Frequently Asked Questions
What is RGB and CMYK and why do I need to provide my file in CMYK Format?
For a Print Job, the file must be provided in CMYK, not RGB.
RGB and CMYK are known as ‘colour spaces’. RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. RGB is the ‘colour space’ used by computer monitors and digital cameras. All conventional and digital printing presses use CMYK.
RGB and CMYK have different colour ranges and RGB is capable of reproducing more colours than CMYK. RGB tends to be able to reproduce colours at the extremes of red, green and blue which CMYK is unable to reproduce. Therefore, bright reds, greens and blues will not be as bright when converted to CMYK.
If the images and background tints you work with in preparing your job use the RGB colour space at some point they will need to be converted to CMYK.
While conversion can be done during the printing process the results may not be as expected. It is much better for you to do the conversion before sending us the file so that you can see the results of the conversion. In many cases, you won’t see any difference, but if you are not happy with the result, you can do something about it. For example, you may be able to use Adobe PhotoShop to make adjustments to recover some of the brightness lost in the conversion process or you could try different conversion profiles to see which provides the best result.
Even though computer monitors display colours in the RGB colour space, your job will look more like the printed job if you convert it to CMYK and then view it on your monitor. We recommend you carry out the conversion process early in the process of preparing your job.
So for the best results, make sure your job has been converted from RGB to CMYK before sending it to us.
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