A relative ordered my card ID 436711.  On my computer and in the uploaded photo, the hibiscus is hot pink with coral edges, which is how I wanted it to look.  The card was inspired by my mother-in-law, and she loves hot pink.  When my relative got the card, the flower was lavender, not hot pink.  The coral edges were correct.  It doesn't look nearly as good in lavender (in my opinion, at least!) and anyone buying the card may be disappointed but it looks much different online.  Can you tell me what what went wrong and whether the color can be corrected?  All other colors in my cards that I've seen have always matched those online.  Thanks.

Tanya I have the same problem, I hope Corrie or some of the artist that have extensive experience working in RGB for Print on demand can give us some pointers.  I know from working with paint for CYMK you have to paint something [pinks especially] a slightly different color to get what you really want in reproduction.  But I haven't figured it out for RGB,  plus on the screen we're seeing light not pigment on paper, so everything on screen will look brighter.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about rgb and cmyk.  All I know is that all of my colors have been exactly the same in my prints as they were on my screen until this one card, which I admit I fiddled a lot with digitally.... I may have to withdraw it if it can't be fixed.  It says Hot Pink Hibiscus but it's a drab lavender/purple.  I knew I was too lucky so far!  Thanks for all of your help.  I could re-name the card "Drab lavender Hibiscus"! I sure wish I could get that hot pink, though.  

The RGB colour model is used by monitors, televisions, scanners, and digital cameras.
A monitor uses very small bands of red, green, and blue light to generate colour.
RGB is additive because when you add all three colours together, you get white light;
when you turn off all three lights, you get black. By mixing varying amounts of
red, green, and blue light, you can create most other colours.  
 
 
 
 
However, the paper used for a magazine, CD booklet, DVD sleeve
can’t generate light like a computer monitor.
It relies on reflected light, and the subtractive
colour model CMYK. When you add cyan, magenta,
and yellow together (CMY), you get a colour close to black,
and when you don’t lay down any ink, you get white—that is,
the white of the paper. A fourth colour, black,
is added for economical and practical reasons,
and is referred to by ‘K’ so as not to be
confused with blue. By mixing varying amounts
of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks,
you can create most other colours. All commercial,
full-colour printing uses CMYK inks.
 
 
 
 
So why is the difference important?
Most colours created on the RGB monitor
can be duplicated using CMYK inks, but not all.
As your RGB monitor is generating light,
it can create some bright colours that can’t be
duplicated on any CMYK printing press.
Paper can only reflect light,
so if you print the super-bright RGB colours
in CMYK, they get a lot duller.
 
 
One thing to note is that CMYK
colours may not look identical to physical
colours due to the restriction to the number
of colours CMYK can reproduce and that
Inks perform differently. For example,
orange is very hard to reproduce,
and can look very muddy in when printed digitally.  
 
 
So on this basis, we know our printer is asking us
to deliver RGB when we have photoshop and or other
packages set to CMYK you are causing colours to
wash, in the settings of all programs you will find
how to change your CMYK to RGB, in photoshop
CS3, Photoshop 6 and photoshop 7 etc all of them are the same,  
 
When creating a new document in photoshop  
it asks you if you want RGB colour CMYK.
 
In Image Mode you can choose RGB colour (I am sure I forgot one )
 
All the images I have printed with GCU are so very bright and crisp
which suggests my colours are ok including oranges, pinks, blues,  
and purples, which all wash out in CMYK and all my settings are RGB.
 
I work for Steiff Germany for leaflets, posters and booklets they require
me to use RGB I have no idea why (appart that certain technology allows printers
these days to use the richness of RGB) but unusual in most cases,
but do what I am asked, however Steiff London Gallery I have to change my settings
to CMYK as they are using
full collour sepparations and plates during printing. So I have to be
very careful not to design these in CMYK or id get chewed on
 
Usually I work in the newspaper advertisement sector and that is all
CMYK they use spot colour to sepparate the CYAN, MAGENTA AND YELLOW, the K is for black
not to muddle up.White is what is known and a knock out colour, it just creates a hole
in the rest of the image and that area is blank.
 
Gosh hope this help as the questions are asked a lot, if GCU could tell us exacly why  
we have to use RGB it migh be a huge help, i am far from technical and do things because
my printers normally tell me CMYK, or RGB.
 
 
Summery: just because your monitor sees orange as a huge vibrant jucy colour,
does not mean it will print that vibrant if you are not on the correct setting's
WYSIWYG does not apply to what your monitor sees.
 
Take this image of mine, this thing is dripping the brightest colours I have used,
when I sent for this card, it arrived as you see it, you needed sunglasses if you let the  
light in the room   crisp vibrant and bright bordering maniacle bright. GCU's Printers
were spot on with him http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/zoom.asp?pid=379918&w=1
 
 
the only thing i can think of.. is.. the printers GCU and ZAZZLE are using have a coating applied
or some ink setting that now lets light off, so giving us a huge number of vibrant colours, as technology
catches up I would think it will become the norm to use that. Or they have one of those huge 20grand Printers, they need rgb, we used to design our proofs to customers on that beast, and the poor customer
would see this full page purple bright advert, then we just process it as normal when ok'd then the customer would ring up and say why did you use blue when you showed me bright purple.. needless to  
say that one was knocked on the head after multiple complaints.
 
-Moonie-

Yes my settings were RGB for that and all my cards here, I should send for a few more really to keep an eye  
 
I set Illustrator to RGB as well just incase