CMYK is a color model used for printing physical materials like stickers, labels, brochures, flyers, and books. CMYK is made up of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black), and it’s the standard color mode used for printing. Here’s a breakdown of what makes it tick and why it’s important:
What is CMYK?
- How it Works: Printers use CMYK inks to layer tiny dots of these four colors onto paper or other materials. By combining these dots in varying intensities, printers create a full spectrum of colors.
- Subtractive Color Model: Unlike RGB, which adds light to create colors, CMYK subtracts light. When all four colors are combined at full intensity, they create a deep, rich black (or near-black).
Why CMYK Matters for Printing
- Color Accuracy: CMYK is designed specifically for physical media, ensuring colors look consistent and predictable when printed.
- Different from RGB: Bright, vibrant colors in the RGB model (like neons) don’t always translate directly to CMYK, which can lead to softer, muted tones.
- Color Matching: If you have specific brand colors, providing exact CMYK values ensures your prints stay true to your vision.
Fun Fact About Key (Black)
The “K” stands for “Key” because black is the key plate in four-color printing. It brings depth and detail to your design that cyan, magenta, and yellow alone can’t achieve.
What is RGB?
RGB is a color model used for computer monitors, TVs, smartphones, and other electronics. RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue, the three primary light colors. Here's how it works and why it matters in the printing process:
- How it Works: RGB combines different intensities of red, green, and blue light to create a wide range of colors. By mixing these colors, your screen can display millions of hues, including bright, vibrant shades.
- Applications: RGB is perfect for digital content like websites, apps, and digital artwork. It’s optimized for light-emitting screens, not physical media.
RGB vs. Printing
When it comes to printing, RGB needs to be converted into CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black), the color model used by printers. This conversion can affect your colors in the following ways:
- Brightness and Vibrancy: Some RGB colors, especially neons and super-bright shades, don’t exist in the CMYK color spectrum. They’ll appear softer or less vibrant in print. RGB will always appear brighter and more vibrant than the CMYK conversion.
- Color Matching: Without converting your file to CMYK before proofing, you might end up with surprises in the printed version.
Why It’s Important
Understanding RGB helps set realistic expectations. If your design was created in RGB, converting it to CMYK during the proofing process is essential to see how it will look once printed. That’s why we recommend building your design in CMYK from the start if you’re planning to print.
What do we use?
The printers we use at Sticker Giant are set up using a specific CMYK color mode. When our art department sets up a proof, we automatically convert all files to our specific color mode, to ensure the proof matches the mode of our printers. This means that even if your file is set up in CMYK if your selected mode is different from ours, the colors could vary from your original art file to the proof. If you have specific colors to match, make sure to send us those CMYK values in the Special Instructions field so that we can double-check that your files are set up correctly!
There are some colors printed in CMYK that tend to shift slightly when printed. Reds and blues tend to shift more than yellows, browns, or greens. For more details about color, check out this resource! If you have any other questions about color and want to ensure your artwork will print exactly as you are expecting, reach out to our Customer Service team to advise you on your colors!