Print Design vs. Web Design: Part 2 - Color

In Part 1 of this series we discussed typography and how it differs on the web versus in print. Essentially, the differences are engrained in the media themselves: screen versus print. The same is true for color. The fundamental difference most people don't realize about color on the web and color in print is that we're dealing with not just screen versus paper, but light versus ink. The colors we see on our screens are produced by using red, green and blue light. When all three are combined equally, we get white. When all three are absent, we get black. This is known as additive color. For colors we see in print, the opposite is true and is known as subtractive color. Instead of using red, green and blue light, we use cyan, magenta and yellow ink (or paints or dyes). And instead of emitting light as in the additive color model, colors absorb some light wavelengths and reflect others, giving us the colors we see in our surroundings. For instance, that green plant isn't emitting green in the same sense a green traffic light does. Rather, it absorbs other colors and reflects what we see as green. And in the print design world, when you factor in ink types, varnishes and coatings, color gets trickier to master. It's because of the differing color models that matching web and print colors is virtually impossible. While Photoshop makes it seem like matching colors is as easy as a few clicks, the truth is, the color you see on your screen won't ever print out the same on your printer. You may come close, but it will never be an exact match.