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In surface coating, light colour and pigment colour

20 March, 2023

Surface coating, the importance of knowing light colours and pigment colours

Knowing light colours and pigment colours is essential to develop new decorative paper designs for surface coating and to ensure that they look just as impressive in digital format as they do on physical paper. The application on doors, mouldings and furniture is preceded by a digital simulation where the pattern and colours of the design being created are carefully studied.

Colours are a fundamental part of our visual perception of the world around us. Understanding the difference between these two colour systems is essential to ensure that the printed colours correspond to the colours you see on screen. If this difference is not taken into account, printed colours may appear desaturated or different from the original.

How do light colours work?

Light colours are those that are produced when light is broken down into different wavelengths that are then captured by our eyes. These colours are mixed additively, which means that when different light colours are combined, the result is a brighter colour. For example, when red, green and blue (RGB) light are combined in equal proportions, white light is produced. This is the principle behind television screens, computer monitors and projectors.

How do pigment colours work?

Pigment colours, on the other hand, are those that are produced when light is absorbed by a substance and reflected back to our eyes. These colours are subtractively mixed, which means that when different pigment colours are combined, the result is a darker colour. For example, when red, yellow and blue paints are mixed in equal proportions, black is produced. This is the principle behind paints, dyes and pigments. Pigment colours, on the other hand, are those used in printing and are formed by mixing cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks (CMYK).

The main differences between light colours and pigment colours are:

The mixing of colours: as mentioned above, light colours are mixed additively, while pigment colours are mixed subtractively.
The result of the mixing: when different light colours are mixed, the result is a brighter colour, while when different pigment colours are mixed, the result is a darker colour.
The source of the colour: light colours come from a light source, such as a television screen, computer monitor or projector, while pigment colours come from substances that absorb and reflect light.

In short, knowing light and pigment colours is crucial to developing decorative paper designs that look equally impressive in both digital and physical paper formats. This ensures that the printed colours are true to the original design and that the end result is of high quality.