The invention discloses a method for detecting a printing color by using complex frequency spectrum color feature numerical values, comprising the following steps of: measuring the color of a printing matter through a visible spectrophotometer to obtain a spectrum function, and then calculating according to a complex frequency spectrum chromatic diagram and a color feature numerical value calculating method to obtain the complex frequency spectrum color feature numerical values such as a complex frequency spectrum color phase value H, a complex frequency spectrum brightness value L and the like; detecting a product color feature numerical value in real time in the printing and producing processes, and carrying out holographic detection and adjustment on the color and the contrast of the printing matter by utilizing the relation between brightness and the thickness of an ink layer, the relation between a color phase of a secondary color and color strength, the relation between gray level and the balance of three colors, i.e. yellow, pinkish red and green and the linear relation between comprehensive brightness and a dot area rate. Compared with the traditional detecting method, the method for detecting the printing color by using the complex frequency spectrum color feature numerical values has obvious advantages on the aspects such as data intuition, operability of method, effectiveness in use, economical efficiency of instruments, universality in popularization and the like, and particularly solves the problem that the two traditional indexes, i.e. three-color gray level balance and contrast linearization, are still judged mainly depending on vision and adjusted depending on experience.