What is CMYK printing?
The four colour process printing is a technique that allows printing full-colour designs. It's a marking system based on image reproduction through the CMYK model.
Simply using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black tones, it's possible to reproduce 70% of colours visible to the human eye; these tones make up the CMYK.
What Does it Involve? Steps and Process of CMYK colours for printing on Fabric
This marking method mixes the four previously mentioned tones and, through subtractive synthesis, blends and creates the remaining colours. However, each colour composing the image is printed separately, and it's the human eye that interprets its colour.
With the 4 colour process, the image is broken down into four colours, which must pass through the machine four times, each for a specific tone. Although the process might seem complex, it isn't, as industrial machines make it much more manageable. Its operation can be likened to an extreme version of pointillist painting, as it consists of microscopic points practically imperceptible to the naked eye.
With different angle screens, 4 colour process printing manages to ensure image quality. To prevent different colours from overlapping, each colour is assigned a different angle so that the eye interprets the set of points as the desired image.
What are the Advantages of the 4 colour print process? And Disadvantages?
CMYK colour for printing allows the reproduction of any shade from the 4 inks. It offers high-quality results and is commonly used for flier printing, as it usually offers a more affordable price in these cases.
It's one of the most used marking methods by printing companies for its convenience and cost-effectiveness. However, there are certain types of pigments that cannot be achieved with this method. Additionally, between one customization and another, a slight colour variation might occur due to various factors.
Products to customize through the four colour printing
Printing techniques enable the creation of tailor-made items for your target audience and a perfect colour combination between your company logo and the selected item. Plastic items are not suitable for CMYK.
On the other hand, customized items can be found using the CMYK model, such as personalized t-shirts, colourful mouse pads, or custom tote bags. However, it's in the printing industry where it has the most presence, employed for the production of brochures, signs, stickers, vinyl, or postcards.
Cost of full colour printing
This marking technique in the textile sector tends to have a higher cost compared to screen printing or screen transfer. Usually, it's cost-effective only for large quantity orders.
Even though it has a higher price, it might be the only alternative if full-colour designs are sought for some cotton items, as the most common methods only allow designs of up to 5 shades.
