In many instances, computers use a different colour model called RGB (Red-Green-Blue) and are displayed with light. This tends to give a very bright, high contrast image. The full colour printing process uses CMYK and puts transparent ink on paper. In printed materials, the light combination of RGB cannot be directly reproduced; so computer-generated images must be converted to the CMYK equivalent in ink colours. In RGB, the convergence of the three primary additive colours produces white. In CMYK, the convergence of the three primary subtractive colours produces black.

In RGB, the overlapping of additive colours (red, green and blue) results in subtractive colours (cyan, magenta and yellow). In CMYK, the overlapping of subtractive colours (cyan, magenta and yellow) results in additive colours (red, green and blue). Additionally, the colours in RGB are much brighter than the colours in CMYK. It is possible to attain a much larger percentage of the visible spectrum with RGB, which is due to the fact that RGB uses transmitted light while CMYK uses reflected light.

The best way to print your desired colour is to purchase a colour guide or colour combination book that gives you CMYK mixtures and shows how they will appear printed. Click here to find a full range of Pantone products we offer at great prices.