To factor the expression \( 12p - 3q \), we can identify the greatest common factor (GCF) of the terms \( 12p \) and \( -3q \).
The GCF of 12 and 3 is 3. Therefore, we can factor out 3 from each term:
\[ 12p - 3q = 3(4p - q) \]
Here, \( 3 \) is a whole number greater than 1, and \( (4p - q) \) is the remaining expression.
Thus, the factored form of \( 12p - 3q \) is:
\[ 3(4p - q) \]