Choosing a solid color for your background

Solid colors are a popular background choice among hobbyists. However, selecting the right color may not be as straightforward as it seems! This is because of the way colors are handled digitally versus in print. Before choosing a color for your background, read this quick crash-course in color management.

Colors look very different on a screen than in print. Screens use RGB (red, green and blue), while printers use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). See the image below that demonstrates how each type of color is processed. 

Keep in mind that colors (especially blues and blacks) often appear darker in print than they do on a screen. And blues and grays in particular can look purple if you choose a color that contains a high percentage of magenta.

The image below is a different way to illustrate the gamut of color, and shows the range of color that’s captured by each process.

Use Google’s Color Picker tool to select your color, and send us the CMYK values of the color you chose. We’ll help make any adjustments that may be needed to get the printed product as close as possible to the color you’ve chosen.