Color gamuts

The gamut, or color space, of a color system is the range of colors that can be displayed or printed. The spectrum of colors that can be viewed by the human eye is wider than any method of reproducing color.

The RGB gamut contains the subset of colors that can be viewed on a computer or television monitor (which emits red, green, and blue light). Some colors, such as pure cyan or pure yellow, can't be displayed accurately on a monitor. The smallest gamut is that of the CMYK model, which consists of colors that can be printed using process-color inks. When colors that cannot be printed are displayed on the screen, they are referred to as out-of-gamut colors (that is, they are outside the CMYK gamut).


Comparison of RGB and CMYK color gamuts A. RGB color gamut B. CMYK color gamut The extent of the RGB color gamut exceeds that of the CMYK color gamut.