Enter the four CMYK percentages from your print file and you get the HEX and RGB values for your website, worked out with the standard formula (red = 255 × (1 − C) × (1 − K), and the same for green and blue). It also works backwards from HEX, and collects several colours into a CSS palette.
| Print (CMYK) | Screen (RGB / HEX) | |
|---|---|---|
| How colour is made | Ink absorbs light from white paper | Pixels emit red, green and blue light |
| Values | 0-100% of each ink | 0-255 per channel |
| Exact match | Depends on paper, ink and press | Depends on the display |
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Turn the colours from a printed brand guide into values a website can use, or go the other way for a print job. Each colour shows its HEX, RGB and CSS forms, the closest Tailwind class, and a warning when the ink total is higher than most printers accept.
| Colour | CMYK | HEX |
|---|---|---|
| Process cyan | 100, 0, 0, 0 | #00FFFF |
| Process magenta | 0, 100, 0, 0 | #FF00FF |
| Process yellow | 0, 0, 100, 0 | #FFFF00 |
| Plain black | 0, 0, 0, 100 | #000000 |
| Rich black | 60, 40, 40, 100 | #000000 |
| Warm red | 0, 85, 80, 0 | #FF2633 |
| Leaf green | 65, 0, 100, 10 | #50E600 |
| Navy | 100, 80, 0, 40 | #001F99 |
| Light grey | 0, 0, 0, 15 | #D9D9D9 |
CMYK numbers are instructions to a printing press: how much of each ink to lay down. The colour you get depends on the paper's whiteness, how much ink it absorbs, the exact inks and how the press is set up. Two printers given the same CMYK values can produce visibly different results.
Screens have their own variation, but HEX values are at least defined against a standard, sRGB. So when converting, the honest approach is a known formula, a clear label that the result is approximate, and a check by eye or against a proof.
Start with whatever your brand guide says for screens. If it only has CMYK, convert each colour here, then compare the swatches with a printed piece next to your monitor in daylight. Nudge the HEX until it looks right, and record the result in the guide so everyone uses the same value.
Then check the new colours as text and backgrounds with the contrast checker. A colour that looks rich in print may be too light for small text on a white web page.
Work out each RGB channel with 255 × (1 − ink) × (1 − black), using the inks as fractions: cyan gives red, magenta gives green, yellow gives blue. Then write each channel as two hexadecimal digits. CMYK 0, 85, 80, 0 gives RGB 255, 38, 51, which is #FF2633. This tool does the sums for you.
Screens make colour by adding light and can show brighter, more saturated colours than ink on paper. Printed colour also changes with the paper, the ink set, the press and the light it is seen under. A formula cannot know those things, so any CMYK to HEX conversion is a close starting point, not a guarantee.
No. Pantone colour values belong to Pantone, so we do not include them. Use the official Pantone Connect app or the HEX value in your brand guide. If you only have a Pantone number, your designer or printer can give you the screen value Pantone publishes for it.
It gives the textbook conversion, which puts as much as possible into black ink. Professional software uses colour profiles for the specific paper and press and will give different numbers. Use the result to brief a printer, not to send final artwork.
It is the colour in Tailwind's default palette that looks closest to yours, measured in the OKLab colour space. Under 2 is very hard to tell apart; above about 5 the difference is visible, so use your exact HEX instead.
Related: Color converter (every CSS format), Color contrast checker, HTML color names, Color palette generator, All free tools.
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