CMYK Color Values Reference

CMYK Color Reference

Essential CMYK color values for print design, including safe colors, common combinations, and best practices.

Remember: CMYK values are profile-dependent. These values are optimized for ISO Coated v2 300% and GRACoL profiles. Always proof colors for critical projects.

Primary and Secondary Colors

Pure CMYK Colors

Color	C	M	Y	K	Hex (approx)	Notes
Pure Cyan	100	0	0	0	#00A9E0	Bright cyan, primary ink
Pure Magenta	0	100	0	0	#E6007E	Bright magenta, primary ink
Pure Yellow	0	0	100	0	#FFF000	Bright yellow, primary ink
Pure Black	0	0	0	100	#000000	Key (K) ink only
Process Red	0	100	100	0	#ED1C24	Magenta + Yellow
Process Green	100	0	100	0	#00A651	Cyan + Yellow
Process Blue	100	100	0	0	#2E3192	Cyan + Magenta

Use: Basic colors, building blocks for other colors

Black and Gray Values

Black Values
Gray Values
Warm Grays
Cool Grays

Black Formulas

Type	C	M	Y	K	TAC	Use Case
Pure Black	0	0	0	100	100%	Text, thin lines, overprinting
Rich Black (Standard)	60	40	40	100	240%	Large black areas, backgrounds
Rich Black (Cool)	70	40	30	100	240%	Cool-toned black backgrounds
Rich Black (Warm)	40	50	50	100	240%	Warm-toned black backgrounds
Rich Black (Neutral)	50	40	40	100	230%	Neutral deep black
Rich Black (Maximum)	80	70	70	100	320%	Deepest black (check TAC limit!)

Rules:

Text: Always pure black (K100) for sharp edges
Large areas: Rich black for depth
Check TAC: Rich black can exceed limits

Common Colors for Print

Red Values

Color Name	C	M	Y	K	Hex	Notes
Bright Red	0	100	100	0	#ED1C24	Maximum CMYK red
Cherry Red	0	100	80	10	#CE0037	Slightly darker, punchy
Fire Engine Red	0	95	85	0	#F02B2B	Vibrant red
Burgundy	20	100	80	30	#8B1A1A	Deep wine red
Crimson	5	100	90	10	#C41E3A	Rich crimson
Dark Red	25	100	100	25	#6B0D0D	Very dark red
Pink	0	50	0	0	#FF7BAC	Bright pink
Hot Pink	0	80	10	0	#FF1493	Vibrant pink
Rose	0	40	20	10	#D98695	Soft rose

Blue Values

Color Name	C	M	Y	K	Hex	Notes
Bright Blue	100	60	0	0	#0066B3	Strong CMYK blue
Navy Blue	100	80	20	30	#003366	Classic navy
Royal Blue	100	80	0	0	#2B3990	Rich blue
Sky Blue	60	10	0	0	#5EC8E5	Light blue
Cobalt Blue	100	70	0	10	#0047AB	Deep blue
Teal	100	0	30	20	#007A7C	Blue-green
Turquoise	70	0	20	0	#00B8D4	Bright teal
Baby Blue	40	10	0	0	#9BD3DD	Pastel blue

Green Values

Color Name	C	M	Y	K	Hex	Notes
Bright Green	80	0	100	0	#00A550	Vivid green
Kelly Green	90	0	85	0	#00843D	Irish green
Forest Green	100	30	100	30	#004D2C	Dark forest
Olive Green	40	20	100	30	#5B6D24	Earthy olive
Lime Green	50	0	100	0	#8BC53F	Bright lime
Mint Green	40	0	30	0	#98E4B8	Pastel mint
Emerald	95	0	60	10	#009B77	Jewel green

Yellow and Orange Values

Color Name	M	Y	K	Hex	Notes
Bright Yellow	0	100	0	#FFF000	Pure CMYK yellow
Golden Yellow	15	100	0	#FFD700	Warm yellow
Mustard	25	90	20	#D4A017	Deep mustard
Bright Orange	60	100	0	#FF8200	Vivid orange
Burnt Orange	70	100	20	#CC5500	Deep orange
Peach	30	40	0	#FFD6AD	Soft peach
Coral	60	50	0	#FF6F61	Coral tone

Purple and Brown Values

Color Name	C	M	Y	K	Hex	Notes
Purple	60	100	0	0	#6B3FA0	Vibrant purple
Deep Purple	70	100	0	30	#4A1A6B	Dark purple
Lavender	30	40	0	0	#B695C0	Pastel purple
Plum	50	100	30	10	#7D3C98	Rich plum
Brown	40	60	100	30	#664228	Standard brown
Dark Brown	50	70	100	50	#3D2817	Deep brown
Tan	15	25	40	0	#D2B48C	Light brown
Chocolate	35	60	85	40	#5D3A1A	Rich chocolate

Skin Tone Values

Natural Skin Tones for Print

Light Skin Tones
Medium Skin Tones
Dark Skin Tones
Undertone Adjustments

Tone	M	Y	Notes
Very Light	10	15	Pale complexion
Light	15	20	Fair skin
Light-Medium	20	25	Light with warmth
Peachy Light	25	30	Warm undertones

Key: Low cyan, moderate magenta, higher yellowAvoid: Too much magenta (looks sunburned)

Paper-Safe Colors

Colors That Print Well

Safe Blues

Blues that reproduce reliably:

Color	C	M	Y	K	Reliability
Navy Blue	100	80	20	30	Excellent
Royal Blue	100	80	0	0	Excellent
Medium Blue	80	50	0	0	Good
Sky Blue	60	10	0	0	Good

Avoid:

Electric blues (C100 M0 Y0 K0): Look duller than screen
Very bright cyans: Significant shift from RGB

Safe Reds

Reds that reproduce reliably:

Color	C	M	Y	K	Reliability
Bright Red	0	100	100	0	Excellent
Cherry Red	0	100	80	10	Excellent
Burgundy	20	100	80	30	Good
Crimson	5	100	90	10	Good

These match: Screen to print wellAvoid: Neon pinks (can’t reproduce in CMYK)

Safe Greens

Greens that reproduce reliably:

Color	C	M	Y	K	Reliability
Kelly Green	90	0	85	0	Excellent
Forest Green	100	30	100	30	Excellent
Emerald	95	0	60	10	Good
Olive	40	20	100	30	Good

Avoid:

Neon lime greens: Major shift from RGB
Very bright yellow-greens: Hard to reproduce

Safe Neutrals

Always safe colors:

Pure black: K100
Pure gray scale: K only (any %)
White: Paper (C0 M0 Y0 K0)
Warm grays: Slight MY tint
Cool grays: Slight C tint

Why safe: Single or minimal inks, no registration issues

CMYK Color Strategies

Maximum Saturation Colors

Brightest possible in each hue:

Hue	C	M	Y	Notes
Red	0	100	100	Maximum CMYK red
Orange	0	60	100	Brightest orange
Yellow	0	0	100	Pure yellow (brightest)
Green	100	0	100	Maximum green
Cyan	100	0	0	Pure cyan
Blue	100	100	0	Brightest blue
Purple	60	100	0	Vibrant purple
Magenta	0	100	0	Pure magenta

Use: When maximum saturation needed within CMYK gamut

TAC-Safe Rich Colors

Rich colors that stay under TAC 300%:

Color	C	M	Y	K	TAC	Use
Rich Navy	100	80	20	30	230%	Deep blue backgrounds
Rich Burgundy	20	100	80	30	230%	Elegant dark red
Rich Forest	90	30	100	30	250%	Deep green
Rich Purple	70	100	0	30	200%	Deep purple
Rich Brown	50	70	100	50	270%	Chocolate brown

Advantage: Rich depth while staying within most TAC limits

Color Mixing Guide

Creating Custom Colors

Pastel Colors
Darker Tones
Muted/Desaturated Colors
Complementary Colors

Formula: Reduce saturation, add white (reduce all values)Example - Pastel Blue:

Start: Royal Blue (C100 M80 Y0 K0)
Reduce to 40%: C40 M32 Y0 K0
Result: Soft pastel blue

General rule:

Multiply all CMY values by 0.3-0.5
Keep K at 0
Result: Pastel version

Common pastels:

Pastel Pink: C0 M30 Y10 K0
Pastel Blue: C30 M10 Y0 K0
Pastel Yellow: C0 M0 Y40 K0
Pastel Green: C30 M0 Y30 K0

TAC (Total Area Coverage) Reference

TAC Limits by Profile

Profile	TAC Limit	Example Safe Color	Example Over Limit
ISO Coated v2	330%	C100 M100 Y100 K30 (330%)	C100 M100 Y100 K40 (340%)
GRACoL 2006	300%	C80 M80 Y80 K60 (300%)	C100 M100 Y100 K10 (310%)
SWOP 2006	300%	C80 M70 Y70 K80 (300%)	C90 M90 Y90 K40 (310%)
PSO Uncoated	260%	C60 M60 Y60 K80 (260%)	C80 M80 Y80 K40 (280%)
Newsprint	240%	C50 M50 Y50 K90 (240%)	C70 M70 Y70 K40 (250%)

Calculating TAC

Formula: C + M + Y + K = TAC Example:

Color: C80 M60 Y40 K50
TAC: 80 + 60 + 40 + 50 = 230%
Status: ✓ Safe for all profiles

Check before finalizing: Ensure colors don’t exceed profile TAC

Best Practices

Use Pure Black for Text

Always: C0 M0 Y0 K100 for textWhy:

Sharpest edges
No registration issues
Overprints safely

Never: Rich black for text (fringing risk)

Avoid Four-Color Builds

Minimize: Colors using all four inksProblems:

Registration issues
High TAC
Color shifts

Better: Three-color builds when possibleExample:

Instead of: C50 M40 Y40 K20
Use: C60 M50 Y50 K0 (similar result, better registration)

Proof Critical Colors

Always proof:

Brand colors
Skin tones
Large color areas

Methods:

Soft proofing (Acrobat Overprint Preview)
Physical print proof

Before: Large print runs

Design with CMYK from Start

Best practice: Use CMYK color picker in FigmaAvoid:

Designing in RGB
Converting at end
Surprises from gamut shift

Result: What you design is what you get

Document Color Values

For brand colors:

Record exact CMYK values
Test print and approve
Save in brand guidelines

Include:

CMYK formula
Pantone equivalent (if applicable)
Acceptable variation range

Consistency: Critical for brand materials

Learn More

RGB vs CMYK

Understanding color models

Black Handling

Pure black vs rich black

Color Issues

Troubleshoot color problems

Color Accuracy

Achieve accurate print colors

Golden rule: When in doubt, use proven CMYK formulas from this reference rather than converting RGB colors. These values are tested and optimized for print reproduction.

Getting Started

Print Basics

Color Management

Features

Use Cases

In-Depth Tutorials

Troubleshooting

Reference

Security & Support

CMYK Color Reference

Primary and Secondary Colors

Pure CMYK Colors

Black and Gray Values

Black Formulas

Common Colors for Print

Red Values

Blue Values

Green Values

Yellow and Orange Values

Purple and Brown Values

Skin Tone Values

Natural Skin Tones for Print

Paper-Safe Colors

Colors That Print Well

CMYK Color Strategies

Maximum Saturation Colors

TAC-Safe Rich Colors

Color Mixing Guide

Creating Custom Colors

TAC (Total Area Coverage) Reference

TAC Limits by Profile

Calculating TAC

Best Practices

Learn More

RGB vs CMYK

Black Handling

Color Issues

Color Accuracy

Getting Started

Print Basics

Color Management

Features

Use Cases

In-Depth Tutorials

Troubleshooting

Reference

Security & Support

​CMYK Color Reference

​Primary and Secondary Colors

​Pure CMYK Colors

​Black and Gray Values

​Black Formulas

​Common Colors for Print

​Red Values

​Blue Values

​Green Values

​Yellow and Orange Values

​Purple and Brown Values

​Skin Tone Values

​Natural Skin Tones for Print

​Paper-Safe Colors

​Colors That Print Well

​CMYK Color Strategies

​Maximum Saturation Colors

​TAC-Safe Rich Colors

​Color Mixing Guide

​Creating Custom Colors

​TAC (Total Area Coverage) Reference

​TAC Limits by Profile

​Calculating TAC

​Best Practices

​Learn More

RGB vs CMYK

Black Handling

Color Issues

Color Accuracy

CMYK Color Reference

Primary and Secondary Colors

Pure CMYK Colors

Black and Gray Values

Black Formulas

Common Colors for Print

Red Values

Blue Values

Green Values

Yellow and Orange Values

Purple and Brown Values

Skin Tone Values

Natural Skin Tones for Print

Paper-Safe Colors

Colors That Print Well

CMYK Color Strategies

Maximum Saturation Colors

TAC-Safe Rich Colors

Color Mixing Guide

Creating Custom Colors

TAC (Total Area Coverage) Reference

TAC Limits by Profile

Calculating TAC

Best Practices

Learn More