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Screens make colour by mixing red, green and blue light (RGB); print makes colour with cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink (CMYK). Ink on paper cannot reach some of the brightest screen colours, so an RGB design printed in CMYK can look duller, especially bright greens, blues and oranges. Set your file up in CMYK with the FOGRA39 profile, keep total ink to 300% or less, choose print-friendly colours, and expect uncoated paper to look softer still.
CMYK and RGB side by side
| Feature | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Red, green, blue | Cyan, magenta, yellow, key (black) |
| Made with | Light from a screen | Ink on paper |
| Used for | Phones, monitors, websites, social media | Everything we print |
| White is | All three lights at full strength | The paper, with no ink |
| Range of colours | Wider, including very bright greens, blues and oranges | Narrower; some screen colours cannot be matched |
Our glossary entry on CMYK gives a short definition of the four-ink model.
Why printed colours look different from your screen
Some RGB colours are out of reach. Four inks cannot recreate every colour a screen can show. Canva's help page on designing with print colours describes ultra-bright RGB colours, such as electric blues and hot pinks, as falling "out of gamut": they cannot be reproduced exactly in print, and can look softer or more muted.
Screens glow; paper reflects. A screen is lit from behind; print is seen by the light in the room. The same CMYK file can also look different on two screens, because brightness and colour settings vary. No screen shows exactly how ink will look on paper.
Colours that shift most
| Colour on screen | What tends to happen in print | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bright, pure greens (lime, neon green) | Flatter and less vivid | Pick the green from CMYK values, not a screen swatch |
| Electric and bright royal blues | Duller or darker | Choose the blue from CMYK values |
| Bright oranges | Less glowing, closer to a plain orange | Choose from CMYK values; avoid relying on the glow |
| Hot pinks and bright purples | Softer and less intense | Accept a softer version, or choose a CMYK pink |
| Neon or fluorescent colours | Cannot be matched with four inks | Use the nearest CMYK colour |
| Pure RGB black | Converted to a mix of all four inks | Use 100% K for text and rich black for large areas |
If your brand guidelines give CMYK values, use them exactly.
Do I need to convert to CMYK?
You get the most predictable colour by designing in CMYK from the start, so the colours you pick are ones ink can print. If you send an RGB file, we can still print it: it is converted to CMYK for printing, and the colours that shift most are the bright ones in the table above. Our free automatic check looks at the colour mode of every file you upload and shows an RGB file as a warning, which you can accept or fix before you pay. Our proofs and file checks page explains what the check looks at.
Our guide to setting up a PDF for print gives the export settings for InDesign, Illustrator and Affinity.
Which colour profile: FOGRA39
A colour profile tells your software how a set of CMYK numbers will look on a particular kind of paper and press. We print to FOGRA39, which the International Color Consortium describes as typical commercial offset printing on gloss or matt coated paper. Look for a CMYK profile with FOGRA39 in its name, or ISO Coated v2, a profile the ICC lists as built from FOGRA39 data. Choose it when you set up the document or export the PDF.
Black: why it prints grey or patchy, and rich black
- Small text: 100% black (K) only. A pure RGB black converts to a mix of all four inks. On fine text and thin lines, four inks landing a hair apart can look soft.
- Large black areas: rich black, C63 M52 Y51 K100. Black ink on its own can look like a dark grey over a big area. The rich black mix prints deeper. Use it for backgrounds and large shapes only, not for small text, fine lines or barcodes.
- Keep total ink at 300% or less. Add the four percentages: our rich black is 63 + 52 + 51 + 100 = 266%. A black of 100% in every ink adds up to 400%, which is too much ink for the paper.
Paper changes colour too
- Gloss and silk papers (our leaflets, folded leaflets, posters, booklets and business cards) are coated, so ink stays on the surface and colours look crisp.
- Uncoated paper (our 120gsm letterheads and compliment slips) lets the ink soak in a little, so colours look softer and less saturated.
- Matt and soft-touch laminates on business cards have a low sheen and take a little shine off colours, so very bright tones can look slightly calmer than on an unlaminated card.
If a strong colour matters, choose a coated paper. Our glossary entry on paper weight (gsm) explains how paper weight is measured.
Brand colours and Pantone
We print in CMYK, so a Pantone colour is approximated. A Pantone colour is a pre-mixed ink, and some sit outside what four inks can reach. We cannot promise an exact match to a Pantone swatch, or to something printed elsewhere.
To get as close as possible, use the CMYK values your brand guidelines give for that colour, or ask your designer for them. Keep the same values on every item.
Canva: what happens on the Free plan
Canva Free has no CMYK option. Canva's help page on downloading designs lists downloading a CMYK PDF as an option for paid Canva plans. On those plans, choose PDF Print when you download; Canva's guide to download file types describes it as a 300dpi PDF with an RGB or CMYK colour profile option.
On Canva Free, your PDF Print download is RGB. We can still print it: it is converted to CMYK, so expect bright colours to shift as in the table above. To keep the change small, Canva's help on print colours suggests designing with CMYK-safe colours from the start and using slightly lighter versions of very bright colours. Our Canva to print guide covers sizes, bleed and the download settings.
Before you order
- Design in CMYK with FOGRA39, or choose print-friendly colours in Canva or Word.
- Avoid neon colours and pure RGB greens and blues.
- Use 100% K for small text and rich black only for large areas, with total ink at 300% or less.
- Use your brand's CMYK values, and choose coated paper if colour is the priority.
- Check the on-screen proof for layout before you pay, and add a manual proof (fee shown in the basket) if you want a person to check the file too.
Our artwork guidelines list every file rule. See live prices on the leaflets page and the posters page. Prices include VAT.
Questions
What is the difference between CMYK and RGB? RGB (red, green, blue) is how screens make colour with light. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is how printers make colour with ink on paper. RGB can show brighter colours than ink can print, so a design made in RGB can look duller once it is converted to CMYK.
Why do my printed colours look duller than on screen? Screens are lit from behind and can show very bright colours that four inks cannot reach. When the file is converted to CMYK, those colours are replaced by the nearest printable ones, usually duller. Bright greens, blues and oranges change most. Uncoated paper and matt finishes soften colour further.
Can I send an RGB file? Yes. It is converted to CMYK for printing, so expect bright colours to shift, especially vivid greens, blues, oranges and pinks. Our free automatic check looks at the colour mode of every file you upload and shows RGB as a warning you can accept. For the most predictable result, design in CMYK with the FOGRA39 profile from the start.
Can you match my Pantone or brand colour exactly? We print in CMYK, so a Pantone colour is approximated. Some Pantone colours sit outside what four inks can print. Use the CMYK values from your brand guidelines rather than an RGB or HEX value; that gives the closest result. We cannot promise an exact match to a swatch or to print from elsewhere.
Why did my black print grey or patchy? Black ink alone over a large area can look dark grey. For big black backgrounds, use rich black: C63 M52 Y51 K100. Keep small text and thin lines in 100% K only, because a four-ink black on fine detail can look slightly soft. Keep total ink coverage at 300% or less.
I use Canva Free, which has no CMYK option. Is RGB acceptable? Yes. Download as PDF Print and upload it. The file is converted to CMYK, so bright colours may look duller, and the automatic check shows a colour warning you can accept. Canva's help centre lists CMYK PDF downloads for its paid plans. On the Free plan, choosing print-friendly colours as you design keeps the shift small.
Why do colours look softer on letterheads or matt cards? Our letterheads and compliment slips are on 120gsm uncoated paper, which absorbs some ink, so colours look softer than on gloss or silk. Matt and soft-touch laminates have a low sheen, which takes a little shine off colours. If strong colour matters most, choose a coated paper such as gloss or silk.
Which colour profile should I use? FOGRA39, a CMYK profile for commercial printing on coated paper. Look for a profile with FOGRA39 in its name, or ISO Coated v2, which is built from FOGRA39 data. Choose it when you set up your document, or when you export the PDF, so the CMYK numbers in your file match what we expect.