Color Part 2: Formats and Systems

There are several color formats and systems available for mixing and specifying colors. Here, we explain three of the most common systems: RGB, CMYK, and Pantone colors.

RGB color

"RGB" refers to the colors of light that mix to create colors. There are three basic colors of light - red, green and blue. When combined, they create an entire rainbow of colors, either by reflecting off, surfaces or by shining onto surfaces.

In design, RGB color is only used in website design and other designs that are only meant to be seen on your screen (software user interfaces, HTML email, PowerPoint presentations, and TV or movie graphics).

If you send a design to be printed, or print a design that has been created in the RGB color space on your home printer, the printout may not match what you see on the screen - RGB colors on the screen tend to be brighter than what is printed on paper. This is because the colors onscreen are created with light, which adds brightness of its own to the colors. When printing on paper, the light is taken out of the equation. The other reason for this is that an RGB color can be "out of gamut" for CMYK printing, meaning that some of the colors cannot be replicated with printing inks.

CMYK color

CMYK color is also known as four-color printing, full-color printing, or process color printing.

CMYK color refers to a certain type of printing process. In CMYK printing, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (the "K") inks are printed on the paper as tiny dots (referred to as a "screen" or "line screen"). These dots are so tiny that when they combine visually, they create a rainbow of colors.

This process is used in projects where printing the full range of color is required - in projects with full-color photography or when more than three colors overall are used in the design.

For the production of CMYK printing, digital printing is a more economical choice than full-color press printing. However, in digital printing, the types, colors, and thicknesses of paper available are often limited, based on the printing machine's specifications and capabilities.

The accuracy limitations of CMYK printing are that the results between different printing methods - digital printing versus press printing - can vary, sometimes greatly, depending on the printer's range, how it is calibrated, and the particular color you are trying to print. Even the results from different digital printers or presses can vary, so color accuracy may be an issue, particularly if you're printing items at different times or with different printers.

There are also colors that cannot be reproduced using the CMYK process - such as metallics, and very bright colors. To expand the color range, additional colors can be added to the mix to increase the range, for six- or seven-color printing. Alternatively, Pantone colors can be used to increase the range - going to five-color (or more) printing to get the color accuracy you need.

Pantone color

Pantone color is also known as the Pantone Matching System, PMS color, or Spot color.

This color system is based on a set of inks that are mixed to create solid colors, which are then used to print your materials. These colors fall in a prespecified range, found in several swatch books produced by the Pantone company. An analogy for this system is the colored paint chips found at the hardware store - you can preview the colors exactly as they will appear in the final print job. Also, since the colors are mixed before printing, instead of being created visually out of tiny dots on the page, they're much more accurate and consistent from print job to print job, as well as to the colors initially intended in the art, than CMYK color.

Pantone colors can be "screened" - a process in which fewer dots of color are used per inch, which makes the color appear lighter. Thus, more colors appear to be being used in a project, without increasing the printing costs or number of colors.

Pantone colors are often used on logos or stationery packages (business cards, letterhead, and envelopes), to enable those pieces to be printed on a press using one, two or three colors, which is less expensive than four-color printing (see CMYK color, above). Using Pantone colors on your logo also ensures accurate color representation for your logo in all applications - so that your carefully chosen corporate color will always be the same, regardless of the printing firm you choose to print a particular piece of collateral.

Using the right color format throughout your job will save you money and make your marketing materials look their best.

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable ? and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit:

Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

____________________

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

In The News:

---

LA reveals unveils new tourism marketing slogan
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 2 hours ago
AP LOS ANGELES—The city on Friday unveiled a new marketing campaign built around the slogan "That's So LA" to keep tourists coming despite the nation's ...
New campaign to boost LA tourism abc7.com
all 23 news articles

Reuters
Audi says it will increase US marketing efforts
Chicago Tribune, United States - 5 hours ago
Those marketing dollars have an aim to push Audi US sales to 200000 vehicles by 2018. Schwarzenbauer said the company has a goal to sell 1.5 million Audis ...
Audi plans record US marketing spending Reuters
Audi plans to boost US marketing budget Automotive News
Audi says it will increase US marketing efforts Fox 28
DetNews.comall 16 news articles

Columbus tech firm buys Dayton marketing company
Bizjournals.com, NC - 8 hours ago
Implications International, which specializes in interactive marketing, brand design, and Web development, has offices in Peoria, Ill., Mumbai, India, ...

Wellstar/TMI Begins Marketing Imaging System to Long-Term Care ...
MSNBC - 3 hours ago
TMI's marketing plan includes a program where LTC facilities can lease the equipment necessary to perform skin assessments and store the necessary data ...

Halekulani to get marketing boost from Japanese hotel
Bizjournals.com, NC - 7 hours ago
Effective April 1, Imperial Hotel will start reservations service, sales, marketing and public relations activities within Japan for Halekulani and Waikiki ...

Proton Laboratories Announces New Sales & Marketing Office
MSNBC - 20 hours ago
Proton will start by marketing a variety of enhanced water products that provide health benefits for people and the planet as well as the commercial product ...
Proton Laboratories opens Southern California office Bizjournals.com
all 9 news articles

Zoo honored for marketing campaign
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 5 hours ago
... different companies around the US The Utah Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services recognizes excellence in marketing communications ...

Boston Globe
FedEx trims '09 marketing budget by 25%
Bizjournals.com, NC - Jan 8, 2009
United Parcel Service Inc. rival FedEx Corp. will cut its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, the company recently disclosed on its blog. ...
FedEx cuts marketing spend by more than 25 percent Reuters
FedEx cuts marketing budget DM News
FedEx to reduce marketing budgets by 25% Brand Republic
all 45 news articles

Katz Media Launches New Marketing Unit
FMQB, NJ - 11 hours ago
Katz Media Group has launched a new, national marketing unit that will create custom solutions for advertisers and their agencies with the goal of ...
Katz Launches National Marketing Unit, Trims Staff Media Buyer Planner
Katz Media Group forms marketing unit BtoB Magazine
Katz creates unit to handle ads for new radio platforms SmartBrief
all 6 news articles

Examiner.com
Cape May tourism department wins marketing award
Examiner.com - 15 hours ago
by William Sokolic, Jersey Shore Examiner The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International will recognize the Cape May County Department of ...

marketing - Google News

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting their own business. Especially when budget is tight, creative juices go into high gear. I recall my... Read More

Reverse The Risk And Boost Your Profits

As a business owner or marketer, if you don't reverse the risk in your product and/or service offerings, you're really missing out in what can be one... Read More

Big Ticket Marketing in 28 Minutes

I read an article recently about how many mainstream retail companies are using the standard 28 minute infomercial to more effectively target customers and sell their products.Now,... Read More

Niche And Grow Rich

Unless you've been living under an Internet rock, you've probably heard the buzz about Niche Marketing. Right now it's the hottest marketing topic online.Is it a new... Read More

Reinventing The Wheel

Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's what made us superior to animals and prove that we are the dominant species of this planet.... Read More

Mastering the ABCDs of Small Business Marketing & Selling

I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a certain flow. The pace of the flow may differ depending on what you're selling, but I still... Read More

Great Marketing is Like Making a Great Movie

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and it's a perfect time to keep this in mind: If you're a business owner or manager, it's... Read More

5 Ways to Market for Immediate Results

Sales are down, and I need more customers now! Sound familiar? Maybe you are the one who said it. I know what you're thinking, there's no magic... Read More

Metaphysical Marketing

The foundation of success is in your mind. You do not need to struggle, seek and strive to build your business. You can use mental and spiritual... Read More

Where Are Your Leads Coming From?

Most B2B marketers spend a great deal of time analyzing the performance of their programs and initiatives. The reason is obvious: With the growing pressure on marketing... Read More

Increase Sales With Travel Incentives

Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Just being aggressive doesn't cut it... Read More

Marry Your Marketing Plan

Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in good times and not so good times.I have said it time and time again that marketing, no... Read More

21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine, newsletter -- printed or electronic -- takes persistence, and commitment. Not to mention time and letting go... Read More

How You Can Make Money From Competitors Easy

Are you market products and services using PPCs? PPC Advertising is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get visitors, capture email addresses and make sales.... Read More

Marketing To Women

Recent studies concerning the "new world of women" have been released. Some of the major findings may be surprising to you (less so if you are a... Read More

Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns

So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do and went out and got it all set up, had your... Read More

The YOU Factor

I don't mean you, I mean the YOU that is your client.Let's examine memorable tag lines in advertising.You deserve a break today. - McDonaldsDo you eat the... Read More

Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos

A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a... Read More

Trade Show Display Booth ? A Marvelous Contact System

Trade show booths are one of the best direct contact systems with end consumers. The face to face meeting opportunity with customers can provide some excellent results?provided... Read More

Why Direct Mail Advertising Works And How To Lower Your Costs

I met a lady who said she received a notice in the mail from a company offering plaques of various animals. She knew her daughter would love... Read More

How to Set (and Get) the Right Prices

Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to know about? Which sales tool closes prospects instantly? Your price. Yet, despite the far-reaching consequences of a... Read More

The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success

1. Your Most Valuable AssetA mailing list of valued customers is the single most important asset you have. Loyal customers will spend an average of five times... Read More

Massage Therapists Can Now Make More Money

As a massage therapist, your income is usually limited by your stamina and the amount of hours there are in a day. Have you considered that there... Read More

Ten Amazing Ways To Increase Attraction at a Trade Show

These ideas are for anyone that has a small budget to work with or is just starting to expand into exhibiting at trade shows. You can... Read More

Positioning For Success

According to military historian David Chandler the campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte consistently rose above the expected. For more than 20 years Napoleon showed genius and skill as... Read More

Marketing Secrets #101- Your Most Important Sale

Which sale is the most important one you will ever get from a client?I'll bet you're thinking it's your first sale with a new client. Well, it's... Read More