Each type of medium has its own color scheme. Every medium—whether print or online, for example—uses its own color system. These include RGB for screens, CMYK for print, HEX for the web, and Pantone for certain printing processes.
CMYK (print)
CMYK is probably the best-known color system. The abbreviation stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key. The system consists of four primary colors, with the “K” in Key standing for black, because mixing cyan, magenta, and yellow cannot produce black—at most, brown. By mixing these four colors, all other colors are created.
RGB (screen)
RGB consists of the colors Red, Green, and Blue and has a range from 0 to 255. To create new colors, the colors are mixed within this range. RGB is used for screens. Because it is based on light, RGB can also be used to create very bright, neon-like colors.
RGB on the left, CMYK on the right
HTML/HEX (#) (web)
HTML colors are denoted by a #, followed by 6 digits and/or numbers. These color codes are used for the web. For example, #000000 is the color black. The color gold is #FFD700, and the color indigo is #4B0082.
HTML Color Examples
PANTONE (print)
Pantone is a company that produces specific colors and has documented their formulas in a Pantone color guide. Each Pantone color has a unique number. This unique number ensures that each color is precisely defined. So when you have something printed using Pantone colors, the result will be exactly the same here as it would be on the other side of the world.
Pantone colors
Why is this important to know?
It’s important to know that these systems exist and why they work so differently. For example, a flyer looks different on your screen than it does when it’s printed. This is because the color processing is different: on your screen, you see it in RGB, while in print it’s CMYK.
Printed materials can also turn out differently depending on the printer. This is because printers aren’t always calibrated the same way. To make a long story short: if you want to be sure everything turns out right, always request a proof before placing a large order.
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