Pantone Western Europe director of sales and marketing Cliff Kenworthy said the switch would help the industry maintain high standards.

The coated and uncoated fan guides are now produced on a whiter and brighter paper, while the matt-coated guides are a truer matt, rather than a satin matt. The paper stock has also been increased, to guard against wear and tear, from 160gsm to 215gsm.

Printers are far more likely to do jobs on whiter papers nowadays, rather than yellow papers. They are more likely to see with the new guides what will actually be printed, said Kenworthy.

The company said the market trend towards whiter papers had been established over the past decade and had been caused by the price of premium grades coming down and by designers gaining more influence over the types of papers used.

The Pantone three-guide set, featuring coated, uncoated and matt-coated stocks, costs 77.50, while the two-guide set with coated and uncoated stocks costs 60.

Contact: Pantone 01303 269666.

Story by John Davies