Q+A · No. 03 · Colour
Why do colours look different in print?
Screens make colour with light. Printers make it with ink. Pantone gives everyone a named standard to aim at.
Because a screen and a printed page make colour in physically different ways. RGB is light, so screens can glow. CMYK is ink on paper, which absorbs light, so some bright screen colours simply cannot be printed with process inks.
That is not a design failure, it is physics. The fix is knowing which system each surface uses, converting deliberately, and proofing anything where colour really matters.
The longer answer
RGB is light
RGB stands for red, green and blue: the colour model used by phones, monitors, TVs and digital billboards. It is additive, meaning colour is created by adding light, which is why bright digital colours look so alive. For brand work, RGB values and HEX codes cover everything digital: websites, apps, social, email, presentations and video.
CMYK is process ink
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black): the standard process for full-colour commercial print. Instead of adding light, inks absorb and reflect it, so the colour behaves differently from a screen. A bright colour on screen may come out duller in CMYK because the printer physically cannot reproduce the full RGB range.
That does not mean every job is built in CMYK from the first sketch. Image editing often happens in RGB and moves to CMYK near output. What matters is that the final print file is prepared for the printer's process, profile and material.
Pantone is a named standard
Pantone gives brands, printers and manufacturers a shared colour language. Instead of "make it close to this red", you specify a Pantone number and everyone has a recognised standard to match. It is used for brand-critical spot colours, packaging, signage, merchandise and any job where a colour needs tighter control than a normal CMYK build.
It is not magic. The same Pantone colour can still read differently on coated paper, uncoated paper, fabric or metal. Material, lighting and production method all matter. But a named standard gives everyone a better target.
Conversions are translations, not guarantees
A brand colour should carry several values: HEX and RGB for digital, CMYK for process print, and Pantone where spot colour control is required. Those values are related, but they are not identical experiences. Converting between them is always a translation.
This is why proofs matter. If colour is important, do not approve it from a laptop in a bright room. Ask for a digital proof when appropriate, a hard proof when the job warrants it, and a production sample for high-value pieces like packaging, signage or merchandise.
What goes in the brand guide
For each core colour, a useful guide records the name and role, HEX and RGB for digital, CMYK for general print, Pantone references where required, plus contrast notes and any production notes for coated, uncoated or signage work. It should also say which value wins in which context, rather than pretending one number can control every surface. More on that in what should be in brand guidelines.