RBG Color vs CMYK Color For Print | Printing for Less (2024)

FAQs

RBG Color vs CMYK Color For Print | Printing for Less? ›

RGB has a wider scope of colors that it can produce, while CMYK has less. This is where color shifting can come into play. To explain, before printing, the design file is converted from an RGB color profile to a CMYK color profile by the print provider, as we discussed.

Both RGB and CMYK are modes for mixing color in graphic design. As a quick reference, the RGB color mode is best for digital work, while CMYK is used for print products.

CMYK is a subtractive type of colour process, meaning unlike RGB, when colours are combined light is removed or absorbed making the colours darker instead of brighter. This results in a much smaller colour gamut—in fact, it's nearly half that of RGB.

First of all, Pantone color inks are more expensive than CMYK inks. Plus, the print equipment and plates need to be cleaned between each ink used, and jobs may require multiple pass throughs if using more than one Pantone ink color. Finally, the proprietary Pantone color guides are an added cost.

Essentially, any colors produced with RGB on the digital space will not create the same output on the physical print. This is based on the color gamut, which in other words means that translating RGB to CMYK usually allows the color to convert only as close to the original appearance of the display screen.

CMYK is a four-color process and stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), and is preferred for use on printed materials because it helps achieve a true color.

The reason printing uses CMYK comes down to an explanation of the colors themselves. CMY will cover most lighter color ranges quite easily, compared to using RGB. However, CMY by itself can't create very deep dark colors like “true black,” so black (designated “K” for “key color”) is added.

Unlike a screen image the brightness of a colour is created by adding additional ink to a solid white substrate rather than changing the intensity of light shining through a pixel. This means a CMYK print can only ever be as bright as the paper it is printed on.

So, if you want bright, solid colors is your guy. For example, 100% cyan and +100% yellow create a bright green. If your interpretation of “bright” does not necessarily mean “saturated,” you will have to tint those colors. Note that this is one thing at which process colors (CMYK) are the least effective.

CMYK is a 4 color process that creates an accurate tone for print. If you have a color that you want to be more vibrant your only option is to lower the amount of Black (K) in any color you are using. This is gonna adjust the color so be prepared to adjust a few to compensate.

Why use Pantone instead of RGB? ›

The colours used in RGB may look different across devices, so they aren't the best for consistent colours. Pantone colours will always produce the most sharp and accurate colours. The PMS is best to use when screen printing, textile/product manufacturing, or in cases where colour accuracy is important.

One of the main disadvantages of using CMYK for print is that it has a smaller color gamut than RGB, which means that it cannot reproduce some of the colors that RGB can. This can make your images look duller, darker, or less saturated than they appear on your screen.

CMYK's limitation is that it cannot produce the same vibrancy that can be achieved with Pantone or on-screen colours (RGB). The other downside is consistency – CMYK colours can look different on each printer and even within the same document.

Quite simply, RGB is unacceptable for printing. The good news is, there is an easy fix that can save time, money and disappointment before artwork is even sent to print. With design software such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, set up the document in CMYK mode.

Until now, it has not been possible to bring the multi-faceted and luminous RGB colour space onto paper or other substrates in a single printing process. As an additive colour system, RGB is reserved for luminous media such as screens or beamers. RGB are light colours, colour perception is created by mixing light.

Some print providers will not accept a print file with RGB images and color definitions, because their systems won't read the colors, because it takes extra work to prepare the file for print… or because they know that the translation their system applies won't always give an acceptable printed result.

Because the RGB scheme has a greater range of colors, CMYK cannot produce brighter colors. These hues are beyond the CMYK range and will come out darker and more dull when printed than what you see on your display.

The most brilliant colors achievable using CMYK are solids. First, 100% of cyan, magenta, and yellow will appear as the most colorful colors available in print. Again, these colors will not come out as bright as they appear onscreen. RGB color model has many more shades available than CMYK.

With CMYK printing, halftoning (also called screening) allows for less than full saturation of the primary colors; tiny dots of each primary color are printed in a pattern small enough that humans perceive a solid color.

RGB has a wider gamut (range of colors) than CMYK and includes bright, saturated, and fluorescent colors. All RGB images must eventually be converted to CMYK+ to be printed. RGB is an additive color system that uses the emitted light from a screen or projection.