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A little color. A new perspective.

Published Jun 21, 2026

Three Inks on the Print Table

Test in Color Lab

Five colors, endless possibilities. Select a color to copy its HEX.

Bold primary-color graphics built from Signal Red, Process Yellow, Poster Blue, Print Stock and grounded by Print Black. Explore five exact HEX values, practical color roles, contrast notes and a focused application guide.

The feeling

Bold primary-color graphics. A crisp, energetic focal point.

Explore this palette ↓

The mood

Imagine three open ink tins on a printshop table. Strong red, yellow and blue meet uncoated stock in a direct graphic composition with almost no muted middle tones.

How to use it

Build a community poster around an oversized red form on pale stock. Use yellow for one event-date panel, blue for a secondary geometric shape and black for the practical information.

Start with 55% Background, 35% Primary and 10% Highlight across the main surfaces; adjust these proportions for the composition. Text and small Accent details sit within that layout. The Text and Background pair measures 16.91:1.

What to watch

Equal areas of all three saturated colors compete. Choose red as the main graphic, keep yellow smaller and leave enough plain paper around the information. Print Black on Signal Red measures 4.08:1 and is unsuitable for small text. Print Black on Poster Blue measures 2.80:1 and is unsuitable for small text.

A considered balance

Make room for
the right colors.

Build a community poster around an oversized red form on pale stock. Use yellow for one event-date panel, blue for a secondary geometric shape and black for the practical information.

Start with a generous background, introduce your primary color, then use the highlight sparingly. The ratios are a guide for large surfaces, not a fixed recipe.

55 Base
35 Main
10 Point
Print Stock

Background & breathing room

Signal Red

Cards, graphics & sections

Process Yellow

Focal areas & key details

Background · Primary · Highlight. Use text and accent colors where their roles call for them.

Text on background
16.91:1 #151515 on #FAF6EB · AAA normal text
Text on primary
4.08:1 #151515 on #E22F32 · AA large text only

The original text has low contrast (4.08:1). This example shows the strongest available pair: Print Stock (#FAF6EB) on #E22F32 at 4.15:1. It still falls below 4.5:1 for normal text. Use a different background to meet that contrast requirement.

Text on highlight
12.89:1 #151515 on #FFD537 · AAA normal text
Text on accent
2.80:1 #151515 on #2654CC · Not suitable for text

The original text has low contrast (2.80:1). This example uses Print Stock (#FAF6EB) from the same palette instead of #151515 on #2654CC, improving contrast to 6.03:1. This meets WCAG AA for normal text.

Contrast is calculated for these specific pairs. Large text means at least 24 px regular or about 18.7 px bold. Check every pairing in your final design.

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

One palette.
A world of possibilities.

See how these five colors come together in a website, a poster, a brand, and a presentation. Explore a different palette and watch the mood change.

ONDA STUDIO / WEB PREVIEW
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INDEPENDENT STUDIO · SEOUL

Design with
today’s color.

A little space for fresh ideas. A considered palette for whatever comes next.

Prepared design previews, recolored with this palette.

COLOR NOTE

Equal areas of all three saturated colors compete. Choose red as the main graphic, keep yellow smaller and leave enough plain paper around the information. Print Black on Signal Red measures 4.08:1 and is unsuitable for small text. Print Black on Poster Blue measures 2.80:1 and is unsuitable for small text.

From inspiration to creation

Your next idea,
in these colors.

Add a considered color direction to the design you already have in mind. Your layout and instructions stay yours.

  1. Write your design request.
  2. Choose a color guide and copy it.
  3. Paste it after your request.
  4. Review the result and check readability.

Try it in the design or AI tool you already use.

[Color guide — coloring.today / three-inks-on-the-print-table]
Apply this palette to the design requested above. Preserve the requested layout, content, and interactions. If an explicit requirement conflicts with this color guide, identify the conflict instead of silently overriding it.

Text: Print Black #151515
Primary: Signal Red #E22F32
Highlight: Process Yellow #FFD537
Accent: Poster Blue #2654CC
Background: Print Stock #FAF6EB

Mood: Bold primary-color graphics. A crisp, energetic focal point.
Suggested uses: Local campaigns
Application note: Build a community poster around an oversized red form on pale stock. Use yellow for one event-date panel, blue for a secondary geometric shape and black for the practical information.
Avoid: Equal areas of all three saturated colors compete. Choose red as the main graphic, keep yellow smaller and leave enough plain paper around the information. Print Black on Signal Red measures 4.08:1 and is unsuitable for small text. Print Black on Poster Blue measures 2.80:1 and is unsuitable for small text.
Use approximately 55% background, 35% primary, and 10% highlight across large surfaces. These ratios are a starting point, not a rigid rule. Use text and accent colors according to their roles.

Keep the original HEX values. Choose readable text/background pairings without silently changing the palette. Do not introduce unrelated colors.
[Color guide — coloring.today / three-inks-on-the-print-table]
Apply this palette to the design requested above. Preserve the requested layout, content, and interactions. If an explicit requirement conflicts with this color guide, identify the conflict instead of silently overriding it.

Text: Print Black #151515
Primary: Signal Red #E22F32
Highlight: Process Yellow #FFD537
Accent: Poster Blue #2654CC
Background: Print Stock #FAF6EB

Mood: Bold primary-color graphics. A crisp, energetic focal point.
Suggested uses: Local campaigns
Application note: Build a community poster around an oversized red form on pale stock. Use yellow for one event-date panel, blue for a secondary geometric shape and black for the practical information.
Avoid: Equal areas of all three saturated colors compete. Choose red as the main graphic, keep yellow smaller and leave enough plain paper around the information. Print Black on Signal Red measures 4.08:1 and is unsuitable for small text. Print Black on Poster Blue measures 2.80:1 and is unsuitable for small text.
Use approximately 55% background, 35% primary, and 10% highlight across large surfaces. These ratios are a starting point, not a rigid rule. Use text and accent colors according to their roles.

Use these semantic tokens consistently. Keep the original HEX values.
:root {
  --color-text: #151515;
  --color-primary: #E22F32;
  --color-highlight: #FFD537;
  --color-accent: #2654CC;
  --color-background: #FAF6EB;
}
Background is the canvas, text is readable copy, primary is a key surface, highlight draws attention, and accent adds small secondary details.
[Color guide — coloring.today / three-inks-on-the-print-table]
Apply this palette to the design requested above. Preserve the requested layout, content, and interactions. If an explicit requirement conflicts with this color guide, identify the conflict instead of silently overriding it.

Text: Print Black #151515
Primary: Signal Red #E22F32
Highlight: Process Yellow #FFD537
Accent: Poster Blue #2654CC
Background: Print Stock #FAF6EB

Mood: Bold primary-color graphics. A crisp, energetic focal point.
Suggested uses: Local campaigns
Application note: Build a community poster around an oversized red form on pale stock. Use yellow for one event-date panel, blue for a secondary geometric shape and black for the practical information.
Avoid: Equal areas of all three saturated colors compete. Choose red as the main graphic, keep yellow smaller and leave enough plain paper around the information. Print Black on Signal Red measures 4.08:1 and is unsuitable for small text. Print Black on Poster Blue measures 2.80:1 and is unsuitable for small text.
Use approximately 55% background, 35% primary, and 10% highlight across large surfaces. These ratios are a starting point, not a rigid rule. Use text and accent colors according to their roles.

Text/background contrast: 16.91:1. This is one measured pair, not a guarantee for the whole palette. Check every actual text/background pairing against WCAG AA. Prefer readable combinations from the original colors, keep visible keyboard focus, and never communicate state through color alone. If no original pairing meets the requirement, propose a separately labeled derived color with its original HEX, proposed HEX, purpose and measured contrast. Never overwrite the source palette.

This guide preserves the original HEX values. Review the output before using it.

Bring it into your project

Five colors.
Ready to use.

Copy the same colors as semantic CSS variables. Every preview and prompt on this page uses this palette.

:root {
  --color-text: #151515;
  --color-primary: #E22F32;
  --color-highlight: #FFD537;
  --color-accent: #2654CC;
  --color-background: #FAF6EB;
}

A little more inspiration.

All palettes ↗

Copy your color guide

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