Colours of printing and ink
Inks for books, banknotes, posters and packaging.
#000000
Black
The colour seen when no visible light is present or all light is absorbedBasic colour
#00FF00
Green
The colour between cyan and yellow, seen widely in plants and natureBasic colour · 🇮🇪 Ireland +1
#FFFF00
Yellow
A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour · 🇫🇷 France +5
#0000FF
Blue
A primary colour seen in the sky and sea, used since ancient times in art and dyeBasic colour
#FFFFFF
White
The lightest colour, seen in snow, milk and chalk, and opposite to blackBasic colour
#808080
Grey
A neutral colour between black and white, seen in clouds, ash, and undyed woolBasic colour
#8000FF
Violet
A bluish-purple seen in both flowers and the light spectrumBasic colour
#800080
Purple
A cool colour between red and blue, long linked with royalty and rarityBasic colour · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +5
#00FFFF
Cyan
A blue-green colour found between blue and green on the spectrum and key in printingBasic colour
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Violet: Gonzalo Devia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- White: Steve Snodgrass, CC BY 2.0, source
- Grey: John Fowler, CC BY 2.0, source
- Black: w:Harlan Kredit, Public domain, source
- Green: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yellow: Mark Robinson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cyan: Claude Monet, Public domain, source
- Purple: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blue: NOAA-JMA, CC BY 4.0, source