Why does my screen color look different when printed?

Screens emit light (additive RGB), while print reflects light (subtractive CMYK). The CMYK gamut is smaller than RGB, so highly saturated screen colors often shift when converted to print.

What is total ink coverage?

Total ink coverage (TIC) is the sum of all four CMYK channel percentages for a given color. A pixel that is 70C 60M 50Y 20K has a TIC of 200%. Most offset presses cap at 300%; high-end sheetfed presses may allow up to 340%.

What happens if ink coverage is too high?

Excessive ink causes setoff (ink transferring to the back of the sheet above), slow drying, ink smearing, and paper cockling. Always stay within your printer's specified TIC limit.

What is GCR (Gray Component Replacement)?

GCR replaces the neutral gray portion of a CMY mix with black ink. For example, equal amounts of C, M, and Y create a neutral gray — GCR removes that overlap and substitutes K, reducing total ink while keeping the same perceived color.

Is this conversion ICC-profile accurate?

This uses the mathematical RGB→CMYK formula, which is a device-independent baseline. For production work, use proper ICC profiles (e.g. FOGRA51, US Web Coated SWOP) in your design software for the most press-accurate result.

Color Separation Helper

Enter a hex color to get baseline CMYK values and estimated total ink coverage; use an ICC profile for press limits.

Enter Color

Hex Color

Color Preview

RGB Values

Red

255

Green

107

Blue

CMYK Values

Cyan

—

Magenta

—

Yellow

—

Key (K)

—

Total Ink Coverage

—

0% 100% 300% maximum for this model

GCR Opportunity

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Summary

Enter a hex color to get baseline CMYK values and estimated total ink coverage; use an ICC profile for press limits.

How it works

Enter a hex color code (e.g. #FF6B35) into the input field.
The tool splits the hex into R, G, B channel values (0–255).
Each channel is normalized to a 0–1 range, then the CMYK formula is applied: K = 1 − max(R',G',B'); C = (1−R'−K)/(1−K); M = (1−G'−K)/(1−K); Y = (1−B'−K)/(1−K).
Total ink coverage is calculated as C+M+Y+K (expressed as percentages summed).
The result identifies the estimate as device-independent rather than a press-limit certification.
GCR information shows how much neutral gray the mathematical conversion already replaces with black.

Use cases

Verify a brand color is safe before sending to an offset press.
Identify rich-black mixes that exceed ink limits.
Compare CMYK equivalents of screen colors for print design.
Educate designers on the difference between RGB and CMYK gamuts.
Quick-check spot-color alternatives before converting to process.
Understand GCR opportunities to reduce ink costs on long runs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-14 · Reviewed by Nham Vu