The colour looked right on screen. Why did it change in print?
RGB describes colour through red, green and blue components used for screen-oriented work; CMYK describes process-ink components used in many print workflows. Choose the delivery approach for the actual output and the supplier’s specification. A colour mode alone cannot guarantee a visual match: profiles, devices, inks, stock and viewing conditions also affect the result.
Put the advice into practice
Make your expertise look as considered as the work behind it
Bring brand, sales material and digital design into one coherent presentation.
Discuss your design briefUnderstand why the same colour can look different
A screen produces light, while a printed surface is viewed through reflected light. The range and appearance of colour therefore depend on different physical and technical conditions. A vivid colour seen on a bright display may not be reproducible in the same way with the selected ink and paper.
A colour model and a colour profile do different jobs. The model describes the components; a profile helps interpret those values for particular conditions. Adobe’s colour-management guidance explains that RGB and CMYK can each have different colour spaces and that output conditions matter.
This is why copying one set of numbers between files is not a complete colour strategy. A brand needs practical versions and expectations for its actual applications. The website, an office print, a professionally printed brochure and a manufactured sign may require different production decisions while preserving a recognisable overall identity.
Choose files according to the production route
| Use | Typical starting consideration | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Website or digital presentation | RGB colour for the intended screen workflow | Suitable profile, image export and actual device readability |
| Commercial process printing | The printer’s agreed colour-managed PDF workflow | Required profile, conversion responsibility and production specification |
| Brand-critical special colour | Whether a named spot colour or other process is needed | Supplier capability, material and agreed physical reference |
| Office document | A readable, practical screen and local-print version | Available software, printer variation and realistic expectations |
| Mixed-use master artwork | Preserved editable source with controlled output versions | Which file is for which purpose and who may convert it |
The table is guidance for asking the right production questions, not a rule to convert every image to CMYK immediately. Some suppliers request colour-managed RGB content and handle conversion later; others specify prepared CMYK output. Follow the actual job’s approved workflow and make responsibility for conversion clear.
Use a hypothetical colour review to set expectations
Imagine a professional organisation using a bright accent on its website and a new printed service brochure. The screen colour looks strong, but the first print proof appears duller on the selected uncoated stock. This invented example illustrates a production conversation rather than a fault attributed to any client or supplier.
The team should compare the agreed reference, the file’s colour treatment, the proofing method and the material. The appropriate decision may be an adjusted print version, a different production process or an acceptance of the material’s character. Changing the display brightness until the PDF resembles the proof does not establish a controlled match.
Where colour is critical, agree the reference and approval method with the supplier before release. A previous printed piece may be useful context, but its stock, age and production conditions can differ. Record what the new job is expected to match and what variation the parties have discussed.
Keep the approved output versions clearly labelled so the web image is not accidentally supplied as the only production file for a different process.
Review the output rather than the mode label alone
Inspect the final exported file using the agreed production checks. Confirm that images, colour treatments and any special inks remain as intended. A file can contain a mixture of content, so a filename or a single document setting does not establish that every object has the expected treatment.
Adobe Acrobat’s Output Preview can help inspect separations, simulation profiles and overprinting. Its interpretation depends on appropriate settings and viewing conditions. Use it as part of a supplier-agreed review, with a physical proof where the project requires one.
For digital material, review contrast and readability in the actual interface. Brand fidelity should not make text difficult to read or leave an action distinguishable only by colour. A useful system includes guidance for small text, backgrounds, diagrams and other everyday uses of the palette.
Document the chosen colour versions, profiles or supplier instructions, and the approved proof reference. Retain the editable master separately from released outputs so future adaptations can start from a reliable source.
Our print-ready brochure brief covers the production information worth agreeing at the beginning. Resolving that context early makes the RGB-versus-CMYK question a concrete output decision rather than a guess based on how one screen looks.
