
To learn more about these color systems, please view the following: The way color is created/embedded in your file will have a large bearing on how the final product prints as well – Pantone, CMYK, RGB, hex, spot, process – they make a difference in what you see on screen vs. All things being equal, the same design printed on two different white card stocks may vary slightly in color. However, what you may not know is that paper of any color, even white, will effect your final result.įrom brand to brand, papers have different chemical compositions, additives, textures, finishes, etc., all of which react differently with inks and toners of digital and conventional presses. It goes without saying that a design printed on colored paper will take on the hue of the paper – for example, blues printed on yellow look slightly green. The moral of the story is, unfortunately you can not trust a screen, and until that printed piece is in your hand, you never quite know what you’ll get. A photo of the printed piece (much less saturated, much lighter)Īs you can see, the colors differ widely from computer screen, to mobile, to print, and chances are, if you viewed that same PDF on a different computer, then a different smart phone, you’d likely get two more shades of blue/green.A photo of the same PDF as it appears on a mobile device (well that looks oddly teal…).The design as a PDF (a nice, saturated turquoise).Let’s use this turquoise and gray invitation as an example. The quick and simple explanation as to why screen color doesn’t match print color is that all viewing devices are different, so what you are seeing on your screen may not even be the “correct” hue. So what gives? Why does the screen color not translate to paper, and how do you go about fixing it? In this article, we explain why, and suggest some ways to work around this often frustrating phenomenon. It’s much lighter/darker/saturated on your screen, and quite frankly you’re a little disappointed. Whether you are a novice or a professional, you’ve likely experienced it – you design something in your favorite page layout program – painstakingly select your colors and perfect your design, click print (or take it to your printer), and lo and behold, that color just isn’t right.
