COLOUR CONVERSION
What is the Difference between RGB, CMYK and Spot colour?
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RGB is the colour gamut used to display images on computer screens, and stands for Red, Green and Blue. |
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CMYK is the colour gamut used for conventional printing, and stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. |
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Pantone Spot Colours are special pre-mixed inks, similar to mixing paint such as blue and yellow to get green, but with much more precision. |
Because RGB uses light, the more colours overlap, the whiter they get. Because CMYK uses ink, the more colours overlap the blacker they become.
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Why does my artwork need to be The RGB colour spectrum is much larger than CMYK, and if you supply artwork as RGB, what you get when it’s printed may differ markedly from what you supplied. Most colours will be much the same, but bright colours will appear duller, particularly greens, blues and pinks. Before you save your file, make sure you have converted it to CMYK so you will have a truer idea of what it will look like when printed.
RGB PACKAGES Here are the most common software packages that use RGB colour:
We recommend avoiding bright primary neon colours ar these will change radically. Here are some of the worst examples of colour conversions:
If your artwork contains RGB or Spot colours, our system will automatically convert those colours to the closest possible CMYK colour. |
FINALLY,
here’s our colour conversion quick tip…
It’s important that you set your colour mode to CMYK before you start designing your artwork.
If you create your artwork and then convert RGB or Spot colours at a later stage, then your colours may be negatively affected.