What does this tool do?

It finds every solid color in your PDF, across fills, strokes and text, and lets you replace each one with clean CMYK values or a real named spot color. The fix is applied directly to the document's vector content.

Why is my cyan not just C100?

Design apps often export colors as RGB or hex. When a printer converts them to CMYK, you get dirty builds like C88 M18 Y2 K3 instead of clean C100. This tool shows those colors and fixes them in one click.

What is a spot color?

A named ink, such as a Pantone color, printed with its own ink instead of being mixed from CMYK. In PDF terms it is a Separation. The tool creates a genuine Separation with the name you enter, plus a CMYK fallback.

Are my images changed?

No, never. Only solid vector and text colors are rewritten. Photos, scans and gradients stay untouched.

Does it work for vinyl cutting and signmaking?

Yes. Cutters and RIP software recognize spot colors by name, for example a cut line named CutContour. You can turn any solid color into a named spot color.

What about gradients and patterns?

Gradients, patterns and images are not changed in this version. The tool fixes solid colors, which covers the vast majority of logo and text colors.

What happens to my file?

It is processed on servers in the Nordics and deleted automatically, typically within an hour. You can download a deletion certificate afterwards as documentation.

Fix the colors in your PDF

Find every color in your PDF and convert dirty builds to clean CMYK values or real spot colors (Pantone/Separation). Free prepress tool, Nordic hosting.

Print shop rejecting your file over dirty color builds, or does your cutter need a named spot color? PDF.dk gives you an inventory of every solid color in the document and converts them to clean CMYK values or real spot colors. Images are never touched, files are processed on Nordic servers and deleted automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this tool do?: It finds every solid color in your PDF, across fills, strokes and text, and lets you replace each one with clean CMYK values or a real named spot color. The fix is applied directly to the document's vector content.
Why is my cyan not just C100?: Design apps often export colors as RGB or hex. When a printer converts them to CMYK, you get dirty builds like C88 M18 Y2 K3 instead of clean C100. This tool shows those colors and fixes them in one click.
What is a spot color?: A named ink, such as a Pantone color, printed with its own ink instead of being mixed from CMYK. In PDF terms it is a Separation. The tool creates a genuine Separation with the name you enter, plus a CMYK fallback.
Are my images changed?: No, never. Only solid vector and text colors are rewritten. Photos, scans and gradients stay untouched.
Does it work for vinyl cutting and signmaking?: Yes. Cutters and RIP software recognize spot colors by name, for example a cut line named CutContour. You can turn any solid color into a named spot color.
What about gradients and patterns?: Gradients, patterns and images are not changed in this version. The tool fixes solid colors, which covers the vast majority of logo and text colors.
What happens to my file?: It is processed on servers in the Nordics and deleted automatically, typically within an hour. You can download a deletion certificate afterwards as documentation.

How to

Upload your PDF
Review the inventory of solid colors
Pick clean CMYK values or a named spot color per color
Download your corrected PDF