RGB to CMYK Converter
Enter an RGB color and get the CMYK percentages a printer expects, with a swatch so you can check the color at a glance.
How it works
Screens make color by adding light — red, green, and blue. Printers work the opposite way, laying down cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink that subtract light from white paper. Converting RGB to CMYK is how you move a design from the monitor to the press.
The math starts by finding black (K) as one minus the brightest channel. Each of C, M, and Y is then how much of that color is missing after black is accounted for. Enter your R, G, and B values and the four percentages appear right away.
Treat these numbers as a solid starting point, not gospel. Real print output depends on the paper, the press, and the ICC profile, so a proof from your printer is always worth the wait for color-critical jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't screen colors always be printed exactly?
RGB can display bright, glowing colors that CMYK ink simply can't reproduce on paper — think neon greens or electric blues. The converter gives the closest CMYK mix, but some vivid colors will look a little duller in print.
What does the K in CMYK stand for?
K is the key plate, which carries the black ink. Black gets its own channel instead of mixing C, M, and Y because pure black ink is sharper and cheaper than piling three colored inks on top of each other.
Is pure white 0% across CMYK?
Yes. White comes from the paper itself, so no ink is laid down and every channel reads 0%. Pure black, by contrast, is 0% for C, M, and Y but 100% K.