Colored graphics usually contain vast amounts of different colors, which is especially true for art and photographs. Reproducing every color to put it on the page would be highly challenging, expensive, and time-intensive. Nevertheless, consumer-grade color printers exist and are often not prohibitively expensive. The reason is the invention of the CMYK process, which allows the approximation of the colors permitted by the RGB system typically used for digital colors with a smaller array that can be printed using a base of four colors. This report explores the method and its application by various color printers.
The colors used in the process are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, as opposed to the red, green, and blue trinity used in RGB. The reason for the difference is the fact that RGB can only be used with devices that emit light (“Color Systems – RGB & CMYK”). According to “Colour Theory and Printing,” the four specific colors are used because they can mix and absorb almost all light when applied consecutively. Small spots of colored ink are applied at various points so that their overlaps create the desired color (“How 4 Color Process Printing (CMYK) Works”). The system is considerably older than computers and digital software, and before appropriate software was invented, printing companies utilized specialized equipment to separate the colors.
Color printers utilize a technology called CMYK, which approximates colors using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Specialized software translates the RGB color values found in digital prototypes into the appropriate CMYK pattern and allows the printer to produce the image using the so-called subtractive method. The system enables cost-effective printing that is available to consumers but is still preferred by large-scale companies. The colors are usually applied consecutively, as simultaneous coloring is a mechanically challenging task that is restricted to expensive models.
Works Cited
“Color Systems – RGB & CMYK.” Color Matters. Web.
“Colour Theory and Printing.” Design & Technology. Web.
“How 4 Color Process Printing (CMYK) Works.” Printing for Less. Web.