mcp-print

Professional print & color workflow tools for AI assistants

CMYK/RGB conversion • Ink & cost estimation • ICC profiles • Spot color separation • Barcode coverage • Delta E • Paper weights • Preflight checks • Substrate simulation • Imposition • Booklet & spine calculation • Lab conversion • CIEDE2000 • TAC/GCR • Dot gain compensation • PDF preflight • Job quoting • Your own local color palette

Works 100% offline — no API keys needed — no bundled color library

Install • Configure • Local palette • Tools • Examples • Contributing

Backed by optiraj.com — SaaS for print professionals

Who is this for?

Related MCP server: huetension mcp

Install

pip install mcp-print

Requires Python 3.10+. Zero external dependencies beyond the MCP SDK.

Configure with Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP config (~/.claude/settings.json or project .mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "print": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_print"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code — all twenty tools will be available immediately. Palette tools additionally need a local palette file; without one they return an error and every other tool keeps working.

Local color palette

mcp-print does not ship or download any color library. palette_lookup_tool, palette_search_tool, and spot_color_separator_tool work on a JSON file that you provide and point to explicitly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "print": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_print"],
      "env": { "MCP_PRINT_PALETTE_PATH": "/home/me/.config/mcp-print/studio.palette.json" }
    }
  }
}

Use an absolute path (relative paths resolve against the server's working directory; ~ is expanded). The file is re-read automatically when it changes.

Schema

{
  "palette": "Example synthetic palette",
  "colors": [
    { "name": "Harbor Blue", "c": 88, "m": 42, "y": 8,  "k": 4 },
    { "name": "Moss Green",  "c": 55, "m": 15, "y": 85, "k": 20 },
    { "name": "Clay Orange", "c": 5,  "m": 60, "y": 85, "k": 5 }
  ]
}

Other fields are rejected rather than silently ignored. The file must be UTF-8 (a BOM is accepted) and at most 10 MB. A synthetic sample lives in examples/example-palette.json.

Behavior and limits

• No palette configured, missing file, invalid JSON, empty list, or invalid entry → the palette tools return an error explaining what to fix (entry index and field, without echoing your values). The server still starts and all other tools work.

• Names are used exactly as you wrote them. Lookup ignores case and extra whitespace only; no brand prefixes or finish suffixes are added or guessed. Close names are returned as suggestions, never as a match.

• Distances are approximate. CMYK is converted to sRGB and Lab with simple formulas and no ICC profile, then compared with CIEDE2000. Results indicate similarity within your palette — they are not official catalog values, not a measure of print accuracy, and not a guarantee of how a color will print.

• Your palette stays local. It is read only from the path you configure, never logged, bundled, uploaded, or exposed as an MCP resource. *.palette.json files and palettes/ directories are git-ignored in this repo; keep palette files outside the project anyway.

• Rights are yours to check. Palette files are subject to their own terms of use. Pointing mcp-print at a file does not make its use licensed or appropriate; make sure you are entitled to use the data you load.

Tools

Color & Palette

Print Production

Utilities

Usage Examples

Once configured, just ask Claude naturally:

Palette Lookup

"What are the CMYK values of Harbor Blue in my palette?"

With examples/example-palette.json configured:

{
  "color": { "name": "Harbor Blue", "c": 88, "m": 42, "y": 8, "k": 4, "hex": "#1D8EE1" },
  "source": "user_palette",
  "palette": "Example synthetic palette",
  "note": "Values come from your local palette file. ..."
}

Without a configured palette the tool returns {"error": "No color palette configured. Set MCP_PRINT_PALETTE_PATH ..."}.

Palette Search

"Which of my palette colors are closest to #2A8FD8?"

{
  "matches": [
    { "name": "Harbor Blue", "c": 88, "m": 42, "y": 8, "k": 4, "hex": "#1D8EE1", "delta_e": 1.12 },
    { "name": "Charcoal", "c": 60, "m": 50, "y": 45, "k": 75, "hex": "#1A2023", "delta_e": 41.77 }
  ],
  "search_type": "hex #2A8FD8",
  "delta_e_method": "ciede2000",
  "source": "user_palette",
  "palette": "Example synthetic palette"
}

Color Conversion

"Convert CMYK 100/44/0/0 to RGB"

{ "r": 0, "g": 143, "b": 255, "hex": "#008FFF" }

Ink Estimation

"How much ink for 10,000 A4 flyers at 35% coverage on offset?"

{ "ink_grams": 327.44, "ink_kg": 0.3274, "cost_estimate_usd": 8.19 }

Full Print Job Costing

"Cost estimate: 5,000 A4 flyers, 4-color offset, 120gsm, double-sided"

{
  "total_cost": 628.14,
  "cost_per_unit": 0.1256,
  "currency": "USD",
  "breakdown": {
    "ink": 11.34,
    "plates": 280.00,
    "makeready": 200.00,
    "run_cost": 136.80,
    "paper": 0.0
  }
}

Prices default to USD industry averages — pass your own ink/plate/makeready/run/paper prices in any currency for a localized quote.

Color Matching QC

"Compare brand blue (100/72/0/18) vs proof (98/70/2/20) — is the Delta E acceptable?"

{ "delta_e": 3.41, "interpretation": "fair — noticeable difference" }

Palette Proximity (spot color separator)

"How close are these design colors to my palette?"

{
  "within_threshold": [
    { "color": { "c": 86, "m": 40, "y": 10, "k": 5 }, "hex": "#2291DA",
      "nearest_palette_color": "Harbor Blue", "nearest_palette_cmyk": { "c": 88, "m": 42, "y": 8, "k": 4 }, "delta_e": 1.79 }
  ],
  "beyond_threshold": [
    { "color": { "c": 0, "m": 100, "y": 0, "k": 0 }, "hex": "#FF00FF",
      "nearest_palette_color": "Charcoal", "nearest_palette_cmyk": { "c": 60, "m": 50, "y": 45, "k": 75 }, "delta_e": 44.4 }
  ],
  "threshold": 5.0,
  "delta_e_method": "ciede2000",
  "summary": "Compared 2 colors with 5 palette entries (Delta E ciede2000, threshold 5.0): 1 within threshold, 1 beyond."
}

Being close to a palette color does not by itself mean a spot ink would be more accurate or more suitable — that depends on ink availability, press setup, substrate, cost, brand requirements, and measured proofs.

ICC Profile Inspection

"What color space does this ICC profile use?"

{
  "profile_name": "ISOcoated_v2",
  "color_space": "CMYK",
  "device_class": "Output (Printer)",
  "version": "2.4.0",
  "pcs": "XYZ"
}

Barcode Ink Coverage

"Ink coverage for an EAN-13 barcode at 37mm x 26mm?"

{
  "coverage_percent": 52.0,
  "recommended_ink": "Process Black (K: 100)",
  "print_method_suggestion": "offset — good resolution for medium modules"
}

Paper Weight Conversion

"What's 80 lb text in GSM?"

{ "value": 118.42, "from_unit": "lb_text", "to_unit": "gsm" }

Preflight Check

"Validate my file for offset printing: CMYK, 300 DPI, 3mm bleed, fonts embedded"

{
  "status": "pass",
  "checks": [
    { "name": "color_mode", "status": "pass", "message": "CMYK is correct for offset." },
    { "name": "resolution", "status": "pass", "message": "300 DPI meets the minimum of 300 DPI for offset." },
    { "name": "bleed", "status": "pass", "message": "3.0 mm bleed meets the 3.0 mm minimum for offset." },
    { "name": "fonts", "status": "pass", "message": "All fonts are embedded." },
    { "name": "ink_coverage", "status": "pass", "message": "Total ink coverage 280% is within safe limits." },
    { "name": "transparency", "status": "pass", "message": "No transparency detected." }
  ],
  "summary": "6 passed, 0 warnings, 0 failed out of 6 checks.",
  "recommendation": "File is ready for production."
}

Checks color mode, resolution, bleed, font embedding, total ink coverage, and transparency against the target print method (offset, digital, flexo, gravure, screen).

Substrate Simulation

"How will CMYK 50/30/20/10 look on newsprint vs glossy coated?"

{
  "original": { "c": 50, "m": 30, "y": 20, "k": 10, "hex": "#73A1B8" },
  "simulated": { "c": 57.5, "m": 38.3, "y": 29.8, "k": 31.9, "hex": "#4A6B7A" },
  "substrate": "newsprint",
  "print_method": "offset",
  "adjustments": { "dot_gain_applied": 30, "absorption_k_added": 16.2 },
  "delta_e_from_original": 21.11,
  "warning": "Severe color shift — this substrate may not be suitable for color-critical work."
}

Six substrate profiles with different dot gain, absorption, and paper tint characteristics:

Imposition (N-up)

"How many A4 flyers fit on a 70x100 sheet, and how many sheets for 10,000?"

{
  "ups_per_sheet": 9,
  "layout": "3 x 3",
  "orientation": "normal",
  "sheets_needed": 1112,
  "sheets_with_waste": 1168,
  "sheet_utilization_percent": 84.1
}

Accounts for bleed, cutting gaps, and the gripper margin; tries both piece orientations and picks the best.

Booklet & Spine Calculation

"48-page booklet on 90gsm uncoated with a 300gsm cover — signatures and spine?"

{
  "total_pages": 48,
  "signatures": 3,
  "total_sheets": 12,
  "spine_thickness_mm": 3.24,
  "binding": "saddle_stitch",
  "binding_note": "Suitable for saddle stitching."
}

Rounds pages to a multiple of 4, warns when the page count doesn't suit the chosen binding (saddle stitch > 64 pages, perfect bound < 3 mm spine).

Migrating from 0.5.x

The bundled Pantone table and its generator script were removed because their source and redistribution rights could not be verified. This is a breaking change:

All palette features now require MCP_PRINT_PALETTE_PATH. The distance metric changed from CIE76 to CIEDE2000, so the same threshold groups colors differently than before. No deprecated aliases are kept.

Development

git clone https://github.com/kcgdz/mcp-print.git
cd mcp-print
pip install -e .
pip install pytest
pytest tests/ -v

235 passed

Acknowledgements

Development is supported by Optiraj — a SaaS platform for print professionals. Optiraj sponsors open-source tooling that makes professional print knowledge freely accessible to the community.

License

mcp-print's code is released under the MIT License. Color palettes you load are not part of mcp-print and remain subject to their own terms of use.