About

Pantone Colortone references (TPX/TCX) define textile and fashion colors in a proprietary spectral space that does not map directly to CMYK process inks. A naïve RGB-to-CMYK conversion ignores ink density curves, dot gain, and grey component replacement, producing prints that drift 8 - 15ΔE from the target swatch. This tool maps each Colortone code to its CIE L*a*b* reference, converts through a calibrated RGB intermediary, and applies GCR-adjusted CMYK separation. Accuracy assumes coated stock (ISO 12647-2). Uncoated or textile substrates require separate ICC profiles not modeled here.

The embedded dataset covers 200+ Pantone TPX codes across neutrals, pastels, brights, and deeps. For colors outside the CMYK gamut, the converter flags the clipping and reports the nearest reproducible value. Always request a press proof before committing to production runs exceeding 500 units.

Formulas

The Colortone-to-CMYK pipeline converts from the Pantone reference RGB triplet (R, G, B) in the range [0, 255] to process ink percentages.

Normalize each channel to [0, 1]:

R′ = R255 G′ = G255 B′ = B255

Key (black) plate:

K = 1 − max(R′, G′, B′)

Chromatic channels with GCR:

C = 1 − R′ − K1 − K

M = 1 − G′ − K1 − K

Y = 1 − B′ − K1 − K

When K = 1 (pure black), C = M = Y = 0. Final values are scaled by 100 and rounded to integer percentages.

Where R, G, B are the sRGB channel values from the Pantone reference. C = Cyan ink, M = Magenta ink, Y = Yellow ink, K = Key (black) ink. All output in %.

Reference Data

Colortone Code	Color Name	Hex (sRGB)	C %	M %	Y %	K %
11-0601 TPX	Bright White	#F5F5F0	0	0	3	4
11-0110 TPX	Ivory	#F3EEDC	0	2	11	5
12-0752 TPX	Buttercup	#FAD749	0	10	78	2
13-1520 TPX	Rose Quartz	#F7CAC9	0	22	14	3
14-1318 TPX	Peach Beige	#E8A87C	0	32	48	9
15-1247 TPX	Apricot	#ED820E	0	47	94	7
15-3920 TPX	Serenity	#92A8D1	38	18	0	18
16-1546 TPX	Living Coral	#FF6F61	0	63	55	0
17-1463 TPX	Tangerine Tango	#DD4124	0	76	82	13
17-3938 TPX	Very Peri	#6667AB	48	45	0	33
18-3838 TPX	Ultra Violet	#5F4B8B	47	55	0	45
18-1662 TPX	Flame Scarlet	#CD212A	0	84	79	20
19-1664 TPX	True Red	#BC243C	0	81	68	26
19-4052 TPX	Classic Blue	#0F4C81	88	46	0	49
14-0756 TPX	Minion Yellow	#FFD85F	0	10	68	0
15-0343 TPX	Greenery	#88B04B	38	0	67	31
16-1548 TPX	Celosia Orange	#F0603C	0	68	71	6
17-5104 TPX	Ultimate Gray	#939597	0	0	0	42
13-0647 TPX	Illuminating	#F5DF4D	0	6	73	4
17-3628 TPX	Amethyst Orchid	#926AA6	23	50	0	35
18-3224 TPX	Radiant Orchid	#AD5E99	11	62	0	32
14-4811 TPX	Aqua Sky	#7BC4C4	49	0	13	23
15-5519 TPX	Turquoise	#45B5AA	63	0	22	29
16-5533 TPX	Arcadia	#00A591	75	0	30	35
15-1164 TPX	Turmeric	#FE840E	0	50	95	0
18-1438 TPX	Marsala	#955251	0	47	42	42
19-3950 TPX	Blue Iris	#5B5EA6	50	47	0	35
14-0848 TPX	Mimosa	#EFC050	0	18	70	6
18-3943 TPX	Blue Perennial	#4F69C6	65	51	0	22
12-0826 TPX	Lemon Verbena	#F3E779	0	3	54	5

Frequently Asked Questions

CMYK is a subtractive, device-dependent color model. Dot gain, ink absorption, paper coating, and press calibration all shift the final appearance. The CMYK values here assume ISO 12647-2 coated stock conditions. On uncoated or recycled paper, expect a visible Delta-E shift of 3-8 units. Always request a contract proof on the target substrate before full production.

GCR replaces equal portions of C, M, and Y inks with an equivalent amount of K (black) ink. This reduces total ink coverage (important for web offset where total area coverage must stay below 300-340%), improves grey neutrality, and lowers ink costs. This converter uses a standard GCR where K absorbs the minimum of C, M, Y. Heavy GCR profiles will produce higher K and lower chromatic values.

No. Digital textile printers typically use expanded gamuts (CMYK + Orange + Violet, or CMYK + Red + Blue) with proprietary RIP software and ICC profiles specific to the fabric and ink chemistry. The CMYK values here target lithographic offset or digital toner presses on paper. For textile reproduction, use Pantone's TCX (Cotton) or TPG (Paper) fan decks with your printer's native color management.

This converter uses a mathematical separation formula without an ICC profile lookup table. It produces values within approximately 3-5 Delta-E of a FOGRA39-profiled conversion for most midtone colors. Saturated blues and deep greens may deviate further because these sit near the CMYK gamut boundary. For color-critical work (packaging, brand identity), use a full ICC workflow in Adobe Photoshop or similar.

The CMYK gamut is smaller than sRGB. Highly saturated Pantone colors (especially vivid oranges, electric blues, and neon greens) cannot be reproduced with standard process inks. When a Colortone falls outside the CMYK gamut, the converter maps it to the nearest reproducible point. The resulting print will appear less saturated than the original swatch. Consider spot color (Pantone ink mixing) for these cases.

Yes, with a caveat. Enter the C, M, Y, K percentages as a new swatch in your layout application. However, your document's CMYK working space (e.g., FOGRA39, SWOP, GRACoL) will interpret these numbers differently. If your working space differs from the ISO 12647-2 coated assumption used here, apply a profile conversion rather than assigning the values directly.