Why do newspapers have those four dots at the bottom?
Have you ever noticed that there are four dots at the bottom of the newspaper? These four coloured dots at the end of each page actually have a significance. Their shapes might differ with newspapers, but the colours blue, pink, yellow and black remain the same. These four dots are important for newspaper printing because they indicate the quality of colours printed. This type of printing is known as CMYK printing. Continue reading to find out what these dots are!
The CMYK printing and its importance
Now that you have taken a note of these four dots, let’s find out why they exist and how important they are. But first, what exactly does CMYK stand for? In printing, the C stands for Cyan, which means blue, the M stands for Magenta, which means pink, the Y stands for Yellow and the K stands for Black. You must have learned that red, yellow and blue are the basic colours that can be mixed to create a variety of other colours. In the printing world, another colour, black, has been added to the sequence.
These four colours can be used to print any colour. So, how does an image get printed? While printing, the plates for all four colours are laid out separately on a page and lined up in the same spot. If these colours are not stacked in the same line, the image will be printed blurry. However, if they are arranged properly, images come out crisp.
Thousands of newspaper copies are printed every day and conducting individual newspaper checks is nearly impossible. This is where CMYK comes in to save the day! The printing in charge can see the dots on the printing machine and determine whether or not the images are properly printed on the newspaper. That’s why CMYK is used as a registration mark, a quality indicator. Isn’t a brilliant and simple solution for printing high-quality images?
How does the process work?
CMYK printing is a straightforward process. Consider printing a picture of the Avengers. First, small points of each of the four colours are stacked on top of one another. The colours are then printed at various angles. Multiple colours are produced by varying the ratios of these colours. Like when you mix black and white, you get grey. After this procedure is completed, you will receive a quality Avengers picture. The CMYK printing method is also widely used in commercial printing.
Why only these particular colours?
You now understand the significance and method of CMYK in image printing. It’s time to answer another question that has crossed your mind. Why were these specific colours chosen? Why is any other colour not included in the sequence? Their selection is motivated by a simple and cost-effective reason. These four colours are the most affordable in the market. But their minimal cost, in no way, affects their efficiency in printing high-quality images. CMYK is less expensive than toner-based or digital printing, allowing businesses to save money when printing large quantities.
There is another question than can pop up. Why aren’t these dots visible in books or pamphlets? They are also mass-produced and come in colour. Because the size of their pages is so small that the CMYK mark is removed when the book or pamphlet is cut and bound.