Inkjet printing uses droplets of ink to create digital images on paper and plastic. Technology originated in 1950s, first commercial devices introduced in 1951. Four major manufacturers dominate consumer market: Canon, HP, Epson, Brother
CMYK uses four subtractive colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Colors are partially or entirely masked on white background. White is natural paper color, black results from full ink combination
Thermal paper changes color when exposed to heat. Used in inexpensive devices like cash registers and credit cards. Printers use thermal dot matrix head to create colored dots. Most papers turn black, but blue, red, and multicolor options exist
DTF stands for Direct to Film printing. Designs are printed onto special film then transferred to substrate. Requires heat and pressure transfer process
RGB is an additive color model used in digital displays. CMYK is a subtractive color model used in print materials. Both models work by mixing light with black and white
Converts CMYK colors to Pantone equivalents without using color books. Users can input CMYK code or use sliders. Shows closest Pantone matches or adds color distance if none exist