CMYK Colors by Cindy Brewer for Mapping Census 2000
Compiled October 2001
 
These tables list the final process color percentages for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks that were used to print the Mapping Census 2000 atlas.
 
Atlas citation:
Brewer, Cynthia. A., and Trudy A. Suchan, U.S. Census Bureau. 2001. Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of U.S. Diversity, Census Special Report CENSR/01-1. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
PDF files online: http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/atlas.html
 
A word of warning about using these colors in ESRI ArcMap 8.x:
ESRI mapping software uses a different conversion from CMYK to RGB for screen display than illustration software (which is more specific to print design). Colors in the tables below will not look good on screen or projected if you type the CMYK into ArcMap (excessive saturation is often a problem). The colors will look like the colors in the printed atlas after you export Postscript from ArcMap for prepress file preparation and proofing (even though the colors look inept on screen in ArcMap). They may also not look good in intermediate-stage color laser prints. My intention in posting these colors online is specifically to help you go to press with a successful scheme.
If you want to use similar schemes for screen display, try out my ColorBrewer tool for selecting schemes and use the RGB specs listed for each option.
 
These tables are accompanied by screen captures of example legends and portions of maps at:
CensusAtlasCMYK.html
“Metropolitan Areas”
map colors (p. 7)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. Bu 90 50 5 0
2. Gn 45 0 45 0
3. Yl 0 3 30 0
County
1. lt Bu 50 15 5 0
2. dk Bu 90 50 5 0
3. Or 0 60 100 0
4. Yl 0 3 30 0
“Percent Change”
map colors (e.g., p. 10)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. md Pu 30 30 0 0
2. lt Pi 0 5 0 0
3. lt Or 0 10 25 0
County
1. dk Pu 65 70 0 0
2. md Pu 30 30 0 0
3. lt Pu 10 10 0 0
4. lt Pi 0 5 0 0
5. lt Or 0 10 25 0
6. dk Or 10 50 85 0

Colors also used on “Population Density” map (p. 11); skip color 5 in county list.
“Percent of Population”
map colors (e.g., pp. 27, 39, 75)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. dk Bu 90 50 5 0
2. md Bu-Gn 70 0 40 0
3. lt Gn 25 0 50 0
4. lt Yl 0 0 10 0
County
1. dk Pu 100 85 35 0
2. dk Bu 90 50 5 0
3. md Bu 90 10 20 0
4. md Bu-Gn 70 0 40 0
5. md Gn 45 0 45 0
6. lt Gn 25 0 50 0
7. lt Gn-Yl 10 0 35 0
8. lt Yl 0 0 10 0
9. Pi 0 3 0 0
Two-Variable Map: 
‘Percent Change and Population Density’ 
(p. 12)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
33 dk Bu 100 40 0 0
32 (&31) dk Gn 75 0 75 0
13 (&23) lt Bu 25 5 0 0
12 (21, 22) lt Gn 15 0 20 0
County
33 dk Bu 100 40 0 0
32 dk Gn 75 0 75 0
31 dk Yl 10 20 100 0
23 md Bu 50 10 0 0
22 md Gn 35 0 40 0
21 md Yl 0 5 50 0
13 lt Bu 25 5 0 0
12 lt Gn 15 0 20 0
11 lt Yl 0 0 10 0
Proportioned Squares: 
“Population Distribution” Map (p. 13)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. md Gn 65 0 65 0
2. lt Yl 0 0 10 0
County
3. md Bu 40 10 0 0
4. md Yl 0 3 30 0
“Difference” Maps
(e.g., p. 14)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. dk Gn 100 0 90 0
2. md Gn 45 0 35 0
3. lt Gn 10 0 10 0
4. lt Pi 3 15 0 0
County
1. dk Gn 100 0 90 0
2. md-dk Gn 60 0 55 0
3. md Gn 30 0 25 0
4. lt Gn 10 0 10 0
5. lt Pi 3 15 0 0
6. md Pi 10 50 0 0
“Number of People” map colors 
(e.g., p. 15) 		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. dk Rd-Pu 60 100 0 0
2. md-dk Rd-Pu 40 50 0 0
3. md Bu-Pu 20 15 0 0
4. lt Bu 5 0 0 0
County
1. dk Rd-Pu 60 100 0 0
2. md-dk Rd-Pu 50 60 0 0
3. md Pu 35 35 0 0
4. md Bu-Pu 20 15 0 0
5. lt Bu-Pu 10 5 0 0
6. lt Bu 5 0 0 0
“Percent Under Age 18”
map colors (e.g., p. 17) 		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. md Bu-Gn 50 0 20 0
2. lt Br  5 10 15 0
3. md Br 10 30 50 0
County
1. dk Bu-Gn 100 0 50 0
2. md Bu-Gn 50 0 20 0
3. lt Bu-Gn 20 0 5 0
4. lt Br  5 10 15 0
5. md Br 10 30 50 0
6. dk Br 30 60 100 0
“Prevalence” map colors
(pp. 20 and 21)		 C M Y K
1. Gn 55 0 55 0
2. Or 0 25 40 0
3. Pu 25 25 0 0
4. Yl 0 0 40 0
5. Bu 100 50 0 0
6. Ma 0 100 0 0
7. Br 30 70 100 0
“Percent One Race” 
map colors (e.g., p. 42)		 C  M  Y  K 
State
1. dk Gn 100 0 100 0
2. md Bu 50 0 10 0
3. lt Pu 10 5 0 0
County
1. darkest Gn 100 40 90 0
2. dk Gn 100 0 80 0
3. md Gn 70 0 35 0
4. md Bu 50 0 10 0
5. lt Bu 30 5 3 0
6. lt Pu 10 5 0 0
7. lt Pi 0 3 0 0
8. lt Yl 0 0 10 0

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