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In commercial printing the term 'Full colour printing' means using four primary colours; cyan(c), magenta(m), yellow(y) and black(k) CMYK. These four colors are capable of producing a spectrum of colors required to reproduce photographs by using different combinations of screen percentages. Cyan is a light blue, magenta is a pink-red and then yellow and black are self explanatory.
If you look at a printed piece through a magnifying glass you can see each primary colour as dots at preset angles (traditional screening)
Screen angles of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black and a combination of all four as used in traditional screening (images enlarged).
or randomly spaced (stochastic screening). When the screen percentage of any colour reaches 100% we get a solid colour therefore no dots of that colour are visible as the solid colour has absolute coverage of the material. Other colours can still be printed at different screen values or solid over another solid colour hereby allowing an even wider range of colours achievable.
On a printing press each of the four colours uses it's own printing unit thus a four color press has the ability to print a job in one pass on one side unless it is an eight colour perfecting press which can actually print on both sides of the sheet in one pass.
The term 'Full colour printing' does not include 'PMS' or 'Spot colours'.
Written by A. S. Bergant, © Samberg PTY LTD, 2007
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