D
ESKTOP
C
OLOR
P
RIMER
66
The
subtractive primaries
are cyan, magenta, and yellow; they absorb red, green, and blue
light, respectively (as illustrated in the following figure). Combining any two subtractive
primaries creates a new color that is relatively pure or saturated. For example, you can make
red by combining magenta and yellow, which absorb green and blue light, respectively. White
occurs when no colorant is applied. In theory, combining all three subtractive primaries yields
black, but due to deficiencies of cyan, magenta, and yellow colorants, combining these three
primaries actually yields a muddy brown. Black colorant is added to compensate for the
deficiencies of cyan, magenta, and yellow colorants. Consequently, color printing uses four
process colors
: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK (
CMYK
). The use of black toner produces
neutral solid blacks and allows for improved rendering of black text.