Colour Management

One of the most difficult challenges for the printing industry is matching the colour you see on a computer screen, with the colour in a printed document.

Why is that? Because computer screens use RGB, or Red Green Blue, to define colour. In contrast, printers use four ink colours - Cyan Magenta Yellow Black, or CMYK, as their base colours. Any printed colour is mixed from these four bases. Converting from RGB into CMYK colours so that printed material looks the same as the screen image can be very difficult.

There are other factors at play with colour as well, including:

Paper

The better the quality of the paper, the better the colour print. Types of things to consider with paper include:

• Coated versus uncoated paper - Coated paper has a surface which creates a smoother, even finish and holds the ink better and gives a much better colour reproduction. With uncoated paper the reproduction will not be as clear because the toner is absorbed partly into the paper, rather than the toner sitting on the surface as it does with coated paper. 
• Bright/dull – Paper that is classed as 'bright’ reflects more light and will therefore make colour more vibrant.
• Colour of paper – If you use a bright white paper the resulting printed colour will look different when compared with printing on to a dull cream, or a coloured paper.

Image quality

To get a good reproduction from a printed photo you need to have a good quality image to start off with. The image needs to be 300dpi for a quality print. See How do I? for more information about image quality.

Digital versus offset

Offset, or traditional, printing will give you a higher quality of colour than digital printing. However, digital printing is far more cost effective.