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Colours of printing and ink

Inks for books, banknotes, posters and packaging.

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 · 🇩🇪 Germany +1 Red Cinquasia red A deep red pigment from the quinacridone family, valued for its durabilityPigment

Red BISU Maroon A deep maroon chosen as a school colour by Beijing International Studies UniversityNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China

#81D8D0 Tiffany Blue A light blue-green shade trademarked by Tiffany & Co. for its boxes and brandingNamed shade

#C71585 Red-violet A strong colour found between red and magenta, often called purple in artNamed shade #123524 Phthalo green A synthetic green pigment made from copper and chlorinated phthalocyaninePigment

#777777 Gray card A neutral grey reference card for setting exposure and colour balance in photographyNamed shade #E9D66B Arylide yellow A family of semi-transparent yellow pigments used in art and industryPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +1 #FADA5E Stil de grain yellow A yellow pigment made from buckthorn berries, once known as 'pink' or 'sap green'Pigment · 🇫🇷 France +2 #004040 Rich black A deep black in print made by layering coloured inks under blackNamed shade Yellow Pigment Yellow 13 A synthetic yellow pigment from the diarylide family used in printing inksPigment

#DAA520 Goldenrod A strong yellow named for the goldenrod flowerNamed shade #A4DDED Non-photo blue A pale blue used in art and print that does not show up in reproductionNamed shade

#00356B Yale Blue A deep blue shade linked to Yale University since the 19th centuryNamed shade Yellow Pigment Yellow 74 A yellow-green azo pigment used in inks, paints, and tattoo coloursPigment · 🇮🇹 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 Grey Middle gray A neutral tone halfway between black and white, used to calibrate cameras and printsNamed shade

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 Brown Earth tone A palette of colours inspired by soil, stone, and natural landscapesColour named from nature 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 · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1 #56A0D3 Carolina blue A light blue shade tied to the University of North CarolinaNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States

#1E3765 U of T Blue A deep navy blue used by the University of Toronto since its foundingNamed shade · 🇨🇦 Canada #3DDC84 Android green A bright green defined by Google for the Android robot mascot and logoNamed shade

Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5

Red Sappanwood A tropical Asian tree whose heartwood yields a red dye called brazilinColour named from nature · 🇳🇵 Nepal +4

Blue Indigo carmine A water-soluble blue dye made from indigo, used in food, medicine and sciencePigment · 🇺🇸 United States Red Erythrosine A bright red-pink synthetic dye used in food, cosmetics, and industryDye · 🇺🇸 United States +4

Purple and violet Murexide A purple chemical once used as a dye and indicator in chemistryPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +1 Black Brilliant Black BN A synthetic black dye used in foods and decorations, known as E151 in EuropeDye · 🇺🇸 United States +2 Red Red 2G A synthetic red azo dye once used in food and inks, now banned in many countriesDye · 🇦🇺 Australia +4 Pink and magenta D&C Red 7 A synthetic red pigment widely used in printing and food colouringPigment

Purple and violet Pigment Violet 29 A dark red-purple pigment used in paints, inks, and dyesPigment #333399 Blue (pigment) A standard blue mixed from cyan and magenta inks in printingNamed shade #FFEF00 Canary yellow A bright yellow named after the canary bird and used as a printing primaryNamed shade #00B7EB Process cyan The standard cyan ink used in four-colour printing (CMYK)Named shade #00A550 Green (pigment) The standard green made by mixing printer's cyan and yellow inksStandard colour #512888 KSU purple A dark, blue-toned purple used by Kansas State UniversityNamed shade #FF0090 Magenta (process) The magenta used as a primary colour in printing inksNamed shade #9678B6 Purple mountain majesty A medium lavender-grey shade named by Crayola in 1993Named shade #ED1C24 Red (pigment) The standard red mixed from magenta and yellow for printing on paperNamed shade #367588 Teal blue A blue-leaning teal shade named in the early twentieth centuryNamed shade

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Goldenrod: Huw Williams ( Huwmanbeing ), Public domain, source
Phthalo blue: Smokefoot, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yale Blue: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Strontium chromate: Quatrostein, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Effect pigment: FK1954, Public domain, source
Gray card: Christian H., Public domain, source
Barium metaborate: Totalirus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
BISU Maroon: Beijing International Studies University, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Benzimidazolone pigments: Hardcoreraveman, Public domain, source
U of T Blue: DoubleBlue, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tiffany Blue: Ajay Suresh, CC BY 2.0, source
Red-violet: Fructibus, CC0, source
Blue pigment: David Stroe, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sappanwood: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Indigo carmine: -- メルビル ( talk ) 08:10, 28 January 2011 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Murexide: Shaddack, Public domain, source
Pigment Violet 29: Smokefoot, Public domain, source

The weekly palette

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