RGB vs. CMYK Color Models

Designers often struggle when a bright blue logo on their screen comes out looking dull and muddy when printed on paper. This happens because of the difference between Additive and Subtractive color.

RGB: Additive Color (Screens)

Screens start as black (darkness). To create color, we add light.

• Red
• Green
• Blue

If you mix Red + Green + Blue light together at full intensity, you get White.
Because we are working with light, we can create very bright, neon, saturated colors.

CMYK: Subtractive Color (Print)

Paper starts as white. To create color, we add ink which subtracts (absorbs) light.

• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow
• Key (Black)

If you mix Cyan + Magenta + Yellow ink together, you get a muddy dark brown. To get true black, printers add a dedicated Black (K) ink.
Printers cannot emit light; they only reflect it. Therefore, you cannot print neon colors or bright electric blues using standard ink.

The Gamut Warning

The "Gamut" is the range of colors a system can produce.

• RGB Gamut: Large. Millions of colors.
• CMYK Gamut: Small. Thousands of colors.

When you design for print, you must set your software to CMYK mode. This limits your color picker to "safe" colors. If you design in RGB and print, the printer will force-convert the colors, usually making them look dull.