<P> Comparisons between RGB displays and CMYK prints can be difficult, since the color reproduction technologies and properties are very different . A computer monitor mixes shades of red, green, and blue light to create color pictures . A CMYK printer instead uses light - absorbing cyan, magenta, and yellow inks, whose colors are mixed using dithering, halftoning, or some other optical technique . </P> <P> Similar to monitors, the inks used in printing produce a color gamut that is "only a subset of the visible spectrum" although both color modes have their own specific ranges . As a result of this items which are displayed on a computer monitor may not completely match the look of items which are printed if opposite color modes are being combined in both mediums . When designing items to be printed, designers view the colors which they are choosing on an RGB color mode (their computer screen), and it is often difficult to visualize the way in which the color will turn out post printing because of this . </P> <P> To reproduce color, the CMYK color model codes for absorbing light rather than emitting it (as is assumed by RGB). The' K' component absorbs all wavelengths and is therefore achromatic . The Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow components are used for color reproduction and they may be viewed as the inverse of RGB . Cyan absorbs Red, Magenta absorbs Green, and Yellow absorbs Blue (- R, - G, - B). </P> <P> Since RGB and CMYK spaces are both device - dependent spaces, there is no simple or general conversion formula that converts between them . Conversions are generally done through color management systems, using color profiles that describe the spaces being converted . Nevertheless, the conversions cannot be exact, particularly where these spaces have different gamuts . </P>

Why do printers use cyan magenta and yellow instead of rgb
find me the text answering this question