what colors of ink do color ink -jet printers use to produce a full range of colors? do the colors form by color addition or by color subtraction?
Ink works by subtracting colors from the white light that illuminates them. Each allows a fairly wide rainge of wavelengths to be reflected; the reflected light is not highly monochromatic. The colors look a lot different from the red, blue and green that are used in color addition. Frequent ink color choices are magenta, yellow and cyan. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtractive_color
for more about how it works
Color inkjet printers use a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks to produce a full range of colors. These inks work together to create the illusion of various hues and shades.
To understand how color is formed in inkjet printers, we need to talk about color subtraction rather than addition. Unlike the additive color model used in displays (where colors are created by combining red, green, and blue light), inkjet printers work on the subtractive color model.
In the subtractive color model, each ink color absorbs certain colors of light and reflects others. When all inks are combined, they absorb more and reflect less light, resulting in a darker appearance. By selectively absorbing or reflecting different colors, inkjet printers can create the perception of a wide range of colors.
Here's how it works:
- Cyan ink absorbs red light and reflects green and blue.
- Magenta ink absorbs green light and reflects red and blue.
- Yellow ink absorbs blue light and reflects red and green.
- Black ink is used primarily for enhancing contrast and creating depth in images. It is also used in combination with the other colors to achieve very dark shades.
By varying the proportions and overlays of these ink colors, inkjet printers can create a broad spectrum of colors and shades, including secondary colors (such as orange, purple), and even neutral tones.
So, in summary, color inkjet printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to produce a full range of colors, and the colors are formed through color subtraction rather than addition.