PMS Matching: Shirts and Trade Booths

Recently a customer asked a good question about PMS matching. The request was for Custom Embroidered Polo Shirts that would match the same PMS color as a trade show booth. Is this possible? Yes. Is it practical? Not really. While it is often possible to find the PMS (Pantone Matching System) color of a fabric, the closest match to a fabric is a textile PMS color. With an item such as a trade show booth most likely you‘re using a different type of substrate (not fabric) so you’ll have to match the two items using the general PMS color against the textile PMS color and they might not match exactly. Another issue is that fabrics are washed and may loose some dye (fade) and not match after extended use. Also, different materials can appear to look different under different types of light because some materials will reflect light while other substrates will absorb it. Given all the variables how should you proceed? Find your shirts first and have your booth made to match the shirts.