CMYK to HEX

Convert CMYK print values to HEX colors.

Presets:

Cyan (C)

100%

Magenta (M)

Yellow (Y)

Key Black (K)

HEX Output

#00f2ff

HEX: #00F2FFRGB: rgb(0, 242, 255)CMYK: cmyk(100%, 5%, 0%, 0%)Total Ink: 105%

From Print Color to Web Color

CMYK describes how much cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink to mix when printing. To preview a CMYK color on screen, it's converted to RGB (and then HEX) by subtracting each ink from white: R = 255 × (1−C) × (1−K), and likewise for green and blue. Because screens and printers use different gamuts, the on-screen HEX is an approximation. Computed locally.

Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated 19 July 2026

What this tool is used for

Getting a hex approximation of a print colour for a mockup.
Producing a screen value from a printer's ink specification.
Comparing a print palette against a web one.
Converting a legacy print colour for a digital design.
Getting a starting hex you then adjust by eye.

Frequently Asked Questions

What formula converts CMYK to RGB?: R = 255 × (1 − C) × (1 − K), and the same shape for green with M and blue with Y. Each ink subtracts from white and the key channel darkens everything, which is why 0/0/0/0 gives white and 0/0/0/100 gives black. All four values are percentages, so they are divided by 100 first.
Is the result the colour that will actually print?: No — it is a preview, and the naive formula ignores the thing that decides real output: the ICC profile for a specific press, ink set and paper. sRGB and a coated CMYK press have genuinely different gamuts, so the brightest cyan on your screen cannot be printed and the formula has no way to say so.
What is the Total Ink figure for?: It is the sum of all four percentages, and presses cap it. Typical total area coverage limits are 240–300%; beyond that the sheet cannot dry and offsets onto the next one. The Rich Black preset is 60/40/40/100 = 240%, which is deliberately at the safe end of that range.
Why use rich black instead of 100% K?: Because a single black ink on paper reads as dark charcoal next to a large solid area. Adding cyan, magenta and yellow underneath deepens it. But rich black must not be used for body text — the four plates cannot register perfectly, so small type shows coloured fringes.
Why do the same CMYK values look different in two applications?: Because the numbers are meaningless without a profile. Photoshop converts through the working CMYK space you have assigned; this tool uses the device-independent formula. Same input, different assumed press, different screen preview — which is exactly why proofing is done with a profile, not arithmetic.

Common errors and gotchas

Expecting an exact match, since the conversion is device-dependent and approximate.
Ignoring the colour profile, which matters more than the numbers.
Assuming a saturated ink colour is displayable, when some fall outside sRGB.
Using the result for print, which needs to go back through a proper profile.
Treating the round trip as lossless, which it is not.