- [Instructor] The CMYK printing process
achieves great results, but it is a perceptual illusion.
Just as RGB only shows us a fraction of the colors.
we can actually see, the CMYK process is even more limited.
And just so you know, the range of colors
available in any model is known as the gamut.
Here's an illustration of the total gamut of colors
that humans can see and as a disclaimer, I ought to say,
this is not accurate.
It is just for the purposes of illustration.
Actually, let's make that really clear.
And maybe just one more.
There we go. Good.
One more. Okay, good.
So all of that space using a very popular RGB working space,
we have the ability to reproduce about this much.
And as you can see, CMYK is less than that.
Now, what you've got to do is keep in mind
that everything else here is based on light transmissions.
So going directly to your eyes, but with CMYK,
you're seeing reflected light bouncing off the paper.
So you can perhaps understand those limitations.
Let's take a look at this poster design,
which looks really exciting and vibrant.
It's a great image, but we're seeing onscreen
being projected directly at us.
If we look at a simulation of how this might look
when printed, keeping in mind, of course,
that you're still seeing a brighter version on your screen.
You can see what the results would be like in CMYK,
but sometimes we want to use colors that are outside
of the CMYK gamut.
And for that we can use specially formulated inks,
such as those from Pantone, which can be used
on top of CMYK to exceed its gamut,
where they're known then as bump plates,
but spot colors can also be used
in what is known as a special or a solid color
because they are so distinctive,
which may or may not be used in conjunction
with process printing. but many brands and organizations
are prepared to bear the cost of using these special links
in their identity for exactly that reason
that they stand out on a really distinctive
and we can actually perceive that
and that makes it worth it.