CMYK & RGB Explained

What is CMYK and RGB i hear you say, how do these 2 colour models work and when do we use them?

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow & black. These are the four colors of ink used in the four colour printing. CMYK is a color mixing system that depends on chemical pigments to achieve the desired hues.

Each image/print is made into a plate, each plate then has the desired amount of ink applied to it - when the four plates print onto a page, the colors recombine and forms the original image.

Now that we live in a digital age, much is made of the conversions between CMYK color and RGB.

 RGB color varies light, instead of pigment, we see RGB color on monitors that actually emit light rather than reflect existing light. Therefore, the screen image of a picture in RGB will never match the printed image in CMYK.

The RGB color model is an additive color model where red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.

CMYK is used for printed items. i.e. your company brochure, stationery and leaflets

RGB is used for screen viewing items. i.e. your website and eshots

For more important information on topics of design and print, please visit our website www.tridentdesign.co.uk