印表機能列印白色嗎？

絕大多數情況下，我們都在白色介質上列印：白色紙張、白色卡片和其他中性白色表面。但是列印白色怎麼辦？現代印表機能列印白色嗎？如果不能，為什麼不能？在我們探索色彩理論，印表機設計選擇，以及為什麼白色是印刷過程的基礎上，請繼續閱讀。...

絕大多數情況下，我們都在白色介質上列印：白色紙張、白色卡片和其他中性白色表面。但是列印白色怎麼辦？現代印表機能列印白色嗎？如果不能，為什麼不能？在我們探索色彩理論，印表機設計選擇，以及為什麼白色是印刷過程的基礎上，請繼續閱讀。

今天的問答環節是由SuperUser提供的，SuperUser是Stack Exchange的一個分支，是一個由社群驅動的問答網站分組。圖片由Coiote O；可用作牆紙在這裡。

問題

超級使用者讀者好奇的孩子對印表機很好奇。他寫道：

I was reading about different color models, when this question hit my mind.

Can the CMYK color model generate white color?

Printers use CMYK color mode. What will happen if I try to print a white colored image (rabbit) on a black paper with my printer? Will I get any image on the paper?

CMYK彩色模型有白色的空間嗎？

答案

超級使用者貢獻者Darth Android提供了對CMYK過程的一些見解：

You will not get anything on the paper with a basic CMYK inkjet or laser printer. The CMYK color mixing is subtractive, meaning that it requires the base that is being colored to have all colors (i.e., White) So that it can create color variation through subtraction:

White - Cyan - Yellow = Green White - Yellow - Magenta = Red White - Cyan - Magenta = Blue

White is represented as 0 cyan, 0 yellow, 0 magenta, and 0 black – effectively, 0 ink for a printer that simply has those four cartridges. This works great when you have white media, as “printing no ink” simply leaves the white exposed, but as you can imagine, this doesn’t work for non-white media.

If you don’t have a base color to subtract from (i.e., Black), then it doesn’t matter what you subtract from it, you still have the color Black.

[But], as others are pointing out, there are special printers which can operate in the CMYW color space, or otherwise have a white ink or toner. These can be used to print light colors on top of dark or otherwise non-white media.

You might also find my answer to a different question about color spaces helpful or informative.

考慮到世界上大多數的印表機介質是白色的，在非白色的顏色上列印純白是一個特殊的過程，所以家用和（大多數）商用印表機都沒有這方面的規定也就不足為奇了。

有什麼要補充的解釋嗎？在評論中發出聲音。想從其他精通技術的Stack Exchange使用者那裡瞭解更多答案嗎？在這裡檢視完整的討論主題。