RGB and CMYK color models: an affordable guide

Additive model
Additive colors are created using a method that combines many different shades. Red, green and blue are the main colors that are used in the additive model. Combinations of two of these colors create an additional color: cyan, magenta, or yellow.
You often see RGB images on TVs and computer monitors. This mode can only be used by devices that generate light. An image made in RGB is only suitable for printing on a digital printer.

If you want the layout to be professionally printed, you will have to change the color mode to CMYK.

CMYK:
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. This is a subtractive model, the opposite of RGB. In it, colors are subtracted from natural white light into pigments, which are then printed on paper with tiny dots. For example, subtracting magenta from yellow will give red. Continue reading →