Digital colour is fundamentally different from physical, pigment-based colour — screens create colour by emitting light in varying combinations of red, green and blue, while print and paint work by absorbing and reflecting light, which is why the same colour code can look different on a screen and in print.
Digital displays create colour using the RGB (red, green, blue) additive colour model, combining light rather than absorbing it — a fundamentally different physical process from the subtractive, pigment-based mixing used in paint and print.
Modern use
The CSS Color Module and related web standards define how colour is specified and rendered consistently across web browsers and devices, though actual on-screen appearance still varies by display calibration.
Modern use
Because a colour code (like a HEX value) only specifies a mathematical target, not a guaranteed visual result, the same code can appear noticeably different across uncalibrated screens, and will not exactly match a printed or painted version of the same nominal colour.
Modern use
Historical claims above are scoped to a specific period, region or culture where relevant — none are presented as a single universal fact. See methodology.