Sharing information about how designs are displayed, and the differences between CMYK and RGB.
What’s the difference between RGB and CMYK?
If you’ve ever noticed your colors looking one way on your screen and another way once printed, you’ve run into the difference between RGB and CMYK. They’re two color systems that work very differently: one for screens, one for print; and understanding how they behave helps you get the results you expect.
RGB (for screens) additive color (RGB = Red, Green, Blue)
Screens; like your computer, phone, or television use light to create color. When you add all three together (red, green, and blue), you get white. That’s why it’s called an additive color model.
Because RGB is made with light, not ink, it can display extremely bright and vibrant tones, including colors you won’t find in CMYK or even in nature, like neon blues, bright teals, and electric pinks.
You’ll see RGB used in digital mockups, online previews, and anything that lives on a screen.
RGB can easily mimic how printed colors (like CMYK or Pantone) will look, but the opposite isn’t true, printing methods can’t reproduce the full range of RGB light-based colors.
Example: Ever picked a bright teal or neon blue on your computer and noticed it looks duller when printed? That’s because screens can display light-based colors that printing simply can’t reproduce.
CMYK (for print) subtractive color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)
Printers use ink, not light. This color system is called subtractive because inks absorb (or subtract) light from the white surface they’re printed on. The more colors you mix, the less light bounces back, which is why the result gets darker instead of brighter.
CMYK can’t produce the same glowing tones you see on screens, those ultra-bright RGB colors simply don’t exist in ink. But CMYK shines where RGB can’t: it creates real, tactile color on fabric and paper that you can see and touch.
It’s the standard for anything printed, your jerseys, panels, decals, and every piece of team gear we produce. When we prepare your design for production, we convert all artwork to CMYK to make sure the colors print cleanly and consistently.
Example: Think of CMYK like mixing paint. You can blend inks to make beautiful, rich colors, but you’ll never get the same glow as a color made of light.
Why colors look different
RGB and CMYK operate on completely different principles, one adds light, the other absorbs it. That means certain colors (especially bright blues, greens, and oranges) might shift slightly when printed. It’s not an error; it’s just a limitation of how ink behaves compared to light.
How to get the best match: use Pantone to find your BE color
The most reliable way to control how your colors turn out in print is to give us a Pantone (PMS) code, not because we print with Pantone inks, but because it helps us find the closest equivalent on our internal fabric Color Chart, which is what we actually use in production.
With a Pantone code:
- We can preview the closest match on screen.
- Most importantly, we can identify and confirm the best possible equivalent within our in-house chart to ensure color consistency during production.
If you don’t have a Pantone code yet, here’s what to do:
- If your design already includes Pantone values, add them to your DRD.
- If you’re choosing new colors, check the Pantone website or a printed swatch book.
- If you only have RGB or CMYK values, send them anyway, we’ll help find the closest match
How BE Ultimate handles color accuracy
Our production team checks every color reference before printing to make sure it translates well to fabric. We always aim to match your chosen tones as closely as possible using our in-house color chart and Pantone references.
Good to know:
Colors can appear slightly different depending on your screen’s brightness or settings. For the most accurate results, rely on Pantone codes or printed swatches rather than on-screen previews.
If you’re not sure which color model your file uses, don’t worry, send it to us! We’ll check it for you and make sure everything’s ready for production.
