CMYK colours: rich black, turquoise, burgundy and more

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CMYK colours: rich black, turquoise, burgundy and more

Beige, coral red, mint – we have a clear idea of what these colours should look like. When it comes to printing, the printed product must meet these expectations. After all, graphic designers and marketing specialists want the design and colours to create the intended impact also in CMYK.
To achieve this, we have put together a list of the most important colours with our printing specialists including their counterparts in cyan, magenta, yellow and key. Our comprehensive list of CMYK colours includes a gamut of tones from bright red and pea green to lemon yellow, night blue and chocolate brown.

Vivid yellow, lemon yellow, orange and rich orange

Ten color swatches in two rows, varying from bright yellow to dark orange, each labeled with its CMYK values in white text. The top row is lighter, and the bottom row transitions to deeper orange tones.

  • Vivid yellow: C0 M0 Y100 K0
  • Lemon yellow: C10 M10 Y90 K0
  • Orange:
    • C0 M30 Y100 K0
    • C0 M45 Y100 K0
    • C0 M50 Y 100 K0
    • C0 M55 Y100 K0
    • C0 M60 Y100 K0
    • C0 M65 Y100 K0
    • C0 M70 Y90 K0

Pink, light pink and dusty pink

Seven rectangular color swatches in varying shades of pink, each labeled with different CMYK values: C5 M40 Y20 K0, C0 M50 Y20 K10, C0 M55 Y25 K0, C0 M60 Y10 K0, C0 M70 Y30 K10, C0 M65 Y40 K10.

  • Light pink:
    • C5 M40 Y20 K0
    • C0 M50 Y20 K10
  • Dusty pink:
    • C0 M55 Y25 K0
    • C0 M60 Y10 K0
    • C0 M70 Y30 K10
    • C0 M65 Y40 K10

Flame red, signal red, coral red and luminous red

Seven red color swatches in two rows, each labeled with its CMYK values in white text. The swatches vary from dark red to bright red and orange-red shades.

  • Flame red:
    • C0 M100 Y100 K20
    • C10 M100 Y100 K20
  • Signal red:
    • C20 M100 Y100 K10
    • C20 M100 Y90 K10
  • Coral red:
    • C0 M90 Y90 K20
    • C0 M90 Y90 K30
  • Luminous red:
    • C0 M90 Y100 K0
    • C0 M100 Y100 K0

Pure red and burgundy

Six rectangular color swatches are shown, each labeled with its CMYK values. The colors range from bright red to deep maroon, with CMYK codes displayed in white text on each swatch.

  • Pure red:
    • C0 M100 Y90 K0
    • C0 M100 Y70 K0
  • Burgundy:
    • C20 M100 Y80 M40
    • C40 M100 Y60 K40
    • C35 M100 Y65 K0
    • C60 M100 Y80 K0

Magenta, purple and violet

Eight color swatches in shades of magenta and purple, each labeled with their CMYK values: C0 M100 Y0 K0, C50 M60 Y0 K0, C60 M70 Y5 K10, C50 M90 Y0 K5, C60 M90 Y0 K0, C80 M90 Y0 K0, C60 M90 Y0 K10, and C90 M100 Y0 K10.

  • Magenta: C0 M100 Y0 K0
  • Purple:
    • C50 M60 Y0 K0
    • C60 M70 Y5 K10
  • Violet:
    • C50 M90 Y0 K5
    • C60 M90 Y0 K0
    • C60 M90 Y0 K10
    • C80 M90 Y0 K0
    • C60 M90 Y0 K0
    • C90 M100 Y0 K0

Azure and sky blue

Seven blue color swatches in two rows, each labeled with its CMYK values. Shades range from teal blue (C90 M30 Y10 K40) to light blue (C100 M40 Y0 K0).

  • Azure:
    • C90 M30 Y10 K40
    • C90 M40 Y0 K30
    • C99 M52 Y4 K0
  • Sky blue:
    • C90 M40 Y0 K0
    • C90 M50 Y0 K0
    • C100 M30 Y0 K10
    • C100 M40 Y0 K0

Pure blue and night blue

Seven solid color swatches in varying shades of blue are shown, each labeled with their CMYK values in white text against the color background.

  • Pure blue:
    • C100 M40 Y0 K0
    • C100 M55 Y0 K0
    • C100 M70 Y0 K0
    • C100 M80 Y0 K0
    • C95 M60 Y0 K20
    • C100 M40 Y0 K40
  •  Night blue:
    • C100 M90 Y0 K50
    • C100 M100 Y40 K40

Mint turquoise, pastel turquoise and turquoise

A grid of eight color swatches in shades of teal, each labeled with different CMYK values such as C45 M0 Y20 K0 and C90 M20 Y50 K0 on a white background.

  • Pastel turquoise:
    • C45 M0 Y20 K0
    • C60 M10 Y50 K0
    • C45 M0 Y20 K20
  • Mint turquoise:
    • C80 M20 Y50 K0
    • C70 M15 Y50 K20
    • C90 M20 Y50 K0
  • Turquoise:
    • C80 M10 Y35 K20
    • C90 M10 Y40 K10

Bright green, yellow-green and green

Seven green color swatches arranged in two rows, each labeled with their respective CMYK values in white text: C70 M0 Y95 K0, C60 M0 Y95 K0, C70 M0 Y90 K0, C65 M0 Y80 K0, C90 M0 Y80 K0, C85 M0 Y100 K0 (appears twice).

  • Bright green/yellow green:
    • C70 M0 Y95 K0
    • C60 M0 Y95 K0
    • C70 M0 Y90 K0
  • Green:
    • C65 M0 Y80 K0
    • C90 M0 Y80 K0
    • C85 M0 Y100 K0
    • C85 M0 Y100 K10

Grass green and pea green

Five green color swatches in a row, each labeled with its CMYK values: C60 M0 Y90 K10, C30 M0 Y90 K40, C84 M0 Y100 K0, C80 M20 Y100 K25, C70 M10 Y80 K40. A sixth swatch appears below, labeled C80 M20 Y100 K10.

  • Grass green:
    • C60 M0 Y90 K10
    • C30 M0 Y90 K40
    • C84 M0 Y100 K0
    • C90 M20 Y100 K25
    • C80 M10 Y80 K40
  • Pea green: C80 M20 Y100 K10

Red-brown, chestnut, chocolate brown and brown

Ten color swatches in shades of brown, each labeled with CMYK values: C40 M90 Y100 K50, C5 M100 Y100 K80, C0 M60 Y60 K70, C50 M100 Y100 K70, C0 M90 Y100 K80, C40 M90 Y100 K50, C60 M40 Y90 K80, C40 M70 Y60 K80, C0 M20 Y20 K95, C60 M80 Y80 K90.

  • Red-brown:
    • C40 M90 Y100 K50
    • C5 M100 Y100 K80
  • Chestnut:
    • C0 M60 Y60 K70
    • C50 M100 Y100 K50
    • C0 M90 Y100 K80
  • Chocolate brown:
      • C40 M90 Y100 K50
      • C0 M60 Y90 K80
      • C40 M70 Y60 K80
    • C0 M20 Y20 K95
    • C60 M80 Y80 K80

Cream, beige, silver grey, stone grey and rich black

Ten color swatches in two rows, each labeled with its CMYK values. The top row features light cream, tan, gold, gray-blue, and gray-green. The bottom row shows gray, dark teal, dark gold, and two shades of black.

  • Cream: C0 M5 Y15 K5
  • Beige:
    • C0 M20 Y40 K10
    • C0 M20 Y50 K20
  • Silver-grey: C10 M0 Y0 K40
  • Stone grey:
    • C20 M10 Y20 K40
    • C35 M30 Y20 K20
  • Rich black:
    • C100 M40 Y40 K90
    • C40 M20 Y20 K100    Our tip!
    • C30 M0 Y0 K100    Cold rich black!
    • C0 M50 Y20 K100    Warm rich black!

Your experiences with our CMYK colours:

Let us know if you use our CMYK colour recommendations for your print project. We look forward to getting your feedback and learning about your experiences.

 

Credits:

Photo credits: © Tim Friedrich / Fotolia.com