HEX to CMYK Converter
Beta
Screens glow, paper doesn't. I translate between the two.
A real ICC transform against the GRACoL2013 CRPC6 press profile, run in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
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All productsAbout the colour converter
Pick a colour and see what it becomes on press, through a real press profile rather than a formula.
A press does not convert colour with a formula, it converts through a measured profile. This runs a real ICC transform into GRACoL2013 CRPC6 in your browser, and tells you when a colour is outside what ink can reach.
Why a formula gets this wrong
Most HEX-to-CMYK converters run a fixed bit of arithmetic. That is not what a press does. A press has a profile: a measured description of what its inks, on that paper, can actually produce, and the conversion is a lookup through that measurement rather than a calculation.
This tool runs the real thing. Little-CMS, the same colour engine inside a great deal of professional software, performs an ICC transform from sRGB into GRACoL2013 CRPC6, the current US commercial press characterisation. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
When a colour simply cannot print
A screen makes colour with light and a press makes it with ink, and light reaches places ink cannot. Neon green, electric cyan and the brightest oranges live outside the press gamut: there is no mix of cyan, magenta, yellow and black that gets there.
When that happens the tool shows you both swatches side by side, the colour you asked for and the colour that comes back, so you can decide whether to accept the shift or pick a colour the press can hold. That decision is much cheaper before the run than after it.
Why this is still an approximation
The transform is real, but everything around it is not controlled. Your monitor is almost certainly not calibrated, the paper you pick changes the result, and a coating changes it again. Treat the numbers as a good prediction rather than a guarantee.
For a colour that has to be exact, a brand colour on a card the customer already knows, order a hard-copy proof. It is the only way to see the real ink on the real stock before the full run.
Common questions
Questions about hex to cmyk converter
How do I convert HEX to CMYK for printing?
Run it through a press profile, not a formula. This tool uses a real ICC transform into GRACoL2013 CRPC6, which is the measured characterisation of a US commercial press.
Why does my bright green look dull when printed?
Because it is outside the press gamut. A screen makes that green with light; ink cannot reach it. The tool shows you the colour that will actually come back so there is no surprise.
What is GRACoL2013 CRPC6?
The current US commercial press characterisation, published by IDEAlliance. It is the profile a US sheetfed printer is most likely to be working to.
Can I use the US Web Coated SWOP v2 profile instead?
Not here. That profile is Adobe's and is not free to redistribute, so we do not ship it. GRACoL2013 CRPC6 is published freely and is the current standard.
Is the CMYK value exact?
No, and no converter's is. The transform is real, but your screen is not calibrated and paper and coating both move the result. Order a hard-copy proof for colour that has to be exact.