Why does my CMYK color look different when printed?

This converter uses the naive CMYK conversion formula, which assumes idealized inks and no color management — real printers use ICC profiles that account for paper stock, ink mixing, and press calibration. Use this tool to get a reasonable starting CMYK value, then check a proof or your printer's color profile before a print run.

What's the difference between RGB and CMYK?

RGB is an additive color model used for screens — red, green, and blue light combine to make white. CMYK is a subtractive model used for print — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink absorb light, and combining all four ideally produces black.

Why is the K value not 100% for pure black?

This tool uses simple (naive) CMYK conversion, where RGB black (0,0,0) does convert to K=100% with C, M, Y at 0%. But converting back and forth can introduce small rounding differences — professional black in print ("rich black") often mixes some C/M/Y with K anyway for deeper, truer black on paper.

Is my color data uploaded anywhere?

No — every conversion happens locally in your browser with plain math. Nothing is sent to a server.

CMYK CONVERTER

Convert any color between HEX, RGB, and CMYK at once. Every format updates live as you edit any one of them, entirely in your browser.

Click the swatch to pick

HEX

RGB

rgb(255, 106, 53)

CMYK

cmyk(0%, 58%, 79%, 0%)

Cyan

Magenta

Yellow

Key (K)

How to convert a color to CMYK

1
Click the color swatch to pick a color, or type a HEX code directly.
2
Fine-tune the color with the RGB number fields if you need exact channel values.
3
Drag the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, or Key (black) sliders to adjust the CMYK print values.
4
Click Copy next to any format — HEX, RGB, or CMYK — to grab that value.

Questions

Why does my CMYK color look different when printed?: This converter uses the naive CMYK conversion formula, which assumes idealized inks and no color management — real printers use ICC profiles that account for paper stock, ink mixing, and press calibration. Use this tool to get a reasonable starting CMYK value, then check a proof or your printer's color profile before a print run.
What's the difference between RGB and CMYK?: RGB is an additive color model used for screens — red, green, and blue light combine to make white. CMYK is a subtractive model used for print — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink absorb light, and combining all four ideally produces black.
Why is the K value not 100% for pure black?: This tool uses simple (naive) CMYK conversion, where RGB black (0,0,0) does convert to K=100% with C, M, Y at 0%. But converting back and forth can introduce small rounding differences — professional black in print ("rich black") often mixes some C/M/Y with K anyway for deeper, truer black on paper.
Is my color data uploaded anywhere?: No — every conversion happens locally in your browser with plain math. Nothing is sent to a server.