CMYK, RGB - What Does It All Mean?

CMYK is the color mixing system primarily used in print. In 1906, the Eagle Printing Company incorporated four-color wet process inks for the first time. These four colors were Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Combined, these four colors could produce an unlimited number of richer, darker tones.

CMYK uses the Subtractive Color Model.

This model shows sunlight or white light bouncing around interacting with everything in the world and how our eyes interpret that light. Black is often referred to as K (key) because printing plates are carefully keyed or aligned to the black plate.

RGB uses the Additive Color Model.

This model varies light to achieve a visiblecolor spectrum. The digital age ushered in the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color gamut. Computer screens emit light rather than reflect light. When all three colors are combined at high intensity, the display shows white.

Why is this important in printing? Next time you get a proof from your printer, you will understand the picture on your screen and the proofs in your hands were made by mixing colors very differently.

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