Colour that looks right on a screen will not necessarily reproduce identically in print.
The reason is that screens and printing presses create colour in fundamentally different ways.
Screens normally display colour using RGB — Red, Green and Blue light. Commercial printing commonly reproduces colour using CMYK — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks. Where a particular colour needs to be reproduced using a dedicated ink rather than a combination of CMYK, a spot colour may be specified.
Understanding the difference between these colour systems helps avoid unexpected changes between artwork, proof and finished print.
As an independent print-management company, Cliffe Enterprise can consider colour requirements alongside the artwork, paper, printing process, proofing requirements, quantity and budget when selecting an appropriate production route.
What Is CMYK?
CMYK stands for:
- Cyan;
- Magenta;
- Yellow; and
- Key, meaning Black.
CMYK is the standard four-colour process used for a large proportion of commercial colour printing.
Different combinations of the four process colours reproduce a broad range of colours, photographs and illustrations.
A photographic image does not therefore require hundreds of different coloured inks. The appearance of many colours can be created through controlled combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Why Is CMYK Called Subtractive Colour?
CMYK is described as a subtractive colour system.
Paper begins by reflecting light.
As printing inks are applied, they absorb — or subtract — parts of the light that would otherwise be reflected.
Different combinations of cyan, magenta and yellow therefore create different perceived colours.
Black is added as a separate process colour to provide practical control over dark tones, contrast, text and other elements.
What Is RGB?
RGB stands for:
- Red;
- Green; and
- Blue.
RGB is an additive colour system used by devices that create colour with light, including:
- computer monitors;
- televisions;
- tablets;
- smartphones;
- cameras; and
- other digital displays.
By combining different amounts of red, green and blue light, screens can display a wide range of colours.
When red, green and blue light are combined at full intensity, the result is white.
This is fundamentally different from creating colour with printing inks on paper.
Why Can RGB Look Different When Printed?
RGB and CMYK do not reproduce exactly the same range of colours.
Some bright or highly saturated colours that can be displayed on an RGB screen cannot be reproduced identically using standard CMYK process inks.
When RGB artwork is converted to the colour space required for print, colours outside the reproducible gamut need to be mapped to colours that the printing process can produce.
That can change their appearance.
This is why a very bright colour on a monitor may appear less vivid when reproduced in CMYK.
The screen itself also matters. Brightness, calibration and viewing conditions can all affect how colour appears electronically.
A screen should therefore not automatically be treated as an accurate prediction of printed colour.
Should Print Artwork Be CMYK?
Artwork intended for conventional CMYK commercial printing should normally be prepared and supplied according to the colour requirements of the selected production workflow.
That commonly means that print-ready artwork is supplied using an appropriate CMYK workflow rather than leaving uncontrolled RGB content to be converted unexpectedly later.
However, colour management is more sophisticated than simply applying a blanket rule that RGB must never exist anywhere in a production workflow.
Modern prepress systems can perform controlled colour conversions where appropriate.
The important point is that the required output condition and conversion process should be understood rather than left to chance.
What Is a Spot Colour?
A spot colour is printed using a separately specified ink rather than being created solely from combinations of CMYK process colours.
Spot colours can be useful where:
- a particular brand colour is important;
- greater consistency is required;
- the colour lies outside the practical CMYK gamut;
- metallic inks are required;
- fluorescent colours are required; or
- the design deliberately uses one or more specific inks.
A spot colour normally requires its own printing unit or production step on conventional printing equipment.
Is Pantone the Same as a Spot Colour?
Pantone is a widely used colour specification system and Pantone references are commonly used to specify spot colours.
However, the underlying production concept is spot-colour printing: a dedicated colour is specified and reproduced separately from the normal CMYK process set.
Pantone references can provide a useful common language between designer, client and manufacturer.
The appearance of a printed colour can still be influenced by the substrate, ink, printing process and viewing conditions.
A colour reference should therefore not be interpreted as meaning that every printed surface will look visually identical.
CMYK vs Spot Colour: Which Should You Use?
Neither is universally better.
CMYK is extremely effective for reproducing:
- photographs;
- illustrations;
- multi-coloured artwork;
- gradients; and
- general full-colour commercial print.
Spot colours become particularly useful where a specific colour requirement cannot be achieved satisfactorily through process CMYK alone.
The decision should be based on the artwork and required result rather than simply the size of the print run.
A spot colour is not inherently something that should only be used for large quantities.
Quantity affects the economics, but colour requirement determines whether the process is useful.
Can CMYK Reproduce Brand Colours?
Often, yes — but not always exactly.
Many brand colours can be reproduced satisfactorily using CMYK.
Others may fall outside the CMYK gamut or require tighter consistency than normal process reproduction can provide.
If a brand has formal colour standards, establish:
- the specified colour references;
- whether CMYK equivalents are permitted;
- how critical the match is;
- the paper being used;
- the printing process; and
- the required proofing or approval method.
That information should be established before production rather than attempting to resolve colour expectations after the job has been printed.
Why Does Paper Affect Printed Colour?
Printing ink is not viewed independently from the surface beneath it.
Paper can influence the appearance of colour through characteristics including:
- shade;
- whiteness;
- coating;
- absorbency;
- surface texture; and
- opacity.
A colour printed on a bright coated white stock may therefore appear different when reproduced on a warmer uncoated paper.
This does not necessarily mean that either result is incorrect.
They are different combinations of ink, substrate and printing conditions.
Paper and colour should therefore be considered together.
Coated vs Uncoated Paper and Colour
Coated papers generally control ink interaction differently from uncoated papers and can support sharp image detail and strong colour reproduction.
Uncoated papers absorb and scatter light differently and can create a softer visual result.
That can be entirely intentional.
A premium uncoated corporate brochure, for example, may deliberately favour tactile character and a softer reproduction style over the appearance associated with a coated photographic stock.
The correct paper depends on the intended result.
Why Doesn’t Printed Colour Exactly Match My Screen?
Several factors can create differences:
- RGB and CMYK have different colour gamuts;
- screens create colour with light;
- print is viewed using reflected light;
- monitors vary in calibration and brightness;
- paper shade affects the printed appearance;
- inks and printing processes have defined reproduction characteristics;
- ambient viewing light changes colour perception.
For colour-critical work, a normal office monitor should therefore not be the sole approval reference.
What Is Colour Management?
Colour management is the controlled process used to translate colour between devices and production conditions.
Different devices — cameras, monitors, proofing systems and printing presses — reproduce colour differently.
Colour-management workflows use defined colour information and profiles to make those translations more predictable.
The objective is not to make every device physically identical.
It is to manage the conversion between them in a controlled way so that the intended printed result can be predicted and reproduced appropriately.
What Is a Colour Profile?
A colour profile describes the colour behaviour of a device or defined output condition.
Profiles can be used when converting artwork between colour spaces and preparing files for a particular printing workflow.
The appropriate profile depends on the production conditions.
There is therefore no sensible universal instruction to apply one CMYK profile to every possible commercial print job regardless of paper and printing process.
The production route should determine the appropriate requirements.
What Is Total Ink Coverage?
CMYK artwork can place several process inks in the same area.
The combined amount of ink is often referred to as total ink coverage or total area coverage.
Excessive ink coverage can create production problems depending on the paper and printing process.
Appropriate limits vary with the output condition.
For this reason, artwork preparation should follow the requirements of the selected production workflow rather than relying on one arbitrary ink-limit figure for every job.
Rich Black vs 100% Black
Black text and large solid black areas do not always require the same colour construction.
Small black text is commonly produced using black alone because this avoids unnecessary registration complexity.
Large solid black areas may sometimes use a controlled combination of black and other process colours to create a visually deeper result.
This is often called rich black.
The exact colour build should follow the production requirements rather than using an uncontrolled combination of all four process colours.
What Is Overprint?
Overprint allows one printed element to print over another rather than automatically knocking the underlying colour out.
It can be useful in appropriate situations, particularly for certain black elements.
Incorrect overprint settings can also cause artwork to reproduce differently from what was expected.
For that reason, overprint behaviour should be checked during prepress rather than assumed from how the artwork appears in a normal screen view.
What Is a Colour Proof?
A colour proof is used to predict or assess how colour is expected to reproduce before the final production run.
Not every proof provides the same level of colour assurance.
A basic PDF or screen proof can be useful for checking content, pagination and general appearance but should not automatically be treated as an accurate physical colour reference.
Where colour is critical, a calibrated or contract proof may be appropriate depending on the printing process and project requirements.
The required level of proofing should be established before production.
Process Colour vs Spot Colour for Logos
A logo does not automatically need to be printed using a spot colour.
Many logos reproduce satisfactorily through CMYK, particularly where the surrounding job is already being produced in four-colour process.
A dedicated spot colour may be worthwhile where:
- brand standards require it;
- CMYK cannot reproduce the required colour satisfactorily;
- a metallic or fluorescent ink is required; or
- the design and manufacturing economics support the additional colour.
The choice should therefore follow the brand and production requirement.
Can Digital Printing Reproduce Spot Colours?
Digital printing technologies vary considerably.
Many digital presses primarily reproduce colour through process colour sets and may simulate a specified spot colour rather than printing a conventionally mixed dedicated ink.
Some digital systems offer expanded colour sets, specialist toners or inks that can extend the available gamut or create particular effects.
The achievable result therefore depends on the individual production equipment.
Where an exact or unusual brand colour is important, the specific manufacturing route needs to be assessed rather than assuming all digital presses behave identically.
Can Sheetfed and Web Offset Print Spot Colours?
Many offset presses have additional printing units that can be used for spot colours, coatings or other applications.
The practical capability depends on the individual press configuration and job.
Adding a spot colour can also affect setup, plate requirements and manufacturing cost.
This is another reason colour specification should be considered alongside the production route.
How Does Colour Affect Printing Cost?
Standard CMYK production is highly efficient for general full-colour work.
Additional spot colours or specialist inks can add:
- additional ink;
- plates or setup;
- press units;
- wash-up;
- proofing requirements; and
- production complexity.
The commercial effect depends on quantity, printing process and press configuration.
A dedicated spot colour may be entirely justified where brand or design requirements demand it.
The question is whether the additional production step adds sufficient value to the finished product.
How Cliffe Manages Colour Requirements
Cliffe Enterprise manages print independently rather than requiring every job to fit one manufacturing plant.
We can consider colour alongside:
- artwork;
- paper;
- quantity;
- printing process;
- brand requirements;
- proofing;
- finishing;
- schedule; and
- budget.
For routine commercial work, standard CMYK production may be entirely appropriate.
For colour-critical work, the requirement may justify tighter proofing, controlled colour management or dedicated spot colours.
For unusual metallic, fluorescent or other specialist requirements, the manufacturing capability needs to be selected accordingly.
The objective is not to specify the most complicated colour process.
It is to establish the colour requirement and then select an appropriate production route.
Printing Colour FAQs
What does CMYK stand for?
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key, meaning Black.
These four process colours are widely used in commercial printing.
What does RGB stand for?
RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue.
It is an additive colour system primarily used by screens and other devices that create colour using light.
Why does RGB look brighter than CMYK?
RGB displays can reproduce some bright colours that fall outside the gamut available to standard CMYK printing.
Screen brightness also contributes to the visual difference.
Should print files be RGB or CMYK?
Print-ready artwork should follow the colour requirements of the selected production workflow.
For conventional CMYK production, this normally involves an appropriate controlled CMYK output rather than relying on unexpected conversion later in production.
What is a spot colour?
A spot colour uses a separately specified ink rather than creating the colour solely from combinations of CMYK.
Is Pantone a spot colour?
Pantone references are commonly used to specify spot colours.
The actual printed appearance can still be influenced by paper, ink, process and viewing conditions.
Is Pantone more accurate than CMYK?
A dedicated spot colour can be useful where a particular colour needs to be reproduced more consistently or lies outside the practical CMYK gamut.
That does not mean every job requires spot-colour printing.
Can CMYK match Pantone colours?
Some Pantone colours can be approximated well using CMYK while others cannot be reproduced exactly within the CMYK gamut.
The acceptable result depends on the particular colour and project requirements.
Why does colour look different on uncoated paper?
Paper shade, surface and absorbency affect how printed colour appears.
The same nominal colour can therefore look different on coated and uncoated stocks.
Do I need a colour proof?
For routine work, the normal approval process may be sufficient.
For colour-critical work, a calibrated or contract proof may be appropriate.
The proofing requirement should be agreed before production.
Can Cliffe help with colour-critical printing?
Yes.
If colour is important, provide the artwork, brand colour requirements, intended paper and any existing colour references or proofs.
We can consider those requirements when selecting the production route and appropriate proofing process.
Need Help With Printing Colour?
If you already have print-ready artwork and a complete specification, send it to us and we can assess the appropriate production route.
If you’re unsure about CMYK, spot colours, paper or proofing, involve us before the artwork and specification are completely fixed.
That gives us the opportunity to consider colour, paper, production method, proofing and cost together.
