RGB vs CMYK - Printing, Color Profiles & Graphics

When anyone begins working in graphic design or gets acquainted with professional printing services, they most likely run into something they have never heard of before; CMYK. CMYK is a color profile mode used a lot in graphic designing, and a main type of printing process used in the printing industry. It’s different from the RGB mode that your desktop printer uses and it’s important that you understand the differences and how these will affect your marketing materials and graphic designs.

RGB & CMYK Color Profiles

We’ll start by examining what each printing style means then move on to more complexities. RGB is literally the acronym for “Red, Green, Blue” and CMYK is “Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black” (it’s common that people question why black is represented as “K”). You may remember the visible color spectrum is made up of the 3 primary colors - red, green and blue. These 3 colors combined make up all other colors in the visible color spectrum. So why choose CMYK?

On printed materials CMYK gives us more defined and better looking colors. For this reason there are droves of people who prefer to use CMYK over RGB, especially in commercial printing. You simply avail yourself more possibilities and color variances when introducing the fourth factor.

Selecting Your Color Mode

The color mode you choose for your artwork should be based on the requirements of your printing company. It is important to note there are certain colors in RGB mode that a CMYK printer may have trouble matching or producing. Moreover, if the printer you’re working with uses CMYK, it’s very important that the color profile you design in is also CMYK, and vice versa. If you’re working with an RGB printer, you need to work with an RGB color palette in your design program. Failure to do so will result in poorer quality graphics and colors that do not match your digital design. Many printers require you work with CMYK, as it’s more or less the gang run industry standard. Listen to your printer or pick the one that you think is best for your project. There is another aspect to this however; digital vs analog.

CMYK & RGB in Digital vs Printed

There is an obvious difference in CMYK and RGB when comparing physical printed materials. RBG artwork and images look more impressive on a computer monitor or handheld device, but CMYK work looks better when printed. In fact, most every graphic that will be printed physically will be printed using CMYK. Why? The colors look better when printed CMYK than they would if they were in RGB mode.

If you are working entirely with digital art and the design will not be printed, then you should use the RGB color mode. If you’re working with designs or marketing materials that will be printed by a professional, then you should use CMYK.

There you have it. The core difference between RGB and CMYK is the amount of colors and variants possible and at your disposal. Which one you should implement depends on the purpose of your job and final use of the graphic. Digital or web graphics should be in RGB format. If your art is for business cards, printed yard signs or something of that nature, then most times your work will be in CMYK colors.

Lastly, be careful not to let color mode converting ruin the way your graphics look by choosing and working with the right color mode from the get-go, thus avoiding the conversion process altogether. Get in contact with our graphic design team if you need help.