Colour news
Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetPigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game Set
Rang

Colours of printing and ink

Inks for books, banknotes, posters and packaging.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#FFFF00 Yellow A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 Brown Aniline A colourless oil that darkens with air and launched the first synthetic dyesPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany Blue Methylene blue A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye #003153 Prussian blue A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 Red Carmine A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +1 Yellow Tartrazine A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +4 #704214 Sepia A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade Purple and violet Crystal violet A synthetic purple dye used in science, medicine, and industryDye Green Malachite green A synthetic green dye once common for silk, now controversial in aquacultureDye 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +3 Black Bone char A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #E49B0F Gamboge A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment 路 馃嚢馃嚟 Cambodia +5 Red Lac啶侧ぞ啶曕啶粪ぞ A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 #664228 Van Dyck brown A deep, earthy brown once made from German peat and soilPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany #FFFEEF Titanium white A bright white pigment made from titanium dioxide, valued for its strong coveragePigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Grey Hematite A mineral iron oxide, black to red, used since prehistory as a pigment and oreColour named from nature 路 馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa +5 White Titanium dioxide A brilliant white pigment made from titanium, used in paints, food and sunscreenPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 White Barium sulfate A dense, white mineral used in pigments, X-rays, and industryPigment Brown Iron oxide Earthy pigments made from iron and oxygen, found in nature and used since prehistoryPigment Red Lead(II,IV) oxide A strong red-orange pigment once widely used to protect iron and in illuminated manuscriptsPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia Green Chromium(III) oxide A strong green pigment and polishing compound made from chromium orePigment Yellow Cadmium sulfide A bright yellow pigment and semiconductor compound made from cadmium and sulfurPigment Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment Yellow Strontium chromate A yellow pigment and corrosion inhibitor made from strontium and chromium compoundsPigment White Barium metaborate A white or clear inorganic compound used in optics and as a pigmentPigment #000F89 Phthalo blue A strong, synthetic blue pigment made from copper phthalocyaninePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Red Cinquasia red A deep red pigment from the quinacridone family, valued for its durabilityPigment #123524 Phthalo green A synthetic green pigment made from copper and chlorinated phthalocyaninePigment #E9D66B Arylide yellow A family of semi-transparent yellow pigments used in art and industryPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 #FADA5E Stil de grain yellow A yellow pigment made from buckthorn berries, once known as 'pink' or 'sap green'Pigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Yellow Pigment Yellow 13 A synthetic yellow pigment from the diarylide family used in printing inksPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 74 A yellow-green azo pigment used in inks, paints, and tattoo coloursPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy Yellow Pigment Yellow 83 A reddish-yellow diarylide pigment used in inks and plasticsPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 97 A synthetic yellow pigment valued for its high fastness and stabilityPigment Yellow Benzimidazolone pigments A group of strong, lightfast yellow, orange, and red synthetic pigmentsPigment Yellow Diarylide pigment A family of yellow organic pigments widely used in printing inksPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 16 A synthetic yellow pigment used in paints and printing inksPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 14 A diarylide yellow pigment used in packaging and textile printingPigment Black Atramentum A deep black ink or dye once used for writing, leather and painting in ancient RomePigment Gold and metallics Metal effect pigments Pigments that give paints and inks a metallic look using tiny metal flakesPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +1 Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Blue Indigo carmine A water-soluble blue dye made from indigo, used in food, medicine and sciencePigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Purple and violet Murexide A purple chemical once used as a dye and indicator in chemistryPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Pink and magenta D&C Red 7 A synthetic red pigment widely used in printing and food colouringPigment
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.