Though CMYK and RGB may appear to be the most recent text-speak acronyms, they are actually two ways of describing colour in professional printing.
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (or black). These four colours make up the majority of print colours and are the primary colour cartridges you’d buy for a home desktop printer.
CMYK is a four-color process that describes the range of colours that can be obtained by combining only these four colours. Though CMYK has a good range, you can mix in Pantone colours to get a five- or even six-color process. CMYK is the gold standard for printing colours and is by far the most common colour process.
RGB colour is what you see when you look at your computer screen. It is an additive colour model that uses red, green, and blue light to create any colour combination. While you can create a design in RGB, when it comes time to print, you must convert it to CMYK.
Certain RGB colours cannot be replicated with CMYK inks, which is why the four colour printing process (CMYK) is frequently used to avoid RGB conversion issues. If your logo contains a specific colour, you may need to use the Pantone Matching System to meet your specific colour requirements.
What exactly is the Pantone Matching System®?
Pantone® is a colour matching system that is patented and standardised. Instead of combining CMYK variations to create a colour, the Pantone system features distinct colours on their own.
Because the colours are standardised, different manufacturers in different locations can use a Pantone number to ensure that two colours match perfectly. The end result for your brand is complete consistency regardless of where you print.
