| By :
Mark Etinger
Process color printing can use different color models. They will have different results and applications when appropriate so it's useful to understand both. Many process color printing places will use what is known as the CMYK color model. This is a subtractive color model using four pigments: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). The reason it is known as subtractive is because it removes lightness from white. As the dyes overlap they create all sorts of variant colors. Ultimately the way in which these inks react will create the colors necessary for the print job. With printing, when a color complements another it means it can filter the amount of its opposition visible to our eyes. Cyan is a complement of red, so therefore the amount of cyan used will control how much red will be visible through it. Magenta reacts this way with green and yellow with blue. Combinations of the inks will produce a wide range for mass production. Halftones simulate solid colors by creating patterns of different colored dots too small for the eyes to perceive without magnification. The other color model is RGB, an additive color model (meaning it adds value to light, not removes it). More commonly known for its use in electronic systems and other digital formats, it can also be applied to photography and basic color printing. It uses the primaries red, green, and blue. Equal amounts of all three will allow us to perceive white. Any mix of the two or three will give rise to secondary and tertiary colors on the spectrum. This other form of color mixing originated with woodblock printing on textiles and paper materials. It developed further into lithography and other canvas materials. Now it has any number of applications. Basically you would find a color model that best fits the material on which you choose to print. So, different promo products may require additive or subtractive mixing. You will also achieve a different quality in the image, not necessary of higher or lower standard, but rather different aesthetically. One offers very crisp, defined tones. The other will have a slightly warmer or cooler feel depending on the percentage used of the ink. Obviously you should look up samples to see what applies in each given request. Once you understand color theory in terms of material application you can start to get creative with design and use the different formats to your advantage. This will offer your project to expand beyond its original limitations.
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