Every color in the palette exists in a 12-bit color space because each component can be stored in four bits, totaling 12 bits. As a result, each component can a

Every color in the palette exists in a 12-bit color space because each component can be stored in four bits, totaling 12 bits. As a result, each component can also be represented by one hexadecimal. It's nice to have a palette where the colors don't require 24 bits to be displayed correctly, and three hexadecimal digits are arguably easier to type out and remember than six.