A color separation pertains to the act of decomposing a color graphic into single color layers. For instance to print full color photos it is important to separate the photo into its four basic ink colors which are:

•    Cyan
•    Magenta
•    Yellow
•    Black

Each of this color layers will then be printed separately one on top of the other that would provide the illusion of indefinite colors. There are two types of color separation and these are as follows:

1.    Process Color Separation- which involves mixing of three or four colors in order to produce an indefinite variety of colors.

2.    Spot Color Separation- this method is used to separate colors that are not to be mixed. Spot colors are usually employed for highlighting text.

Due to the continuous development in printing, color separation matchprints was developed. This method provides color accuracy and are very much ideal for creating large format display graphics. Color separation matchprints also involves full color proofs wherein each separation is transferred to a separate sheet and the layers are laminated together. This procedure results to an extremely accurate representation of the final printed piece.