Cyan

Cyan (English: cyan) is a color between blue and green. To the human eye it appears as a light blue with green in it, like the color of deep seawater. The light visible as a result of perceiving this color falls in the wavelength range of roughly 490–500 nanometers.

Cyan holds a distinct place in color mixing systems. In light-based color mixing (RGB), cyan is produced when green and blue light are added in equal amounts, making it the opposite of red. In printing (CMYK), cyan is a primary color added to paper to build other colors.

Color Mixing

Additive color mixing is used in television screens, computer displays, and phones. There, the three primary colors are red, green, and blue; their equal combination produces white light. Cyan results from mixing green and blue light without red. This is why cyan is called the complement of red: if the two are combined as light, the result is white.

In subtractive color mixing used in printing, the ink of cyan absorbs red light while reflecting green and blue. When cyan is combined with magenta and yellow, most visible colors can be created. Household and office printing machines typically have separate inks for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

Name and Etymology

The English word 'cyan' comes from ancient Greek, meaning 'dark blue'. Its technical use in printing and displays began in recent centuries, as color printing and display systems were developed. In Somali, the word 'baxri' denotes the blue-green color; in everyday speech its use sometimes overlaps with 'light blue'.

Applications

Cyan is used in graphic design, logos, symbols, and color composition in printed media. It is also among the colors tested to assess printing quality. In modern photography, accurate rendering of cyan is one of the standards by which a display or printer is judged on how faithfully it shows true colors.