About the HEX to CMYK
When a brand colour is defined as a HEX code but a print job needs CMYK, this tool bridges the two. It converts each HEX code to CMYK ink percentages. Convert several at once, one per line. As with all screen-to-print conversion, the result is an approximation to confirm against your printer's colour profile.
The route runs through RGB. The HEX is expanded into three channels, those are normalised, and the ink percentages fall out of them. Nothing along that path knows anything about ink, which is why brand guidelines almost always list a separate hand-tuned CMYK build next to the web colour instead of trusting the automatic one, usually with a spot reference beside it as well.
Very light colours are where the two systems part company most visibly. A code like #fafafa converts to roughly 0, 0, 0, 2 percent, and most presses will simply lay down bare paper for that, so a pale tint that separates two sections neatly on screen disappears completely on the page. Give any background that carries meaning at least ten percent of a single ink, or replace it with a rule or a border.
To convert back, use CMYK to HEX; for the RGB intermediate, HEX to RGB. When the print job wants a spot colour rather than a four-ink build, HEX to Pantone finds the closest named match.
How to use
- Paste HEX codes, one per line.
- Copy the cmyk() percentages.
- Verify against your print profile.
Common questions
- Is it print-accurate?
- It is a standard approximation. Ask your printer for the values under their ICC profile for exact matching.
- Does it handle shorthand HEX?
- Yes, 3-digit codes are expanded.
- What about the alpha channel?
- CMYK has no alpha; transparency is ignored.