What's the difference between RGB and CMYK?

The difference between RGB and CMYK color modes :

First, let’s take a look at the RGB color mode: this additive color space is made up of the three primary colors Red, Green and Blue. The human eye perceives colors by mixing these three basic colors. This is why RGB colors are also commonly referred to as screen colors. They are mainly used to represent color images on screens or televisions.

In contrast, the CMYK colorimetric mode is known as the subtractive color model. This model consists of the color components Cyan, Magenta and Yellow, supplemented by the component Black. As the three basic colors C-M-J do not represent deep black, the color model has been supplemented by the printing color Black. All colors can thus be represented by mixing the different color parts. The CMYK model forms the basis of modern four-color printing.

Colors created in RGB cannot be printed. They are automatically converted to CMYK before the printing process. This can lead to inaccurate color results. To avoid this, we ask you to create your print files or colors in CMYK for printing.

To help you, we’ve put together an information sheet on the correct creation of print files, which you can view and download here.