The Pantone Formula Guide expresses the ink formula in a percentage mixture. The percentage formula is a percentage-of-the-whole formula, which is why the numbers add up to 100. To use this formula, you must first determine the volume of ink that you are going to mix. The multiplying this total by the percentage listed in the Formula Guide would give the you amount of that base ink needed in the ink formulation. These formulations are considered starting points for ink formulation.

Please note, the ideal situation for matching Pantone colors with modern suppliers of ink or printed products is to make use of Pantone Master Digital Data as the target and developing ink color matches within the parameters of the print application.