When it comes to printing, instead of ticking the checkboxes for your image format, fonts, it is also important to check on the color mode to see whether your posters match with the computer image. There’s no doubt that it is as simple as clicking the option “convert to CMYK” in some photo editing softwares, but it sure is more than just that. The wisdom behind CMYK and its correspondence — RGB is far from what you expected. Now, let’s compare and contrast the two of them.What is RGB?RGB is the short form of the three primary colors Red, Green, Blue. It sounds familiar, right? It actually exists everywhere from your TVs, computer screens to any digital device you can think of. Basically, RGB is a color mode used to create colors on your digital displays. What about CMYK?Similarly, CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks used for printing. They are widely used to create a tone in standard printing procedures. Especially posters that count heavily on visuals, converting the color mode from RGB to CMYK is the standard protocol.Reasons for printed color differenceAs you know, RGB assists the color creation on light-emitting devices while CMYK is used for printed copies. Notice that paper absorbs and reflects light, CMYK colors, while absorbing light that is reflected by the paper, are also impacted by the paper color itself. Same pictures printed on different texture and colors of paper such as white paper and recycled paper will have different actual colors than that on the computer screen. Also, there is a limited variation of colors that CMYK color mode is able to create, meaning that not all the colors you can see on your computer monitor are able to create with CMYK. That being said, brown, green, and purple shades, and most of the bright colors are the limitations for color difference. Therefore, before every file is created, make sure they are created with the correct coding. When printed, designs generated in RGB will automatically convert to the closest CMYK color. Products like posters and banners are mostly printed in CMYK as it helps achieve the true colors.Tips to avoid color difference1. Make sure you have converted your design from RGB to CMYK before executing.2. Make sure the brightness of the monitor level.3. Use Pantone Color Library to ensure colors match with your print color as closest to your digital device4. Avoid using different viewing device5. Invest a good quality monitor
