There are three main colour formats used in printing and they are CMYK, RGB & PMS. To most these terms can be very confusing however let’s try and simplify this for you so it all makes sense.
CMYK is short for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black) and is the standard color model used in offset printing for full-color documents. The process of printing using these four basic colours is often called 4 colour process or 4CP. CMYK colours are “subtractive” and that means the colours get darker as you blend them together.
RGB is short for Red, Green Blue and is generally is used for all things digital such as websites and videos. This model is an additive colour model which means the three colours light is added together in a variety of ways to reproduce a broader range of colours.
PMS is short for Pantone Color Matching System and is a set of standard colours used for printing. These colours are specified by a number i.e. Tiffany Blue is PMS 1837 and by standardising the colours different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make the colours identical.
So what do we use and why?
Our video brochures are all offset printed which is the technique in which the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber sheet then to the printing surface.
Offset printing produces high quality images and text and is our preferred choice over digital because of the finish. As a result we use the CMYK and PMS colour formats with your orders.
To conclude this explains why for higher volume runs our price per unit is reduced because the setup fee in making the plates is absorbed by the diminished price per piece.
Brendan Farrugia
Managing Director
1300 194 747
