Pantone Goe is a system for defining spot colors irrespective of the substrate. Sun's SmartColour is an approach where the color is selected based upon specific inks, defined substrates and defined printing processes.

Pantone Goe is a system for defining spot colors irrespective of the substrate upon which they are to be printed. Sun's SmartColour is an approach where the color is selected based upon specific inks, defined substrates and defined printing processes. It is defined as a global initiative run by a dedicated Sun Chemical business unit with a specific focus on brand color in packaging with benefits for various users throughout the workflow. A major element of this is a consultative process with the brand owners to agree a consolidated palette of colors for use in package design. From this an agreed set of standards for colors are produced based upon processes and materials. Three digital approaches are created.

The first is the SmartColour DigiBase, a brand specific digital database generated from physical standards proofed using different printing processes and substrates. Second the SmartColour DigiGuide, that is technology for generating development and digital printing of hardcopy physical color standards using brand and category color palettes. Third the SmartColour DigiProof, in context digitally printed color references. The term digitally printed for these latter two does not mean printing on a CMYK digital press but a multi-color inkjet proofing system agreed with Sun Chemical. This means that unlike Pantone with its references swatch books that are printed by Pantone, these DigiGuides and DigiProofs are printed by the printer or a service supplier. The next digital element of SmartColour is SmartColour iVue. This is a Photoshop Plug-in that allows a designer to access the Sun Chemical database, subject to a secure access code, to download the selected brand owner color palette for preparation of a design. These colors are not cached in Photoshop and cannot be saved. They can only be accessed online. Sun Chemical claims this massive color database of real ink colours, on common packaging substrates printed by relevant printing processes allows users to consider multiple alternatives to deliver a specified brand colour on one or more packaging materials.