ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

CMY color model

Okay kiddo, so you know how when you mix different colors of paint together you can make new colors? Well, the CMY color model is kind of like that but for printers.

CMY stands for Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. These three colors are used as the primary colors in printing. When you mix Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow together, you can make all the other colors you need for printing.

But, there's a little problem with just using these three colors. Sometimes when you mix them together, the color you get isn't exactly what you want. That's where a fourth color comes in - black. Adding black to the mix allows for darker, more saturated colors to be printed.

So, to sum it up, the CMY color model is a way of mixing the primary colors Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, and adding black to create all the colors needed for printing. It's like mixing paint, but for printers.