Extend Colors to Extend Reach

Transcending the limits of CMYK

The fact that the CMYK color space is significantly smaller than the color space visible to the human eye underscores the limitations of 4-color process printing in color-critical applications like fine art and packaging. Violets, greens, and oranges, for example, are very difficult to match using 4-color process. With its limited gamut and ability to simulate only about 60 percent of standard Pantone colors, therefore, the 4-color process system based on CMYK alone packs insufficient marketing punch for many packaging applications. At the same time, working with spot colors can be time-consuming and costly. A more visually and emotionally satisfying—and potentially more cost-effective—option is to add two or more special colors to the standard 4-color set to extend the color gamut and enable the press to print a wider range of colors.