CMYK
ADDITIVE PRINTING
CMY(K) Color Theory Breakdown
(C) cyan+ (M) magenta+ (Y) yellow+ Blac(K)
CMYK can be created by overlapping 3 layers of CMY or by adding and isolating a 4th K layer.
3 LAYERS (CMY)=(K)
(C) Cyan layer isolated
(M) Magenta layer isolated
(Y) Yellow layer isolated
(C+M)
(C) Cyan and (M) Magenta layers overlayed.
(C+M+Y=(K))
(Y) The final Yellow layer overlayed on (C+M) layers creating an overlapping 4th black layer of all 3 colors combined.
4 LAYERS (CMYK)
A (K) black layer can also be isolated as its own 4th layer.
C Isolated
M Isolated
Y Isolated
K Isolated
C+M
C+M+Y
C+M+Y+K
INVERTING CMYK FOR UV DEVELOPMENT
I’ll be Experimenting with C, M, and Y as my primary colors using a mixture of standard cyanotype dye, as well as a violet and yellow Solarfast dye.
Since I won’t have a dedicated K dye I’ll be using the 3 Layer overlapping color method to stack the colors to black.
Inversion of the C layer. (lighter will develop darker blue)
Inversion of the M layer. (lighter will develop darker red)
Inversion of the Y layer. (lighter will develop darker yellow)
RGB-CMY/CMYK SEPARATION
Convert your own digital (RGB) image into individual CMY+K layers with The Cyanotype Network’s CMYK Separation bench.
Step 1: Select an image
Step 2: Select based on desired output.
Step 3: Download your CMYK film negatives as a group or individually by color layer.
Linocut And Other Physical Mediums
Additionally you can stack isolated layers on transparency films to create reusable cutaway CMYK images.
Isolating color layers and carving away the negative space is the basic premise for CMYK linocuts and block printing.
STUDIO WETWARE 