Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a “CMYK” file and a “RGB” file?  Or have you ever printed something only to find that the color didn’t turn out exactly as you had expected?  

I recently was sent a very helpful email from our graphic designer, Jessi Long, addressing these types of questions.  Jessi does a great job of explaining some of the basics of color processing, so I’m just going to copy the whole thing!

Screen and print will always look different. However, you may get a better representation of the color if you ask the print shop to print your job on the press instead of the copier (this is also the most cost effective solution if you print large quantities, 1000+ ).

On screen, colors are made with three lengths of light (rgb), causing the lighter colors to be more vibrant. On paper, colors are made mixing four colors of ink (cmyk), the darker the color, the thicker the ink, so lighter colors will appear thinner or more washed out.

In addition, every copier/printer prints differently depending on the type of ink (inkjet or laser) and how much ink it currently holds at the time of printing. The best way to see what your job will look like when it comes out is to check a proof in person at the print shop. If it looks dark on the proof, the print shop can offer advice on how to make your photos/colors more vibrant before the entire job is printed.

Pretty handy, right?  I’ll take it a step further…cmyk image files are typically called TIFF files, and should be used on print publications.  RGB files are typically called JPEGS, and should be used on the web.   That’s why on the branding resources page you will see .jpg files listed under “web” and tiff files listed under “print.”  Now you know the meaning behind it!