CMYK vs RGB: why your colours shift

“The colour is not the same as on screen.” It is the most common remark in a print shop, and it has a simple explanation.

Two ways of making a colour

A screen emits light: it mixes red, green and blue (RGB). The more it adds, the brighter it gets — white is the maximum.

Paper reflects light: the press lays down cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). The more ink, the darker it gets — white is simply bare paper.

What gets lost in translation

RGB can produce colours CMYK cannot make. The usual casualties:

• electric blues, which often turn purple;
• fluorescent greens and heavily saturated oranges, which calm down;
• neon shades in general, impossible in four-colour process.

This is not a printing fault: it is a physical limit of ink.

How to avoid the surprise

1. Work in CMYK from the start if your software allows it. You will see the achievable colours straight away.
2. Avoid neon shades for anything important, such as a logo.
3. For deep black over a large area, do not use 100 % black alone — it looks grey. A rich black (say 60 cyan, 40 magenta, 40 yellow, 100 black) reads far denser.
4. Ask for a proof copy before a large run if colour is critical, such as brand guidelines.

What if the colour must be exact?

For a visual identity there are Pantone colours, defined independently of any screen. Talk to us: we will tell you what can be reproduced and what cannot.

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