How does printers make colors

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This is where it gets a little bit more complicated, but it basically comes down to the fact that Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan are the new and improved versions of their historic Red, Yellow, and Blue counterparts. Cyan overlaps blue and green, Yellow overlaps green and red, and Magenta overlaps red and blue. With these overlapping colors we can now begin subtracting lightwaves to create specific colors, for instance to create pure Red you would mix Yellow with Magenta.

Lucky for most of us, printing RGB files on a CMYK printer is not going to drastically misrepresent the colors of the image, but sometimes the color mismatch can be noticeable. Our Design Hints page has additional information and illustrations. Will the colors match a sample I print out on my own printer, or a previously printed sample? At PFL we calibrate our equipment to a very rigorous industry standard for ink density and color. Due to variation in conditions and equipment, we do not recommend using home or office printers to predict how images or color will render when printed at our facility.

If you require precise color match, please contact us to arrange for a digital color proof. We will produce and send you a hard proof on equipment calibrated to our standard. When you approve and return the proof, we will strive to match the color of the proof when printing your final piece. There can be additional charges for precise color match services.

Also, if you request color correction or other changes after you see your proof, there could be charges for color correction time and a new proof. It then applies this color to the paper and goes through the process again for the next color. Some printers add all four colors to a plate before placing the image on paper.

Some more expensive printers actually have a complete printer unit -- a laser assembly, a drum and a toner system -- for each color. The paper simply moves past the different drum heads, collecting all the colors in a sort of assembly line. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close.