RGB vs CMYK – why does it matter?

I’ve had two clients recently having a bit of trouble with colour in their marketing materials. Why? Because the person who created their brand identity never considered print. 🤯

Most businesses, at some point, will require some kind of printed material – flyers, business cards, banner stands, exhibition stands, merchandise… the list goes on. But too often I’m supplied with brand guidelines that have no CMYK values, which means no consideration has been given to how the colours will look in print, only on screen.

RGB vs CMYK – what’s the difference?

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is the colour model used by screens – your phone, your laptop, your TV. It works by combining light, which means it can display a vast range of vibrant, saturated colours.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) is the colour model used in print. It works by layering ink on paper, which is a much more limited process, and that means the colour range (or gamut) is significantly smaller.

RGB has a much wider colour gamut than CMYK, which means there are millions of colours that look stunning on screen but simply cannot be accurately reproduced in print.

The neon pink problem

Take neon pink as a real-world example. Looks great on screen (used correctly). But try to print it in CMYK and you’ll get a washed-out version that looks nothing like what you see on your monitor.

You can get neon pink in print — but you’d need to use Pantone spot inks, which come with their own associated costs and considerations. That’s not the right solution for every business.

This is exactly why your colour choices have to be print-safe from the very beginning, not retrofitted later.

What should you do?

If there’s any chance you’ll ever print something — and most businesses will — your brand colours need to work in both RGB and CMYK. A good brand designer will provide both values in your brand guidelines as standard.

If yours didn’t, it’s worth getting it sorted before you’re faced with a print deadline and a colour that doesn’t translate.

Not sure if your brand colours are print-safe? Get in touch – I love this stuff, and I’m happy to take a look.