A method of selecting optimal inks from a plurality of ink candidates for a given color is provided, said method including a) obtaining a measure of spectral reflectance of a print substrate; b) obtaining a measure of the spectral reflectance of a first candidate ink of a first color; c) predicting a color gamut for the first candidate ink based on the spectral reflectance of the ink and the spectral reflectance of the substrate; d) repeating steps b) and c) for a second ink candidate of the first color; e) selecting the ink candidate for which the predicted color gamut includes the most target spot colors as the optimal ink for the first color.