Understanding the differences between RGB, CMYK, and PMS is fundamental to color management, especially in graphic design and printing. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) represent the primary color modes used for digital and print media. The meaning of each color system can get overwhelming without knowing what it represents, so here’s a breakdown of what they mean.
RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue. Color systems like this one are termed additive since adding a primary color brightens the resulting shade. In RGB colors, the light beams of three colors (red, green, and blue) are mixed, and since these colors are made with light, they can only be seen on digital devices (e.g., computers and mobile phones). As a result, the RGB color system cannot be used in packaging printing.
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key. It is a process of color combination made by mixing colors to form your desired shade and forming the CMYK color system. Color systems such as CMYK are popular for packaging as they consume less ink. Your packaging suppliers often need to receive your designs in packaging dieline files. Make sure you design your document in CMYK color mode instead of RGB color mode on your computer, as this is a more accurate representation of the colors that will be printed. Due to CMYK tones being lighter than RGB tones, changing the format midway may cause the colors to appear differently.
PMS stands for Pantone Matching System, or simply called Pantone. These are known as pre-, mixed, standardized, and color-matching systems. It provides a color scheme for the design you want to print on your custom packaging.
Pantone uses two matching systems: one for packaging design and one for product design. The total number of Pantone colors is nearly 5,000. Pantone calls these colors “market-relevant colors” because they allow a market-oriented color system.