets. So I compiled all the HEX codes from the Poker Chip Design Tool (https://www.pokerchipforum.com/pcf/pokerchiptool/), as @Tommy and others have done some extensive research and color patching to Paulson chips. I then converted the HEX codes to RGB and CMYK. There might be some colors/nuance slightly lost in translation, as going from different color formats is not 1:1. But its the closest I have and for most custom applications its really gonna be the closest we will be able to get.

A few other notes neon and metallic colors will not be 1:1. So if you hold up say a card mold chip and a Paulson chip side by side with the same "color" they will not look the same. Also colors will change based on the medium in which they are printed/viewed. And most monitors are not color accurate. So what you see on your screen might not be what is printed.

Also as part of what I was doing I needed to check/verify the Pantone colors so I have added some Pantone matches based on the CMYK codes to Pantone's website. That being said, most of them were pretty spot on, but there were a few that got really weird or really off. Their color matcher is based on algorithms and I dont think it is perfectly dialed in.

Anyways here is what I have figured I would share it:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JeRS1goTKyxHee6cYQ8o8I3KKNEnO4TiMPgwViLokYU/edit?usp=sharing

I could be 100% wrong but I don’t think they can match the brightness of Paulson chips (I’m comparing the cards mold casa mangos to the Paulson relabel casa mangos). Can anyone confirm/refute?

To be safe, I’ve decided to turn my project completely around, going from neon/bright colours to a more standard Vegas route.

 

[QuailValley]

I could be 100% wrong but I don’t think they can match the brightness of Paulson chips (I’m comparing the cards mold casa mangos to the Paulson relabel casa mangos). I’ve decided to turn my project completely around, going from neon/bright colours to a more standard Vegas route.

They for sure cant. The colors themselves for the standard ones you can get pretty close but neons are a different story. The issue is neon colors cannot be (properly) replicated by mixing basic colors like you can with 99% of other colors. Generally speaking you have to add some fluorescent minerals/material to what you are printing/molding to get a true neon color. Which is likely what Paulson is doing in their raw materials.

For example the card mold printing utilizes CMYK colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key [black], to create a final print. And due to the basic nature of neon colors the best they can do is get an proximate color on the color scale to a neon color. the Casa Mangos by @Eloe2000 is about the best example of getting [damn] close to neon colors on a cards mold, but still they cant quite match true Paulson neon.

 

[BillyBluff]

To confirm - the Cards mold Alibaba suppliers want the artwork supplied in vector format (preferably .ai) with CMYK colour profiles; not RGB or Pantone. Additional information can be found here: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...r-consolidated-info-thread.65544/post-1303538

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

This is awesome. But keep in mind there is some room for human error here when it goes to the manufacturer. For example, on the color wheels. Some of the colors they printed COMPLETELY different than what the file shows. I believe they manually choose what color they think is “close”. Sometimes that’s not close at all.

 

[QuailValley]

To confirm - the Cards mold Alibaba suppliers want the artwork supplied in vector format (preferably .ai) with CMYK colour profiles; not RGB or Pantone. Additional information can be found here: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...r-consolidated-info-thread.65544/post-1303538

True but they have provided a list of Pantone colors that are 'approved/preferred'

here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HbzLVH5aznUFJUihsR3wsCwZtMlxZ7k-/view?usp=sharing

 

[QuailValley]

This is awesome. But keep in mind there is some room for human error here when it goes to the manufacturer. For example, on the color wheels. Some of the colors they printed COMPLETELY different than what the file shows. I believe they manually choose what color they think is “close”. Sometimes that’s not close at all.

Yeah I'll adjust my OP to talk on that, meant to but got on a different tangent and forgot. thanks!

 

[Eloe2000]

They for sure cant. The colors themselves for the standard ones you can get pretty close but neons are a different story. The issue is neon colors cannot be (properly) replicated by mixing basic colors like you can with 99% of other colors. Generally speaking you have to add some fluorescent minerals/material to what you are printing/molding to get a true neon color. Which is likely what Paulson is doing in their raw materials.

For example the card mold printing utilizes CMYK colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key [black], to create a final print. And due to the basic nature of neon colors the best they can do is get an proximate color on the color scale to a neon color. the Casa Mangos by @Eloe2000 is about the best example of getting [damn] close to neon colors on a cards mold, but still they cant quite match true Paulson neon.

Believe it or not I primarily or entirely used the Bosco Aces color wheels to make the Casa Mangos. I am happy to send you the file if you want to publicize those CMYK values. I won’t be on a computer for a couple days so I can’t do it myself.

Oh, also I just ordered a bunch more Casa Mangos for sample sets and a two chip add on. Hopefully they will be here in a month or two.

 

[QuailValley]

Believe it or not I primarily or entirely used the Bosco Aces color wheels to make the Casa Mangos. I am happy to send you the file if you want to publicize those CMYK values. I won’t be on a computer for a couple days so I can’t do it myself.

Oh, also I just ordered a bunch more Casa Mangos for sample sets and a two chip add on. Hopefully they will be here in a month or two.

View attachment 726536

Do you have a file in addition to the original aces .ai? I have these: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QSRh_kwwdagZiigkJEsbWYTIvfrLnfnt

 

[David O]

One of the problems with Pantone and CMYK values is the color changes when printed on different media. Matte vs. gloss always creates a problem. Print samples before pulling the trigger on a full set

 

[Eloe2000]

Do you have a file in addition to the original aces .ai? I have these: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QSRh_kwwdagZiigkJEsbWYTIvfrLnfnt

No, that’s it.

My iPhone tweaks the colors when I take screenshots, but those color wheels at the bottom of this file…

 

[QuailValley]

One of the problems with Pantone and CMYK values is the color changes when printed on different media. Matte vs. gloss always creates a problem. Print samples before pulling the trigger on a full set

So I only used the Pantone Formula Guide Coated ("C" colors), as that is what the Alibaba sellers provided as preference. but yeah even then with different textures you will get different colors depending on how the color is set, what kind of bleed you are dealing with and the calibration of the machine you are using.

At the end of the day what I would tell anyone getting card mold chips is Caveat Emptor. These are cheap chips, from some manufacturer in China. Dont expect champagne on a beer budget. But these are really good chips and if designed well with enough understanding they are a hell of a deal.

 

[QuailValley]

No, that’s it.

My iPhone tweaks the colors when I take screenshots, but those color wheels at the bottom of this file…

View attachment 726541View attachment 726542

gotcha, my biggest issue right now is mine, but my color dropper just wont pick up those colors properly and I dont have a good way to pull a CMYK/HEX/RGB code off of them. Actually I just got an idea BRB.

I'm only slightly an idiot, I'll be updating my OP here in a minute.

 

[Eloe2000]

gotcha, my biggest issue right now is mine, but my color dropper just wont pick up those colors properly and I dont have a good way to pull a CMYK/HEX/RGB code off of them. Actually I just got an idea BRB.

What program are you using? If anyone is using Illustrator this is really easy. Just perhaps a little time consuming.

 

[QuailValley]

What program are you using? If anyone is using Illustrator this is really easy. Just perhaps a little time consuming.

I'm in inkscape, I just figured out how to do it. The Ubuntu dropper is garbage, how I didnt think about using the dropper in inkscape is beyond me. Good thing I'm pretty.

 

[Eloe2000]

I'm in inkscape, I just figured out how to do it. The Ubuntu dropper is garbage, how I didnt think about using the dropper in inkscape is beyond me. Good thing I'm pretty.

Haha, yeah that’s the way you want to do it for perfect accuracy.

 

[BSteck]

There's another thread with this info too but I can't find it. It was done by that German guy who used to do all those cool 3D renderings. He spent quite a bit of time on it... lightbox sampling, etc. Can anyone else dig it up?

 

[QuailValley]

There's another thread with this info too but I can't find it. It was done by that German guy who used to do all those cool 3D renderings. He spent quite a bit of time on it... lightbox sampling, etc. Can anyone else dig it up?

I havent found that one, I did talk to @Tommy about what he had. As he had started working on this: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/paulson-cmyk-color-project.10486/#post-156505 . He pretty much said all his work on that (with the help of some others) culminated in the current Chip designer. So I just called that 'good enough.' But if you can find that other thread I would love to see it!

 

[ChrisTot]

In the OP, the suggestion is to simplify from the PantoneColors for cards mold. Is the color wheel for cards mold essentially that? Is choosing from the color wheel itself our best bet?

 

[Eloe2000]

In the OP, the suggestion is to simplify from the PantoneColors for cards mold. Is the color wheel for cards mold essentially that? Is choosing from the color wheel itself our best bet?

No, the color wheels were just a select group of colors. There is no direct reference from Pantone to Paulson colors compiled. You would have to look around a little bit and ask for specific colors. Also, it is worth noting while the manufacturer apparently inputs colors into their printer via Pantone codes, not all Pantone colors can be achieved and even then some may appear off once printed on these materials.

The color wheels were just an opportunity to see what a range of colors look like in real life printed by their printers on these chip blanks.