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The Subtractive Colour System
There is a third color system called subtractive, which is commonly referred to as CMYK. The primary colors of the subtractive system are cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y), the same colors that are the secondary colors of the RGB system. The letter "K" in CMYK stands for black. The subtractive color process is based on light reflected from an object and passed through pigments or dyes that absorb certain wavelengths, allowing others to be reflected. The subtractive system begins with white and subtracts color. CMYK is commonly used in printing as most print begins with a white page that reflects white (RGB) light. To reproduce color on the paper, transparent pigments (cyan, magenta and yellow) are used to filter out the RGB wavelengths in various combinations. The secondary colors of the subtractive system are red, green and blue, the primary colors of the additive system.
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