CMYK vs RGB (and where Pantone fits): colour for print and merch

RGB and CMYK are two ways of making colour. RGB mixes red, green and blue light, and it is how every screen shows colour. CMYK mixes cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink, and it is how full-colour printing works. RGB can show brighter, more saturated colours than CMYK can print, so a colour that glows on screen often looks duller on paper or fabric. Pantone is a third system: a single pre-mixed ink matched to a numbered swatch, used when a brand colour has to be exact.

For branded merchandise this is not a design-school detail. It decides whether your logo comes back in your colour or in someone's best guess at it. Every decoration method speaks one of these colour languages, and knowing which one tells you what to put in the brief.

CMYK vs RGB, compared

Why colours shift between screen and print

RGB is additive. A screen starts black and adds light: full red, green and blue together make white. CMYK is subtractive. Paper or fabric starts white and ink absorbs light: the more ink, the darker it gets. Because ink can only remove light, it cannot reproduce everything a backlit screen can show.

The colours that suffer most are the ones brands love: electric blues, vivid greens, bright oranges and anything neon. Converting them from RGB to CMYK pulls them towards the nearest printable colour, which is usually duller. That is why a logo that looks perfect in a slide deck can come back from the printer "a bit off".

The material makes it worse. CMYK on a coated white sheet, on cotton and on polyester will look three slightly different ways, because each surface absorbs ink differently. On a dark garment, a white underbase has to be printed first, which shifts colours again.

Where Pantone fits

Pantone solves the consistency problem by skipping colour mixing on the press. Instead of building a colour from four inks, the printer mixes one ink to a published formula and prints it as a single colour. Pantone 286 C is the same blue in Brussels and in Istanbul, on Tuesday and next year.

That is why most brand guidelines define a Pantone reference next to the RGB and HEX values. If your guidelines only have a HEX code, find the closest Pantone before you order anything physical. Our explainer on what Pantone colours are covers how the system works and how to read a code like 286 C or 286 U. When a Pantone has to be printed in four-colour instead, see Pantone to CMYK for why the conversion is never perfect.

Which colour system each merch technique uses

This is the part most colour guides skip, and the part that matters when you order merchandise. Every decoration method is built on one colour language. These are the rules in Sunday's own production specifications:

The practical takeaway: if exact brand colour matters, choose a spot-colour method like screen printing. If the design is a photo, a gradient or has many colours, a CMYK-based method like DTF is the right tool, and you accept a close match rather than an exact one. Our comparison of DTF vs DTG vs screen printing covers the cost side of that decision.

How to prepare artwork for merch

1. Start from vector. Send an SVG, EPS, AI or vector PDF of your logo. Screens, embroidery files and dies are all built from vector paths.
2. Name your Pantone references. For every solid brand colour, add the Pantone code in the file or the brief. Use C (coated) references for print on most merchandise.
3. Keep photos and gradients in CMYK-friendly files. High-resolution PDF or PNG at 300 dpi at the final print size.
4. Avoid relying on neon or very bright RGB colours. If the brand uses one, ask for a printed sample, or switch to a screen-printed Pantone that gets closer.
5. Check it on the product. Colour on a navy hoodie and colour on a white tote are not the same colour. Look at a mockup on the real base colour before approving.

Most of this happens automatically on Sunday. 70% of orders go through automatic design templates that place your logo and brand colours on the product with no designer and no proof round, and every product shows its decoration options with live pricing. You can preview your logo in your colours on a hoodie with the free hoodie mockup generator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CMYK and RGB?

RGB mixes red, green and blue light to make colour on screens; it is additive and starts from black. CMYK mixes cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink to make colour in print; it is subtractive and starts from white paper or fabric. RGB can show brighter colours than CMYK can print.

Should I use CMYK or RGB for printing?

Use CMYK files for full-colour printing such as photos and gradients, and Pantone references for solid brand colours that must match exactly. Keep RGB for screens. If you send an RGB file to a printer, it will be converted to CMYK, and bright colours may shift.

Is Pantone the same as CMYK?

No. CMYK builds a colour from four inks printed on top of each other. Pantone is a single pre-mixed ink matched to a numbered swatch. Pantone is more consistent and can reach some colours CMYK cannot, which is why it is used for logos and brand colours.

Why does my logo look different when printed?

Usually because it was designed in RGB, which can show brighter colours than ink can reproduce. The material also matters: the same ink looks different on paper, cotton and polyester, and on dark garments. Use a Pantone reference and a spot-colour print method for the closest match.

Can DTF printing match Pantone colours?

Not exactly. DTF prints in CMYK plus white, so it reproduces full-colour designs and gradients well but can only approximate a Pantone. If an exact brand colour is critical, screen printing, which is matched to Pantone C, is the safer choice.