{"id":4793,"date":"2026-05-12T07:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T07:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/why-colors-look-different-on-paper-than-on-your-screen\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T07:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T07:56:30","slug":"why-colors-look-different-on-paper-than-on-your-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/why-colors-look-different-on-paper-than-on-your-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"Print talk: why colors look different on paper than on your screen"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Hendrix Printing<\/span><\/span> we regularly get questions about this. And rightly so, because color plays a major role in the appearance of a design, corporate identity or campaign. <\/p>\n

The difference between RGB and CMYK<\/h2>\n

Screens work with light. They use the RGB color model: red, green and blue. Combining those colors of light creates bright and often very intense colors. Therefore, images on a screen usually look vivid and contrasty. <\/p>\n

Printing works completely differently. A printing press uses ink and works with the CMYK color model: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Ink absorbs light instead of emitting it. This automatically makes colors appear slightly softer and more natural. <\/p>\n

That difference explains why a bright blue hue on your screen sometimes looks less intense on paper.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Paper helps determine the end result<\/h2>\n

Not only does the printing technique play a role. The type of paper also has a major impact on how colors are ultimately perceived. <\/p>\n

Matte paper absorbs more ink and gives a calm, soft look. Glossy paper reflects more light, often making colors appear stronger and deeper. In turn, uncoated paper provides a warmer and more natural look. <\/p>\n

So the same image can give a totally different impression depending on the paper chosen.<\/p>\n

Small color differences make a big difference<\/h2>\n

Consistent colors are especially important in corporate identities and brand communications. A subtle difference in hue can already affect the professional look of a brochure, packaging or business card. <\/p>\n

That is why every file at Hendrix Printing<\/span><\/span> is carefully checked in prepress. Among other things, we check color settings, contrasts, resolution and printing details so that the final result is as close as possible to the original design. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How to avoid surprises in printing<\/h2>\n

Proper preparation makes a big difference. By building designs correctly in CMYK and taking paper types into account, you can avoid common color discrepancies. <\/p>\n

In doubt about a particular color or finish? Then we will be happy to help you find the best solution for your project. Sometimes a small adjustment in color or choice of paper can make for a much stronger end result. <\/p>\n

Want to make sure your file is technically ready for printing? Then be sure to check out our tips on delivering a print-ready PDF.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Because strong printing starts with good preparation and the right guidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may have already experienced it. A design looks perfect on your screen, but once printed, the color just seems different. This is not a fault in the printing, but a logical difference between digital reproduction and printing technology. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ongecategoriseerd"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4798,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4793\/revisions\/4798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drukkerijhendrix.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}