Color printing

Relief-printed wallpaper. American. c. 1920. 11 x 7 1/2" (28 x 19 cm).

Color printing began with the simple expedient of using inks of different colors—if a particular color was needed then an ink was mixed to match it. In the twentieth century, color printing turned into a different system based upon the mixing of primary colors. The earlier method continues to this day, and we briefly trace its history in this section. Primary colors and their use in color printing are dealt with in Color Notes.