Do TPX/TPG colours match TCX?

The colours in the TPX/TPG books are developed to be the closest possible visual match to Pantone Cotton TCX colours under D65 Daylight lighting. They cannot be guaranteed to match under other light sources due to the difference in chemistry of dye on fibre to ink on paper giving a potential metameric effect.

In practice, approx 60-80% of textile paper TPX/TPG colour chips are a good match to the cotton standards in D65 lighting but with the darker and more saturated colours do not match the cotton. This is true for Black, Navy, Bottle Green, Scarlet and dark reds. The reason for this is it difficult to build up sufficient depth of colour on the paper.

When matching a textile colour within a large supply chain it is important to ensure everyone matches to the same colour standard. Cotton TCX SMART swatches are engineered standards meaning that each swatch is the same colour wherever in the world it is purchased.

Smaller brands and freelancers may only have buget for a paper TPG fan guide, this is suitable for initial colour selection, however we recommend that colour is then translated into TCX references before specification. Individual TCX swatches are available so you can purchase just the colours you need to confirm selection and specify to your suppliers.

When producing soft and hard goods in the same range we recommend that the soft goods are matched to cotton TCX SMART swatch standards and the hard goods to Pantone Plastic Chip standards which replicate the cotton TCX colours on large Polypropylene chips.

Please note applying the same colour to different materials may cause different colour appearances due to surface construction, reflectance and other variables.