Printing in CMYK vs RGB

[KiwiBird]

Does it really matter? I make a lot of digital art that I sometimes print some things off to sell. But my question is whether or not I should create my file in CMYK or RGB and if I should choose to change it before pritning.

I post a lot of work online which I know that RGB is okay for showing on monitors, but CMYK is how printers print. Yet I've asked some artists and some print CMYK or just straight from RGB.

Which should I do? Should I just work in RGB and print that way? Change it to CMYK before printing? Or start the file off in CMYK?

[shadowsports]

CYMK from start to finish.  Keep your workflow as simple as possible.

[KiwiBird]

What about for things also being posted online? I think once I had tried uploading a CMYK version of a photo online somewhere and the colors were off.

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

You seem to have some knowledge on the subject, but are seeking an absolute answer.

Printers use CYMK

Monitors use RGB

For printing, which is in the subject line of your post, I would use CYMK

For online posting, I'd use RGB

If you print an RGB image, its going to be converted to CYMK for printing.

I think the important thing here is to be consistent and to not change or convert things unless neccessary depending on the desired output.