Subtractive color system
From The Glossary of Digital Photography
A system that produces color by subtracting colors from a reference color. An example of a subtractive color system is one that uses pigments such as cyan, magenta, and yellow (the CMY portion of the CMYK four-color printing process). When those three colors are mixed, black is produced because each color subtracts all but their own color from white, which leaves black. In an additive color system (such as one that emits light rather than reflecting it), combining the three primary colors produces white rather than black. See also additive color system; CMYK
