You designed a flyer with a bright, glowing blue. It looked great on your phone. On paper it’s flatter and a little grey. Nothing went wrong with the printer: screens and printers simply make colour in different ways, and some screen colours can’t be reproduced with ink.

Screens add light, printers subtract it

RGB (red, green, blue) is how screens work. Each pixel shines light, and mixing all three at full strength gives white. Because the colour is made of light, screens can show very bright, saturated colours.

CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is how most printing works. Ink sits on paper and absorbs some of the light that hits it; what’s reflected is the colour you see. Ink can’t glow, so the range of colours it can produce is smaller than a screen’s.

The colours most likely to change are the brightest ones: neon greens, electric blues, vivid oranges and purples.

How to keep surprises small

Design in CMYK when you can. Most design software lets you set the document’s colour mode. Our artwork guidelines recommend CMYK; RGB files may need converting before printing.
Check your key colours. Our free RGB to CMYK Converter converts HEX and RGB colours to CMYK (and back) and shows which bright colours will print duller, so you can adjust before ordering.
Use your brand’s CMYK values. If you have brand guidelines, they usually list CMYK values alongside the HEX codes. Use those for print rather than converting the web colour.
Don’t judge from a phone at full brightness. Screens vary a lot. Colours on your screen and on the final printed product will always differ slightly, depending on the monitor, the lighting and the printing process.

Rich black and thin text

Black is a special case. Large black areas printed with black ink alone can look slightly washed out, so designers often use a “rich black” mix for big solid areas. Small text, though, should stay plain black so it prints crisp. If you’re unsure, ask us before you order.

Paper changes colour too

The same file looks different on glossy, matte and uncoated paper. Gloss keeps colours punchy; uncoated paper absorbs more ink and softens them. Our guide to paper stocks and finishes explains the differences.

Ready to print?

Before you upload, it’s worth running your images through our Print-Ready Checker to make sure they’re sharp enough for the size you want. Then browse business cards, flyers and brochures and our other print products.