"I don't fully understand what this is, but I know it is a game changer." -- Paratriad

What is this?

These are color palette files for Affinity Publisher. 

The goal is to share some palettes that I've found to be useful, and that might be helpful when designing for printed materials.

Each color's CMYK or RGB value was keyed in by hand, and then saved as an .afpalette file. 

The exception is the SCM Itch Covers palette that was generated using Python. If you are curious about which colors are most used in itch.io covers and how the palette was made, check out Exploring Color Palettes at Skeleton Code Machine.

Color palettes

EP Mixam CMYK (230 colors)

Based on Mixam's Color Charts and Values Guide, and very similar to PrintNinja's CMYK Suggested Values and Color Guide. The colors are considered safe for CMYK printing. Both guides are very helpful, and I suggest you read them.

EP SCM Itch Covers (12 colors)

Created by identifying the dominant colors in some of the most popular physical game covers on itch.io. You can read more at Exploring Color Palettes. Note that this palette is RGB and not CMYK.

EP MÖRK BORG (3 colors)

Based on the unofficial MÖRK BORG Design Primer. Note that MÖRK BORG uses Pantone colors (e.g. Pantone 806 C and Pantone 803 C) and may not appear the same in CMYK. There is a Rich Black (C60, M40, Y40, K100) included which is a little different from Mixam Rich Black (C30, M30, Y30, K100).

EP Brick (224 colors)

Based on the Rebrickable Color Database, this is an RGB palette representing every LEGO color. Each color swatch includes a name as well as the RGB color value. Note that these are not CMYK colors, so printing may yield unpredictable results.

Importing palettes

For Affinity Publisher:

• Download the .afpalette files
• Choose a CMYK color format (e.g. CMYK/8) and profile (e.g. U.S. Web Coated)
• With Swatches selected at the top right, click the small stacked line menu icon
• Select Import Palette
• Import as Application Palette

This should add it to your list of available color swatch palettes. The same menu will allow you to rename the palette if you'd like.

CMYK vs. RGB

RGB color is an additive model. This is how your monitor and other electronic displays show color. Colors are formed by adding different intensities of colored light. The display starts as black and can range in color all the way to white.

CMYK color is a subtractive model. The paper starts white and can have ink added all the way to black by reducing the amount of reflected light.

Note that while the main EP Mixam CMYK palette is designed for CMYK use, some other extra palettes included are RGB. See the descriptions above.

IMPORTANT: How colors appear on your monitor or other displays depends on many factors. There is no guarantee that the colors in these palettes will look the same when printed. They may not even look the same on your monitor. The only way to really know for certain is to do a test print.

Updates

I'll add additional swatch palettes over time, so be sure to check for updates and sign up for Exeunt Omnes. 

You can also follow on Twitter at @exeuntpress.