CMYK
The cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink model used in printing, written as percentages of each ink.
Also called CMYK color, four-color process
CMYK describes a printed color as percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (K for “key”) ink. cmyk(86, 47, 0, 0) is a strong blue.
CMYK has a smaller gamut than RGB, so some vivid screen colors, especially electric blues and greens, cannot be printed exactly. Converting before you send a file to print avoids surprises.
Guides that cover CMYK
- CMYK What are CMYK colors? What is CMYK? Learn how the CMYK color model works, how it differs from RGB, and why print looks duller than your screen, plus how to convert. Read on.
- Mixing Additive vs Subtractive Color Additive vs subtractive color explained: how RGB light adds up to white, how CMYK ink subtracts toward black, and why screens and print differ. Read on.
- Color Wheel Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors Explained Primary, secondary and tertiary colors explained across RYB, RGB and CMYK, with how each one is mixed on the color wheel. Learn the basics in 5 minutes.
- About Swatching About Swatching Swatch.ing is a designer-built set of free color tools: palette extraction, HEX/RGB/CMYK conversion and precise color picking. Learn why it exists here.
- Pantone What Are Pantone Colors? Learn what Pantone colors are, how the Pantone Matching System and color codes work, and how Pantone compares to CMYK, RGB and HEX for print. Read on.
- CMYK What are CMYK colors? What is CMYK? Learn how the CMYK color model works, how it differs from RGB, and why print looks duller than your screen, plus how to convert. Read on.
- RGB What are RGB colors? RGB color explained: how red, green and blue - 255 values make every color on screen, how to read an RGB color code, RGB vs HEX, and RGBA. Learn it fast.