In the real world, this doesn't happen often. Like all other full-color printers, we print CMYK, also known as the 4-color process. That is where the 4 colors come from. CMYK: stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. C = Cyan. M = Magenta. Y = Yellow. K = Black. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and BlacK are the primary colors for print and various combinations of those 4 colors create a broad and wide spectrum of all colors we see in everyday life. While you may see 7 or 8 colors in the rainbow below, the four CMYK colors combine in various percentages to print all those colors. So why ever the need to print more than 4 Colors? Sometimes clients want to print full-color images but also want to print colors that are not able to be produced with CMYK, such as Metallics, Neons, or Pastels. These are some of what are known as Pantone or PMS colors. There is no CMYK equivalent that can produce a true metallic gold or a Fluorescent Neon Pink.