Basics of ColorThis section describes the basic properties of color, the relationshipsbetween colors, and how to use color to improve the quality of yourprinted documents.Properties of colorColor is composed of three properties: Hue, Saturation, and Brightness.Hue The name of the color, such as red, blue, orviolet. The circle that represents the relationshipbetween all hues is called the hue circle.Saturation The vividness of the color. This represents theamount of gray in proportion to the hue.Brightness The relative lightness or darkness of the color.The method for representing these properties is called the Munsellrenotation color system. The hue circle and the Munsell renotation colorsystem are useful to understand the properties of color. See also the ColorGuide.Synchronizing monitor colors and printer colorsYour printer produces images by printing tiny patterns of ink dots onpaper. It uses the colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K)to create a blending effect that makes you think you are seeing millions ofcolors. This type of color, produced by pigments that absorb some colorsof light and reflect others, is called subtractive.Note:In theory, pure cyan, magenta, and yellow should produce black, but actually theyproduce a muddy brown and must be combined with black ink to produce a trueblack (K).Your monitor produces images by illuminating color phosphors on thescreen with an electron gun. (A phosphor is a substance that gives offlight when irradiated.) Each screen point (pixel) has three coloredphosphors: red (R), green (G), and blue (B).A-2 Tips for Color Printing
