Designers use color to communicate,
but ironically, understanding color can be difficult and frustrating.
Because color is our business, we spend a lot of time trying to communicate
with you about your color needs. One of the problems with color is
that we all see and talk about color differently. Another problem
with color is how difficult it is to measure it objectively, which
leads to more communication problems. Instead of delving into specific
software techniques for manipulating color, we thought we would discuss
color theory and a few terms and concepts.
How we see color
Color happens in our brains, which is why color is so subjective.
Our eyes see electromagnetic waves. Our brain interprets different
wavelengths of light as different colors. For instance, we see light
waves in the 700 nanometer range as ÒredÓ and light waves in the 400
nanometer range as Òviolet.Ó However, to make it easier to interpret
colors quickly, our eyes only have sensors for red, green and blue
light wavelengths. Our brains then combine the various amounts of
red, green and blue light and interpret them as the millions of colors
we can see. Because red, green and blue can be added together to make
up all visible colors, they are called additive primaries.
Light
sources change how things appear
Objects modify existing light and reflect back only certain wavelengths,
which we see as the objectÕs color. Because the objects absorb certain
wavelengths and reflect others, an object can look different depending
on the ambient light (because different light sources will not contain
the same wavelengths). For this reason, we ask that customers try
to view proofs under the same light conditions that we use (whenever
possible).
Why
we print with cyan, magenta and yellow inks
In printing, the most important light to consider is reflected light.
Printing relies on light bouncing off paper and into our eyes. White
paper reflects back all visible wavelengths equally, which is why
it appears white. Inks placed on paper subtract wavelengths from white
light. The resulting reflected light appears as colors because the
white light has some wavelengths removed. To make colors appear on
paper, we use the subtractive primaries cyan, magenta and yellow,
which are the exact opposites on the color wheel of the additive primaries
red, green and blue. When white light is reflected through cyan ink,
red light is removed and green and blue light are reflected back into
our eyes, which causes us to ÒseeÓ cyan.
Why
proofs look different than your monitor
The cyan, magenta and yellow inks used in printing are not pure, nor
is paper 100 percent reflective. Because of this, we cannot print
as many different subtractive colors as your monitor can transmit
additive colors. This is why the range of printable colors is so much
smaller than your monitorÕs range of colors. In addition, additive
light always looks different from reflective light. These are the
two main reasons why even calibrated monitor images never look exactly
like a printed proof.
Winter
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