diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e596cc8..4b132cf 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ VERSION ?= $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty | sed s'/dirty/dev/')
 TEMPLATES := $(shell find src/ -type f)
 .DEFAULT_GOAL := help
 
-header = $(call tprint,{a.bold}==>{a.end} {a.magenta}$(1){a.end} {a.bold}<=={a.end})
+msg = $(call tprint,{a.bold}==>{a.end} {a.magenta}$(1){a.end} {a.bold}<=={a.end})
 
 ## bootstrap | generate local dev environment
 .PHONY: bootstrap
 bootstrap:
-	$(call header,Bootstrap Environment)
+	$(call msg,Bootstrap Environment)
 	@mamba create -p ./env python jinja2 black -y
 	@mamba run -p ./env pip install yartsu
 
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ list-%:
 ## release | release new version of task.mk
 .PHONY: release
 release: version-check
-	$(call header,Release Project)
+	$(call msg,Release Project)
 	@./generate.py $(VERSION) > task.mk
 	@sed -i 's/task.mk\/.*\/task.mk/task.mk\/v$(VERSION)\/task.mk/g' README.md
 	@git add task.mk README.md
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ test-bash:
 	$(call tbash,bash_script,test bash multiline)
 
 
-define msg
+define mlmsg
 {a.b_yellow}
 It can even be multiline!{a.end}
 and styles can be defined{a.end}
@@ -80,9 +80,10 @@ endef
 ## info | demonstrate usage of tprint
 .PHONY: task
 info:
-	$(call header, Info Message)
+	$(call msg, Info Message)
 	$(call tprint,{a.black_on_cyan}This is task-print output:{a.end})
-	$(call tprint,$(msg))
+	$(call tprint,$(mlmsg))
+	$(call tprint,{a.custom(fg=(148, 255, 15),bg=(103, 2, 15))}Custom Colors TOO!{a.end})
 
 task.mk:
 	./generate.py $(shell git describe --tags) > task.mk
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a2c7b39..8f14ab0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ build:
   ...
 ```
 
-Now when you invoke `task.mk` it will parse these and generate your help output.
+Now when you invoke `make help` it will parse these and generate your help output.
 
 In addition to a generic help output you can expose some configuration settings with `make vars`.
 To do so define the variables you'd like to print with `PRINT_VARS := VAR1 VAR2 VAR3`.
@@ -88,6 +88,11 @@ To see the available colors and formatting(bold,italic,etc.) use the hidden reci
 **Note**: Any help commands starting with an underscore will be ignored.
 To view hidden `tasks` (or recipes in GNU Make land) you can use `make _help`.
 
+In addition, you can use custom colors using the builtin `ansi.custom` or (`a.custom`) method.
+It has two optional arguments `fg` and `bg`. Which can be used to specify either an 8-bit color from the [256 colors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-bit_color).
+Or a tuple/list to define an RBG 24-bit color, for instance `a.custom(fg=(5,10,255))`.
+See this project's `make info` for an example.
+
 ## Configuration
 
 You can quickly customize some of the default behavior of `task.mk` by overriding the below variables prior to the `-include .task.mk`.
@@ -111,6 +116,12 @@ define USAGE ?=
 endef
 ```
 
+To use a custom color for one of the predefined configuration variables specify only the custom method.
+
+```make
+HEADER_COLOR = custom(fg=171,bg=227)
+```
+
 **NOTE**: `HELP_SEP` does not change the argument definitions syntax only the format of `make help`.
 
 ## Advanced Usage: Embedded Python Scripts
@@ -162,7 +173,7 @@ zstyle ':completion::complete:make:*:targets' call-command true
 ## Why Make?
 
 There are lot of `GNU Make` alternatives but none have near the same level of ubiquity.
-This project attaches to `make` some of native features of [`just`](https://github.com/casey/just), a command runner.
+This project attaches to `make` some of the native features of [`just`](https://github.com/casey/just), a command runner.
 
 Just is a great task runner, but it suffers two problems, users probably don't have it installed already, and there is no way to define file specific recipes.
 Most of my `Makefile`'s are comprised primarily of handy `.PHONY` recipes, but I always end up with a few file specific recipes.
@@ -170,13 +181,13 @@ Most of my `Makefile`'s are comprised primarily of handy `.PHONY` recipes, but I
 Another interesting project I've evaluated for these purposes is [`go-task/task`](https://github.com/go-task/task).
 `Task` has many of the features of `GNU Make` and some novel features of it's own.
 But like `just` it's a tool people don't usually already have and it's configured using a `yaml` file.
-`Yaml` files can be finicky to work with and and it uses a golang based shell runtime not your native shell, which might lead to unexpected behavior.
+`Yaml` files can be finicky to work with and and it uses a golang based shell runtime, not your native shell, which might lead to unexpected behavior.
 
 
 ## Simpler Alternative
 
 But I just want a basic help output, surely I don't need python for this... you would be right.
-`Task.mk` replaces my old `make help` recipe boilerplate which may better serve you.
+`Task.mk` replaces my old `make help` recipe boilerplate which may better serve you (so long as you have `sed`/`awk`).
 
 
 ```make
diff --git a/src/ansi.py b/src/ansi.py
index 8b27e97..b4c9a3d 100644
--- a/src/ansi.py
+++ b/src/ansi.py
@@ -31,12 +31,6 @@ def bg(byte):
 class Ansi:
     """ANSI color codes"""
 
-    def setcode(self, name, escape_code):
-        if not sys.stdout.isatty() or os.getenv("NO_COLOR", False):
-            setattr(self, name, "")
-        else:
-            setattr(self, name, escape_code)
-
     def __init__(self):
         self.setcode("end", "\033[0m")
         for name, byte in color2byte.items():
@@ -48,6 +42,42 @@ class Ansi:
         for name, byte in state2byte.items():
             self.setcode(name, f"\033[{byte}m")
 
+    def setcode(self, name, escape_code):
+        """create attr for style and escape code"""
+
+        if not sys.stdout.isatty() or os.getenv("NO_COLOR", False):
+            setattr(self, name, "")
+        else:
+            setattr(self, name, escape_code)
+
+    def custom(self, fg=None, bg=None):
+        """use custom color"""
+
+        code, end = "\033[", "m"
+        if fg:
+            if isinstance(fg, int):
+                code += f"38;5;{fg}"
+            elif (isinstance(fg, list) or isinstance(fg, tuple)) and len(fg) == 1:
+                code += f"38;5;{fg[0]}"
+            elif (isinstance(fg, list) or isinstance(fg, tuple)) and len(fg) == 3:
+                code += f"38;2;{';'.join((str(i) for i in fg))}"
+            else:
+                print("Expected one or three values for fg as a list")
+                sys.exit(1)
+
+        if bg:
+            if isinstance(bg, int):
+                code += f"{';' if fg else ''}48;5;{bg}"
+            elif (isinstance(bg, list) or isinstance(bg, tuple)) and len(bg) == 1:
+                code += f"{';' if fg else ''}48;5;{bg[0]}"
+            elif (isinstance(bg, list) or isinstance(bg, tuple)) and len(bg) == 3:
+                code += f"{';' if fg else ''}48;2;{';'.join((str(i) for i in bg))}"
+            else:
+                print("Expected one or three values for bg as a list")
+                sys.exit(1)
+
+        return code + end
+
 
 a = ansi = Ansi()
 #% endblock %#
diff --git a/src/help.py b/src/help.py
index 86204f8..1878213 100644
--- a/src/help.py
+++ b/src/help.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def get_help(file):
 print(f"""$(USAGE)""")
 
 goals = list(get_help(makefile))
-if os.getenv("SORT_HELP",False):
+if os.getenv("SORT_HELP", False):
     goals.sort(key=lambda i: i[0])
 goal_len = max(len(goal[0]) for goal in goals)