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Introduction to Color Printing
Difference Between RGB and CMY
Have you ever tried comparing actual printed images and images
displayed on a personal computer? Have you ever noticed the
differences in their colors? Could this be a malfunction in the
printer? The answer is probably no. This is due to different
types of color generation systems used between printers and
PCs.
Television and Computer displays express various colors by
combining three colors referred to as the three primary colors
of light, namely red (R), green (G) and blue (B). Any color can
be created with these three colors. In addition, mixing equal
amounts of these three colors results in the color white (W).
This method is referred to as the additive color process because
it represents any color by adding the primary colors together in
different proportions.
The three basic colors used by printers are magenta, cyan and
yellow. Any color can be printed using these three colors.
Mixing equal amounts of these three colors results in the color
black. This method is referred to as the subtractive color process
because various colors are expressed by absorbing a portion of
the color white while reflecting the remaining colors.
Tip
• For example, if magenta (M) seems to be a little too strong during printing, this can be compen-
sated for by slightly increasing the green (G) with an adjustment of the printer.
