Entering CMYK and RGB numbers

[Guest]

Hi, 

I bought a great colour palette book so I can choose from colours I like the look of when they're printed, but when I enter the numbers into the boxes (I've checked I'm adding them into the correct ones) the colour I end up with on the screen isn't the same as the book at all.

Can someone please tell me where I'm going wrong? Is my laptop just so old now it won't display colours properly? 

I've included a screenshot of how the first palette (as RGB) from this page looks in AD 

 

Thanks! 

[stokerg]

Hi SprindigoJo,

I've checked this in 4 different apps and they all give the same results as Designer.  So i'm tempted to say the issue is with the book more than anything.  If you start up MS Paint and click on 'Edit Colours' you can enter the RGB values and you'll see the colours you enter in from the book, match the output from Designer you posted 

[walt.farrell]

A couple of other possibilities, perhaps:

• Improper screen calibration
• Colors on screen and printed colors can look different due to one using transmitted light (screen) and one using reflected light (printing, the book).

Screen calibration might be the better starting point.

(Also, especially with a laptop, viewing angle is critical.)

[MikeW]

Gotta remember the sample book is printed on a specific color/type of paper and using CMYK printing processes and so the RGB in the printed book will be off—it is the values that are important and even so only when printing using the same technology to the same paper (and the same calibration, humidity, etc).

And in a color managed application that can only have a single color mode, those RGB or CMYK values will only (approximately match even using a calibrated monitor) if the document is in the same color mode one is trying to match to whatever values one is taking from the sample book. So, a primary color mode of RGB will match the RGB values across other applications. But they will not look like the book as it is not printed in RGB.

Really, having a swatch book printed in CMYK that even attempt to display RGB printed swatches is foolish unless one is using a high-gamut inkjet that has 10 or more inks to use. From what I can see of the RGB swatches, they didn't.

The top row of printed swatches appear to be for the CMYK values.

[Guest]

Hi, thanks. I suspected in might be the book and the type of pages and ink. But it is very unhelpful that the colours are so off - some of them are not even in the same hue spectrum at all. Tried the CMYK set up and the RGB and still the colours are the same on screen. I even printed them, but they print as they appear on screen. Back to the shelf the book goes! I don't know how anyone can trust colours at all, or make decisions about which ones to print when they are always appearing so differently. 

[v_kyr]

That's why such tools do exist and more expensive color devices and self calibration high-gamut monitors etc...

• Pantone Tools
• Farbfächer