Four-color process printing (CMYK) is a color printing process that uses the primary colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in a subtractive synthesis. To create a CMYK print, four superimposed negative colors are used to obtain a set of positives, then a halftone negative set used in letterpress printing, and finally a fourth halftone positive set for offset printing. For a wider color palette than CMYK, one can opt for hexachrome, which adds orange and green. Although developed by Pantone, hexachrome remains relatively uncommon.

“Dimmed” CMYK refers to lighter colors, often used to improve the legibility of superimposed printed elements, such as text. In marketing, the choice of colors for a product or packaging must take into account various factors such as the product’s positioning and characteristics, competitors’ color choices, consumer preferences, and the symbolism of colors.

The components of color can have an impact on the consumer. Color, as a mediating variable, must be consistent with the advertisement to elicit a favorable attitude from the consumer. It is important to consider not only the hue, but also the levels of brightness and saturation, as well as their suitability to the advertisement, to trigger a change in attitude.

In additive color mixing, which deals with colors perceived through light projection, the primary colors are red, green, and blue (RGB).