Within the printing and publishing industry, a technique known as “progressives” is employed to produce multi-color documents. This method involves utilizing the C (Cyan), M (Magenta), Y (Yellow), and K (Black) color separations in combination.
Four color separations are utilized to achieve the desired colors and shades in a full-color image or document. Each separation is printed separately onto distinct plates or screens. In progressive printing, these individual prints are layered skillfully on top of one another to form the final colored image.
The process starts with color separations to create colorful prints. This method divides the original artwork into transparent films or digital files representing individual colors (CMYK). These separations serve as guides to make plates or screens for each color layer.
Once prepared, the printing process commences by transferring each color layer in a specific order onto the print material. First comes Cyan (C), then Magenta (M), followed by Yellow (Y), and finally Black (K). This layered approach gradually builds up the full-color image. By strategically combining and proportioning different color separations, a wide array of colors and gradients can be achieved—resulting in an accurate yet visually captivating representation of the original art.
In essence, those pioneering advancements in printing and publishing refer to this technique as progressive printing. This method combines Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black sequentially to produce multi-colored documents.