Abstract: A color swatch arrangement for use in selecting colors for four-color offset printing, and a method for creating such an arrangement, involves dividing the visible spectrum into a plurality of distinct hues, and determining the proportions of yellow, red, and blue dot densities needed to create color swatches of each distinct hue. A series of lighter-and-lighter tint swatches associated with each distinct hue are created by reducing each of the yellow, red, and blue dot densities in steps. A series of darker shade swatches is created by adding a proportion of black dot density to each distinct hue and all the stepped lighter tints created from it, and a series of darker-and-darker shade swatches are produced by adding greater proportions of black dot density in stages to all the stepped lighter tints.