The CMYK color model is a subtractive color model. It refers to the four ink plates used in some color printing:

Cyan

Magenta

Yellow

Key (Black)

The RGB color model is an additive color model in which Red, Green and Blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors.

The main purpose of RGB is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems such as tv and computers. 

It has also been used in conventional photography.

Scanners, digital cameras and computer monitors use red, green and blue (RGB) light to display color.

Commercial printing presses print with cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) ink, called process printing, instead of RGB light, and therefore produce a different range of color.

To print on a four-color press, all RGB files must be converted into CMYK color.

Certain RGB colors that you can see on your monitor (in particular, bright blue, green and red) cannot be replicated with standard CMYK inks. These unachievable RGB colors are said to be “out of the CMYK color gamut.” When selecting colors for your print project, use CMYK color builds to avoid potential RGB conversion issues.

You are more likely to notice color shifts with solid bright backgrounds.

Color photographs do not suffer much from the RGB-CMYK conversion

All RGB files must be translated into CMYK. This conversion can be easily done in most image editing or graphic arts programs.

Most people are surprised at how well their print job matches what they see. But because of wide differences in monitor calibration and the different technologies used, some printed colors may not exactly match the colors on your specific monitor.

Due to variation in conditions and equipment, we do not recommend using home or office printers to predict how images or color will render when printed at our facility.

If you require precise color match, please contact us to arrange for a digital color proof. We will produce and send you a hard proof on equipment calibrated to our standard. When you approve and return the proof, we will strive to match the color of the proof when printing your final piece.