Digital printing uses the CMYK colour model to enable cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks to be used to output digital files onto paper and other sheet materials.
- Digital printers typically overlay highly reflective white paper with cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks or toner.
- CMYK is a subtractive colour model suited to working with semi-transparent inks.
- Printing has a smaller gamut than TV, computer and phone screens which rely on light emission, rather than reflection of light off sheets of paper.
- Digital screens produce comparatively brighter colours than printers because the amplitude of each wavelength of light is larger than can be achieved by a printer.
- Digital printers produce dull and less intense colours than digital screens because the amplitude of each wavelength of light is smaller when light is reflected off paper through inks.