The simplest answer is one of acronyms: RGB versus CMYK. Monitors create color by emitting light through the red, green, blue (RGB) color spectrum, which produces a wide gamut of the color spectrum. Printed images derive their color through cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CMYK) inks that filter color as light is reflected or absorbed by the paper. This produces a more limited gamut of the color spectrum. Consequently, the same art designed and displayed on a color computer monitor RGB, may look quite different when printed on paper in CMYK.
