Your screen and a printing press "think" fundamentally differently about colour. A screen builds colours with light, a printing press with ink on paper. That difference explains almost every discussion about "the colour that's not right" in print work.
File Preparation
4 min read
July 9, 2026
CMYK or RGB? Why your design looks different printed
"It looked brighter on my screen." It's one of the most frequently asked questions in print work. The answer lies in the difference between two colour systems: RGB and CMYK. Once you understand this, you'll avoid surprises on every future print job.
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RGB: colour built from light
RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue: the three colours of light a screen mixes to show every colour on your display. The more light, the brighter and more vivid the colour. Websites, social media and digital designs are almost always laid out in RGB.
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CMYK: colour built from ink
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black): the four inks that together build every printed colour. Ink absorbs light rather than emitting it, which gives a fundamentally different effect than a light-emitting screen. Print work is therefore always done in CMYK.
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Why some colours look duller printed
RGB can display a wider colour range than CMYK, especially for bright blue, green and neon tones. When such a colour is converted to CMYK for printing, the system chooses the closest achievable colour with ink. The result then looks slightly more muted than on screen. This isn't a flaw in the process, but a physical limitation of print ink.
Rule of thumb: the brighter and more "digital" a colour looks on screen, the greater the chance it will come out slightly different printed.
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Pantone: a solution for critical brand colours
For brands where the exact colour is crucial (for example a precise brand identity colour), the Pantone system offers a solution. Every Pantone colour has a unique number and a fixed ink mix, independent of screen or printing press. That makes the colour consistently reproducible across different jobs and materials.
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What does this mean in practice for your request?
In practice, you don't need to arrange all of this yourself: we check every file and convert it correctly where needed. Do you know that your brand colour needs to be exactly right somewhere? Just mention it with your request, and we'll take this into account beforehand.
Frequently Asked Questions
CMYK & RGB: your questions
What's the difference between CMYK and RGB?
RGB (red, green, blue) is a colour model based on light, used by screens. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black) is based on ink and used in print. Neither system can display exactly the same colours as the other.
Why does my printed design look duller than on my screen?
Screens emit light and can therefore look brighter and more vivid than ink on paper. Especially bright blue tones and neon-like colours come across more muted in CMYK print.
Do I need to convert my file to CMYK myself?
Not necessarily: we check this with every request and convert the file correctly for production if needed. Supplying it in CMYK upfront can help avoid surprises.
Can I expect exactly the same colour on screen and on paper?
Not always perfectly identical, but very close with the right preparation. For critical brand colours, we recommend a Pantone reference.
What is a Pantone colour and why is it useful?
Pantone is a standardised colour system where every colour has a unique number. This ensures consistent colours across different print jobs and materials, important for a consistent brand identity.
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