CMYK is the acronym given to four colour used in printing. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. The letter K refers to the word ‘Key’. The three colours are carefully ‘keyed’ or aligned with the black. K is taken from the last letter of black as it’s not used in any other colour name. ie Blue or Brown.
CMYK colours vary from those you see on screen as they are made up of Red, Green and Blue, hence RGB. There are colours that appear on screen that can’t be replicated in the full colour printing process. This is why artwork is generally created in CMYK. Artwork set up in RGB can be converted to CMYK and therefore be printed but some colours may alter slightly during the conversation process. Our in-house creative team are always on hand to assist with any questions you may have regards colour formats.
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