RGB to CMYK Color Converter

CMYK is the four-ink color model commercial printers use: cyan, magenta, yellow and key, which is black. A printing press builds every color on the page by layering these four inks in different amounts, which is why print jobs are quoted and separated in CMYK rather than the RGB a screen uses.

PPI's converter does the RGB to CMYK conversion for you: type an RGB value into the RGB field and the CMYK field updates instantly. Under the hood it is a fixed math formula with no color profile, so treat the result as a starting point for a printer rather than a finished, color-matched separation.

Converting hex to RGB just means reading the same color in a different notation: hex packs red, green and blue into one six-digit code, while RGB lists the same three values 0 to 255 side by side. Type a hex code into this tool and the RGB field fills in on its own.

RGB and CMYK disagree because they build color two different ways. RGB adds red, green and blue light, so mixing all three at full strength makes white. CMYK subtracts cyan, magenta and yellow ink from a white page, so mixing all three makes something closer to brown. The two systems cannot describe every color the other one can.

A printed color looks different from a screen color because a screen shows color as glowing light while a printed piece shows color as reflected light bouncing off ink and a substrate. A screen can also display far more colors than CMYK ink can reproduce, so a bright on-screen color often prints duller than expected.

The CMYK number from this tool is a straight mathematical conversion with no color profile and no allowance for the material it will print on. It is a useful starting point, not a finished, color-matched separation. Ask PPI for a physical proof before a large or color-critical order.

PPI asks for the exact hex or RGB value from this converter along with the product it needs to appear on, then a request for a physical proof before the full run. A proof on the real material is the only reliable way to confirm a color, since no screen shows dyed fabric, molded plastic or powder-coated metal accurately.

HEX and RGB describe the exact same color in two different formats: HEX is the six-digit code a designer pastes into software, and RGB is the same red, green and blue amounts written as three numbers from 0 to 255. Neither is more accurate than the other, and this converter moves between them instantly.

PPI's converter never uploads or stores anything typed into it. Every conversion runs inside your own browser using plain math, with no account, no server call and no color values saved anywhere. Close the tab and nothing about your session remains.

PPI's converter compares the color you enter against every color PPI stocks and names the closest match, along with how many products come in it. When two stocked colors would look identical side by side, it shows the better-stocked one rather than a rare color that measures a hair closer on paper.

HSL describes a color as hue, saturation and lightness, which is closer to how people talk about color than red, green and blue amounts are. It is the easiest format for making a lighter or darker version of the same color, because you change one number and leave the hue alone.

K stands for key, the black plate. Mixing cyan, magenta and yellow produces a muddy brown rather than a true black, so a separate black is used for depth and for text. It is called key because the other plates are aligned to it on press.

You can convert any hex code taken from a website, and the tool will return its RGB, HSL and CMYK equivalents. Bear in mind a color sampled from a compressed web image may not be the true brand color, so use the original artwork when you have access to it.