For subtractive combination of colors , as in mixing of pigments or dyes for printing , the primaries normally used are cyan , magenta , and yellow , though the set of red , yellow , blue is popular among artists . For subtractive combination of colors , as in mixing of pigments or dyes , such as in printing , the primaries normally used are cyan , magenta , and yellow , though the set of red , yellow , blue is popular among artists .