Design with print colours

Ever wonder why colours on screens sometimes look different from when they’re printed? That's because screens and printers use different colour models. This results in a different range of colours for each model.

To help match the colours on screen and in print, you can use CMYK colours while designing. You can also download a CMYK file afterwards.

RGB and CMYK are colour models used to build colours. Let’s understand how colour models affect the design and printing experience.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is an additive colour model created by mixing red, green and blue light together, used for digital displays like monitors and phones. Because it’s light-based, RGB can produce bright, saturated or neon-like colours on your screen.

On the other hand, CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key) is a subtractive colour model optimised for paper and physical materials. Colours are built by layering cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks for printing. Since inks absorb and reflect light, the colour range is naturally more limited.

When your design is sent for printing, the colours are automatically converted from RGB values to the closest possible CMYK match.

The conversion works well for most colours. But ultra-bright RGB colours such as electric blues or hot pinks fall “out of gamut”. This means that they can’t be replicated exactly in print, and you might notice these colours appear softer or more muted.

If you’re planning to print your design, we recommend designing with CMYK-safe colours from the start. Designing with the output in mind helps align the colours of your design when printed.

While slight colour variations sometimes happen, there are simple ways to help you create designs that look accurate both on screen and in your hands.

While super-bright or highly saturated colours (like neon pinks or vivid purples) look great on screen, they may appear more muted or washed out when printed. Choosing slightly lighter versions of these types of colours can help get closer to your intended look. Scroll down to the Using CMYK colours in Canva section, or refer to the image below for the recommended colours.

Your choice of material can influence how colours appear on your final prints. Here's what to expect:

• Gloss and matte finishes on paper products will show very similar colour accuracy, with gloss having a shinier surface reflection and matte offering a more subtle appearance. Both translate your screen colours quite well.
• Uncoated and specialty papers (like hemp) may show softer, warm colour tones compared to coated options, though the difference is usually minimal.
• Non-paper products like mugs, mouse pads, tote bags and apparel use different printing methods and materials, which can affect how colours appear compared to your screen. We recommend using the print preview and ordering one printed copy to test colour output before placing a larger order.

Nearly every product allows you to order a single copy, making it affordable to test your design before committing to larger quantities. Try experimenting with how the colours will look on different paper finishes and make any tweaks before your big order. Learn more about ordering prints.

The Canva editor uses hex codes, which are a compact way of expressing RGB values. To work with print-friendly CMYK colours, you can use online colour pickers to convert CMYK values into hex format, then input these converted colours in the Canva colour palette.

1. Get CMYK colours using online colour pickers. Make sure to take note of their HEX codes. Here are some sites you may check:

• Colorffy (HEX to CMYK, RGB to CMYK)
• ConvertAColor

2. Input the CMYK colour hex codes from the editor or in a colour palette. Learn more about changing element colour and setting up colour palettes.

3. Use CMYK colours in the elements on your design.

If you’re not happy with the colours on your Canva Print order, contact us and we’ll do our best to provide you with a solution.