What is CMYK?

What it means for your file

Print files should be in CMYK so the colors you approve are the colors that print. Very bright screen colors can’t all be reproduced in CMYK.

How to fix it

If your printer sent the file back saying “The file is RGB, it needs to be CMYK,” the fix page has the step-by-step way to do it yourself, and a fixed price if you’d rather have it done.

How to fix “The file is RGB, it needs to be CMYK” →

Where else it comes up

• “Your black will print gray (or too much ink)”
• “Total ink coverage is too high”
• “Convert the spot colors to CMYK”

Related terms

Rich black

Rich black is black made from black ink plus some cyan, magenta and yellow, such as C60 M40 Y40 K100, to print deeper than black ink alone.

Pantone (spot color)

A Pantone or spot color is a specific pre-mixed ink, printed on its own instead of being built from CMYK, for exact and consistent brand colors.

Coated vs uncoated paper

Coated paper has a smooth, sealed surface (gloss, silk or matte) that holds ink on top for sharp, bright print; uncoated paper is porous, so ink soaks in and colors look softer.

RGB

RGB is the color model of screens, which mix red, green and blue light; it can show brighter colors than ink can print.

Total ink coverage (TAC)

Total ink coverage, or total area coverage (TAC), is the sum of the cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages at the darkest point of a print file.