At Trycolors, we use a subtractive color model that simulates mixing colors rather than printing them.

In the subtractive color model, colors are created by selectively absorbing or subtracting certain wavelengths of light. Cyan is a subtractive primary color that absorbs red light, while yellow is a subtractive primary color that absorbs blue light. When you mix cyan and yellow paints, both colors absorb different parts of the color spectrum, resulting in the wavelengths of light being subtracted from the incoming light.

The overlapping area between cyan and yellow reflects some wavelengths of light that are not absorbed by either color. This overlapping region appears as a greenish color, but it is not a pure green because it still contains some traces of the original cyan and yellow pigments.