"Don't Panic...", Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

This is the 'ground zero' document, where it gets serious and demanding. Lower down comment is made about the need to understand your software and what it is doing. If you don't manage this the whole process remains one of shooting-in-the-dark and is likely to be very frustrating. Don't blame the colour management system if things don't go as planned, rather invest some time learning about how to control the software and hardware into which you have already invested a lot of money.

The ICC colour management system does work and controlling it really isn't so complicated once the penny drops...

So, now you've been told that 95% of all the problems are caused by operator-error,
'On with the Show...'

The most important link in the colour management chain is that between monitor and printer. The objective is to produce as good a match as is possible, within the confines of the technology, between the image when seen on-screen and when printed.

This can be largely achieved by using quality colour profiles for both monitor and printer.

A printer profile is created by mathematically comparing a special printed image, called a target, with a 'correct' reference. The profile thus produced contains the compensation figures needed to make the printed colours match those of the reference target. This technique remains constant however a profile is produced, what can change is the method of assessment of the printed target.

Profiles are specific pieces of code and every combination of printer, paper and ink will require a separate profile. Change paper or use a cheaper ink and you will need a different profile.

Do also bear in mind that the match between on-screen and printed images can never be exact because the viewing conditions are so different and that the ultimate aim is to produce an image which pleases the eye wherever it is viewed.

Sourcing Printer Profiles...

• Custom Profile created 'in house' using dedicated hardware...

  It is possible, with a spectrophotometer and the correct software, to produce top-quality printer profiles yourself but such equipment is costly.

  • Eye One Photo - Gretag Macbeth
  • PrintFIX Pro - ColorVision
• Custom Profile created by profiling company...

  A more reasonable prospect is to pay someone else to use their hardware to produce a custom profile for you, such services are available over the internet.

  See www.nativedigital.co.uk for just one example. Search the 'net for more.

• Profile created 'in house' using just software and a scanner...

  If you have a flatbed scanner you can create printer profiles yourself using the right software. Such profiles may be as good or better than those provided by the printer manufacturer but they will not be as good as the hardware-produced custom profiles. Much cheaper than the hardware alternative but may be much more difficult to use sucessfully. Editing profiles is not for the faint-hearted.

  • Profile Prism - Digital Domain Inc.
  • EZColor - Monaco
  • Profiler - ColorVision
• Generic Profile created by printer (or paper and ink) manufacturer...

  Generic Printer profiles are usually available from the printer manufacturer and will normally be installed at the same time as the printer driver. The quality of such print profiles is variable. Some are very good but others can be less so. As they are free and easily installed, they are the simplest place to start with profile-based printing.

  Some independent paper manufacturers will supply profiles for their own papers, some will even provide these free! These are probably going to be generic profiles created for printers as a group although certain paper manufacturers will apparently produce a custom hardware profile if a suitable target is sent to them. (Please let me know if you find one!).

Using Printer Profiles...

The exact method of configuring a computer/printer system to colour manage printing is dependent on both the image editing programme and the printer software. There are as many ways to achieve this as there are of each. The specifics can be gleaned from the respective manuals.

There are, luckily, common threads which run through all these alternatives.

The principal choice is to decide where the conversion from the computer's internal colour space to that of the printer is to be handled.

It is fundamental to controlling the printing process successfully that the user be conversant with the colour management settings in both printer driver and image editing application. The manuals for both should contain this information.

1. Print colour management handled by the printer driver.

• Advantages:
  • Integration with the manufacturer's own printer profiles;
  • Often simpler to set up than the alternatives (often not...I'm strugging to find more advantages!).
• Disadvantages:
  • Often impossible to use third-party print profiles;
  • Limited choices and impenetrable software, especially with older printers.

• Advantages:
  • Normally more choice over how to handle the printing process;
  • Easy to integrate third-party profiles into the printing workflow;
  • Wider choice of paper and ink combinations;
  • Wider choice of colour space options;
  • Avoids problems caused by patchy colour management implementation in some printer drivers.
• Disadvantages:
  • Still requires that the printer driver be configured correctly. Thus may be more complicated to set up, but not necessarily - don't be put off by this.
  • Sometimes almost impossible to know which of the manufacturer's profiles to use.

So?...

There is advantage to controlling the colour management process in your image editing software - this is the generally held view. So normally this is the first path to follow.

Where this may become hard to do is when you are using the manufacturer's own printer profiles and it isn't obvious which printer profile to use. In this situation turn the colour management off in your programme and turn it on in your printer driver and let the latter make the decision about what profile to use - it knows when you may not.

It isn't uncommon to get slightly different results when comparing prints using the two methods. If manufacturer's profiles are being used and the prints look better when the printer driver manages the printing then use that.

When carrying out the colour management in the image editing programme, it is still necessary to be aware of the settings in the printer driver such as the printing resolution, and, importantly, the paper type. The choice of paper allows the driver to match the inkflow to the paper ensuring the right depth of colour without wasting ink.

The emphasis being placed on the above is quite intentional as this is the most common cause of printing problems in colour management. If a problem occurs with the colours of a print, the first thing to check is whether this double-profiling is taking place.

Print helper links:

The Print Resolution Calculator

What the Print Resolution Calculator is for...

More to follow...