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CMYK
CMYK is a subtractive colour model used in colour printing, named for its four inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black).
CMYK, schematic. Shapes are drawn for illustration.
What the sources say
| Point | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Subtractive | Inks absorb light, while RGB screens emit it | Wikipedia |
| Why black | CMY alone gives a muddy brownish black, so black ink is added | College for Creative Studies |
| Tones | Made by varying dot size and spacing; partial magenta coverage gives pink | Wikipedia |
| Screens | All screens use additive colour, which matches RGB | College for Creative Studies |
| Gamuts | Each model has its own gamut, so some colours cannot be reproduced in the other | Wikipedia |
| First use | First implemented in the 1890s for colour newspaper illustrations and comics | Wikipedia |
For wall art
A file seen on a screen is built from light and a printed piece from ink, so strongly saturated screen colours can shift in print; the sRGB and gamut entries explain the limits.
Where the sources stop
The College for Creative Studies page says subtractive spaces tend to have a wider spectrum, which clashes with the usual view that print gamuts are narrower in saturated areas, so we leave that claim out. Britannica could not be fetched.
Sources
- Wikipedia: CMYK color model (fetched 2026-11-12)
- College for Creative Studies: understanding RGB vs CMYK vs CMY (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased; each page was fetched and read on 2026-11-12. Where two sources differ, both are shown.