eBook_colorManagement

How color management makes advertising production
studios more cost-effective and efficient, and the first steps
you can take toward predictable color outcomes.
PRINT
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE ESSENTIAL
GUIDE TO
COLOR
MANAGEMENT

AUTHORS
isaac.leung@dubsat.com
@AdSendWorld
ERIC HEGDAHL
Eric Hegdahl is considered a subject
matter expert with more than
20 years experience in print and
digital advertising production. His
experience comes from both sides
having worked at both Advertising
agencies and production agencies,
working on some of the most
recognizable brands worldwide.
ISAAC LEUNG
Isaac Leung is the Marketing
Writer at Dubsat with a passion
for translating technical insights
into engaging stories. Prior
to joining Dubsat, he was a
news magazine editor and
journalist. He is a graduate from
the University of Sydney.

Introduction 4
Chapter 1 6
Why you should care about color management
Chapter 2 14
Getting started: consistent colors in the studio
Chapter 3 21
The 5-Step Color Workflow
Chapter 4 27
The next step: printed proofs
Conclusion 39
TABLE OF CONTENTS

4THE PRINT ADVERTISING STUDIO’S INTRODUCTION TO COLOR MANAGEMENT
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INTRODUCTION WHAT IS COLOR MANAGEMENT?
W
hat is color management?
Walk into any department
store and have a look at the
bank of TVs or computer displays. Every
screen seems to render color differently.
Or have you printed out a proof, only to find the colors
to be radically different from what you see on screen?
If there is such a variation in the way colors are
displayed and printed across devices, how can
we make sure that the just-right colors we see
on our screens during the production process
will be accurately reproduced in print?
Color management aims to resolve the
issue of color variation: in other words, to

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INTRODUCTION WHAT IS COLOR MANAGEMENT?
ensure that what we see is what we get – or
at least, to get as close to it as possible.
The fundamentals of color management are
knowing what your source is, knowing what
your destination is, and doing a transformation
from your source to your destination.
- Simon Scoggins, Application Support Lead
and Pre Media Product Lead, Dubsat
This eBook looks at why color management is
important, and the advantages it can bring to your
studio operations. It also looks at the first, basic steps
you can take to start taking back control over the
colors of your ads – and what you can do to expand
your color management regime further, if you wish.
KNOW YOUR
SOURCE
KNOW YOUR
DESTINATION
TRANSFORM
YOUR SOURCE
INTO DESTINATION

CHAPTER 1
WHY YOU SHOULD
CARE ABOUT
COLOR
MANAGEMENT

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CHAPTER 1 WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT COLOR MANAGEMENT
S
imply put, having a reliable way to
ensure color accuracy makes sense
both in terms of studio operations
and from a business point of view.
Color management makes
the studio more efficient
“Everything we do in print advertising is
deadline-based. Being the last person
in that production workflow, you don’t
have the luxury of time. Without color
management, a shop will run into overtime
issues, because you are blindly guessing
at how to do the color correction.”
– Eric Hegdahl, Director of Business Development, Dubsat

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When it comes to print production work, time
is money in the studio, and every round of
extra proofs costs both time and money.
In a color-managed studio, everybody sees the same
colors on screen. That means they are better able
to communicate changes that need to be made,
reducing the number of reprints and proofs needed.
Retouchers and artworkers can make color adjustment
decisions with more confidence and less guesswork,
since they know what they see on the screen will
translate predictably to the printed proof.
Color management makes
business sense
Besides helping manage the time spent on jobs in the
studio, the certainty provided by color management
can help you avoid problems with clients complaining
about unexpected color shifts and print quality.
But it’s not just about print anymore. While traditionally,
color management has been about controlling color
variations across different print providers, magazines
and newspapers, today’s budget-conscious
advertising clients and marketers are increasingly

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repurposing the material used in their print ads for
other forms of media, such as digital advertising.
The assets you and your designers create may
very well end up on a poster on a bus stop, or as
part of an online banner ad. This trend means more
and more advertisers are insisting on ads that have
a consistent look whether they are on a glossy
magazine page, or on the screen of an iPad.
Implementing color management allows
agencies and production houses to:
• Gain an edge: color management is a great
point of differentiation in the market
• Attract and retain a greater range of clients,
including larger organizations concerned about
maintaining the consistency of their brand identity

Why clients value
color management
The power of color to evoke emotions
is common knowledge in the
marketing and advertising industry.
But over the years, companies
and brands have increasingly built
their identity on colors. Cadbury,
for example, has trademarked the
particular shade of purple it uses for
its chocolate packaging, and UPS
is closely linked to the brown it uses
on its delivery trucks and uniforms.
Studies show that color increases
brand recognition by up to 80 per cent.
In fact, many of us can recognise a
brand just from the colors, even before
we make out the shape of the logo.
Little wonder increasing numbers
of brand owners now engage
in Brand Color Management, a
practice defined by Coca Cola’s Axel
Kling as “The systematic creation,
evaluation and verification of color
as it relates to brand identity.”
Can you identify brands based
on the colors used for their
logo? The illustrations above,
from Unevolved Brands by
Graham Smith, show how the
colors used by each brand
are still recognizable even
if their logos are abstracted
to a series of circles.

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Conclusion
Color management is about certainty and consistency:
to be able to see what is happening on the screen,
and picture what the end result will look like.
With this certainty, art workers can do their work with
more confidence, work in the studio can be done
faster, and there will be the need for fewer revisions.
And with brand owners and clients increasingly aware
of the need for consistency across their advertisements,
color management is just one way for a production
studio to stay competitive and on the ball.
Implementing color management in the studio
doesn’t have to be complex or difficult. In fact,
getting started can often be surprisingly easy.
In the following chapters, we will walk through the
two basic steps needed to get started with color
management in the studio. Chapter 2 looks at how you
can start by calibrating your displays so they show
consistent and accurate colors across the studio.
Chapter 3 then looks at the workflow and resources
you can use to ensure the color-consistent work
you do in your studio translates properly to print.

CHAPTER 2
GETTING STARTED:
CONSISTENT
COLORSIN
THESTUDIO

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CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED: CONSISTENT COLORS IN THE STUDIO
13
C
olor profiling of your displays is
one of the most basic things you
can do to get some consistency in
the studio, and thus naturally the first step
when it comes to color management.
The aim of the calibration and profiling process is to:
• Adjust the brightness, color temperature, contrast
and other settings of the display to match a
target standard, and so the screen can display
the greatest range of colors (calibration)
• Find out how each display renders individual
colors, and how much they vary from what
they should look like (characterization)
• Build a profile which instructs the screen or the
computer system to adjust its display of colors, so
as to more closely match the target colors (profiling)
By calibrating and profiling each display in
the studio, we can ensure every art worker is
on the same page, and looking at the same
colors on their screen as their colleagues.

Things that affect how
colors look on a monitor
Display panel technology: some LCD panels are
more color-accurate than others. Regardless of model
numbers, LCD monitors are made using one of three
main types of panels: IPS, VA and TN. Screens that
use IPS panels are generally recommended for color
managed systems. Research the tech specs of your
monitor to find out the type of panel it is using.
Color temperature of ambient lighting: our eyes adjust
to the color of the light illuminating our surroundings,
and this changes our perception of the colors on the
screen. Ambient light color can be affected by the type
of light used to illuminate the room, as well as things like
colored walls and surfaces that the light bounces off.
Brightness of ambient lighting: our eyes also adjust
to the brightness of our surroundings, affecting how
bright or dim we perceive our displays to be.
Glare: light reflected on the display can affect
how bright and contrasty the image looks, causing
colors to look “washed out”. Beware of glossy
monitor surfaces: because of how reflective they
are, screens with shiny surfaces are generally not
recommended in a color-managed environment.
Viewing angle: while many LCD screens today allow
“multi-angle viewing”, it’s still recommended to view them
front-on. Changing the viewing angle results in shifts in
the brightness and colors that we see on the screen.

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15
What you need to start
profiling your displays
The key piece of hardware you need is a
measurement device. This device is like an
electronic eye that sits flat on the display in order
to observe the color output of the screen.
Most studios get off-the-shelf packages that include
both the device and the software, which takes
care of the whole calibration and profiling process.
The software’s main functionalities are to:
• Detect the brightness, contrast and color
temperature of the screen, and send calibration
instructions to the system to adjust these factors
in order to get the best color display results
• Automatically display a series of color patches on
the screen for the measurement device to look at
• Take the feedback from the device and figure
out the adjustments that need to be made so
the display shows the colors accurately
• Compile a profile which tells the system
how it can adjust its color outputs to
suit the nuances of the display
As you can see, calibration and profiling can be
complex and repetitive. But most off-the-shelf
calibration packages today are more than capable

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16
of automatically running through the process.
Commonly, you start by choosing the measurement
device and software package you need for the task.
Once you have installed the device and software,
it’s simply a matter of running the software
and following the on-screen instructions to
place the measurement device on the screen,
before letting the software handle the rest.
Some professional displays come with their own
special color measurement devices. But in most
cases, you will be choosing between several off-the-
shelf packages that bundle device and software.
There are two main types of measurement
devices available on the market today.
1. The spectrophotometer (sometimes called
“photospectrometer”) is recommended for professional
use. It costs more but works better for a wide range
of screens, including wide-gamut displays.
2. The colorimeter tends to be targeted more towards
consumer use. It’s smaller, simpler and cheaper,
but may not work as well on some screen types.
Choosing the right measurement device

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17
Maintaining your color calibration
An important thing to consider is that the
environment your displays are in can affect
the way the colors turn out. Even a calibrated
screen can look washed-out or have color shifts
if it’s viewed under direct glaring sunlight.
Best practices include:
• Position screens and light sources to reduce
reflections, haze and glare on the screen surface
• Use consistent lighting in the studio, with neutral
color temperatures, such as D6500 Kelvins
• Avoid strong colors on room surfaces, to prevent
light from becoming “contaminated” with
colors after bouncing from these surfaces
• Seat art workers directly in front of the screen,
and adjust angles for optimal viewing
• …And many others
Because screens gradually shift color over time,
most color management experts recommend that
in a professional setting, they are re-calibrated
once a week or at least once a fortnight.
Maintaining this schedule across the screens
in the studio can be a full-time occupation,
but it is manageable if properly organized.

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18
One idea is to outsource scheduled calibration
to a third-party contractor who can provide
weekly or fortnightly servicing.
Another is to delegate the task to someone from
IT – the task of calibrating screens shares many
of the same skills as normal IT maintenance,
and can be integrated as part of the regular IT
maintenance schedule on the studio’s computers.
This chapter only covers the basics of screen calibration.
As with most areas of color management, it’s possible
to extend these practices much further.
For example, you can make many optimizations to the viewing
environment in the studio for color management purposes,
including putting in walls with neutral colors, changing the
position and type of room lighting, and repositioning screens.
Some color-focused studio managers also opt to upgrade
their entire fleet of screens, standardizing them across the
studio to the same model so as to maximize consistency.
Many higher-grade professional displays are constructed using
special panels to maximise their color accuracy and extend
the range of colors they can display. Some screens even have
calibrators built into the screen, which allows automatic calibration
scheduling without having to place a device on the screen.
Going the next level

CHAPTER 3
THE 5-STEP
COLOR
WORKFLOW

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CHAPTER 3 THE 5-STEP COLOR WORKFLOW
20
O
nce you have consistent color across the
screens in the studio, it’s time to look
at the software-based workflows that
will ensure the colors your art workers see on the
screen translate as well as possible into print.
Lack of understanding or simulation of color
is where people come unstuck. At the end
of the day, their clients’ expectations of a
beautiful, rich color, that may be a corporate
standard, are often not translated into print.
- Simon Scoggins, Application Support Lead
and Pre Media Product Lead, Dubsat

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21
Assuming you are using Adobe InDesign and Adobe
Photoshop, this workflow involves 5 general steps, which
can be taken one by one. If you are using other software
for your image editing and ad layout, substitute the
InDesign- and Photoshop-specific steps with the relevant
instructions from your preferred software vendor:
• Step 1: Find out what the destination is, and
source the appropriate ICC profile, as well as
any color settings and PDF export settings
• Step 2: Install the profiles and Color Settings on
the computer so the software can find them, load
the color settings and then PDF export presets
in Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop.
• Step 3: Use Photoshop and the ICC profiles
to preview how images will look in print, then
convert them to print-ready CMYK colors. Save
these images and place them in InDesign
• Step 4: In Adobe InDesign, export the
InDesign page using the appropriate PDF
export settings, then check the PDF
• Step 5: Hard-proofing the ads, getting approval
from clients and delivery to the publisher or printer

Screen vs. print:
consistency, predictability and
managing expectations
The way color is reproduced on displays is fundamentally
different from the way they are reproduced on paper. For one,
modern displays emit colored light, while paper reflects light.
Colors on screens are usually created by adding varying
amounts of Red, Green and Blue light together: so
most digital images are in the RGB color model.
On the other hand, the colors on printed materials,
like paper, are achieved by combining cyan,
magenta, yellow and black dyes or inks: so printed
images need to be in the CMYK color model.
Any time colors are printed out; they undergo a conversion
process from RGB to CMYK. This basic difference and
conversion means it’s almost impossible to have a screen
perfectly reproduce the colors you will see on paper.
Color management as described in this eBook
gives you the opportunity to simulate on screen
what the colors would look like in print.
It will not be an exact reproduction, but should be consistent
enough that a retoucher or finishing artist will be able to
accurately predict what the final product will look like, and
use this knowledge to optimize their colors for the final
printed product, and to properly manage client expectations.

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Step 1:
Destination research
Most printers and publishers provide guidelines
for printed materials. Their approach can
be broadly classified in two classes:
1. Some destinations provide their own ICC profiles
as well as the recommended color/export settings
tweaked specifically for their printing processes
2. Others use industry color standards: for
example, many magazines in Australia refer
to the 3DAPv3 standard, while the SWOP/
GRACol1 standards tend to be common in the
US (see the pull-out box for more details)
Find and download the ICC profiles used
by the destination, as well as any color
setting files and export setting files.

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What are ICC profiles, and all
these other settings and files?
ICC profiles, usually supplied as .ICC files, contain key
information on how the printer “translates” colors to print,
and are used to provide a preview of what the printed ad
will look like, as well as to convert images from the RBG
used for display on screen to the CMYK used by the printer.
They need to be installed on the operating system.
Color Setting Files, supplied as .CSF files for Adobe
software, are a fast and relatively fool proof way of
instructing your software how to handle things like
working spaces and color policies. You can of course
configure your own settings, but for consistency and
convenience, many publishers will provide the files
containing all the recommended settings, which you should
then load into both Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
PDF Export Presets, supplied as .JOBOPTIONS files, are
also settings files that provide a fast and fool proof way to load
up the appropriate settings needed to export a print-ready PDF
file. May not always be provided: in which case you should
check when exporting the ad to a PDF to ensure you comply
with the specified guidelines from the printer or publisher.

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25
Common standards
in US, UK and Australia
SWOP stands for “Specifications for Web Offset Publications”,
used for CMYK-based print jobs in the USA, and covers most
magazines. SWOP3 covers most magazines, while SWOP5 is
used for magazines that print on a lower grade of paper. The
profiles for SWOP are provided standard with most software,
including Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign, so you can
skip the download and install steps if you are using SWOP.
GRACoL stands for “General Requirements for
Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography”, used
for material printed using sheetfed-offset lithography.
Mostly covers commercial grade printing in the USA.
SNAP stands for “Specifications for Newsprint Advertising
Production”. Covers many newspapers in the USA.
3DAPv3 stands for “Digital Data Delivery for Australian
Publications”, covering many Australian magazines. Provides
for three different paper types: type 1 (high brightness coated
paper), type 3 (lightweight coated paper), type 4 (uncoated
paper) – be sure to check with the destination which type to use.
ISO Newspaper26 common newspaper press standard, used
by some Australian newspapers. Not all newspapers adhere
to this standard, so be sure to check with your destination.
ECI stands for “European Color Initiative”, provides color
standards covering many UK and European publications.

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Step 2:
Install and load profiles and settings
Once you have the ICC profile files and the settings files,
it’s simply a matter of putting them into the right folders
on the computer, then loading them up in the software.
The 3DAP settings package provides an easy-to-
follow “initial setup” walkthrough showing the specific
folders on Mac and Windows based systems where
the profiles and color settings should go, and how
to go about loading the appropriate color settings
in Photoshop and InDesign. You can find it here.
While the walkthrough is applicable to the 3DAP settings
used in Australia, it is equally applicable to other standards
and profiles: just substitute the appropriate files as needed.
Step 3:
Convert images in Photoshop
As previously mentioned, images need to be
converted to CMYK before they can be printed.
The destination’s ICC profile is used during the
conversion process to ensure maximum accuracy.
Best practice is to convert the images and
photographs used in your ads separately using

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Get more control over the
image conversion process
While Photoshop’s Convert to Profile tool provides a quick preview
of what the converted picture will look like, you can get more control
over your results by using Photoshop’s Soft Proofing feature.
Soft Proofing uses the supplied ICC profile to preview how the
image will look like once it is printed, and even includes an
option to simulate the color rendering on the paper stock.
You can then make additional adjustments to your image
to optimize it for the destination, before converting it.
Adobe provides a good tutorial on how to use the
soft proofing features in Photoshop here.
the Convert to Profile tool in Photoshop, before
placing them back in the InDesign file.
Again, the step-by-step instructions for doing this
are contained in the 3DAP settings package, in
a document titled “Producing print ready PDFs
from Adobe applications”. As a reminder, you
can find the full package for download here.
Once you have converted the images, save a copy,
and place them in the InDesign document.

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Step 4:
Export and check PDF
After you have placed your converted images, and
checked the InDesign document for any preflight errors,
it’s time to export the file to a print-ready PDF.
If you have set up your PDF export presets properly in
Step 2, this should be pretty fool-proof – simply use
the appropriate preset during the export process.
If PDF export presets were not provided, you might
have to follow guidelines provided by the destination
and configure your settings accordingly.
Once you have the PDF, you can do a final round
of checks using Adobe Acrobat Professional’s
built-in tools, including the Print Production
Output Preview and Pre-flighting features.

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Some things to look out for
Here are some things you should look out for before and during
the export process, especially if you are configuring your own
settings. This is not a comprehensive list, but a good starting
point on particular issues you might want to keep an eye out for.
• Spot colors: for standard CMYK printing, it’s a good idea
to check your Swatches Palette in InDesign, and ensure
all the colors used in the document are 4-color Process
colors (i.e. printable using the standard CMYK inks). Be
on the lookout for RGB swatches, which will need to
be converted to CMYK, and Spot colors (which require
the use of specially mixed inks to print), which should
also be changed to their closes CMYK equivalent.
• PDF standard: generally, the PDF/X-1a standard
is used to create print-ready PDFs. This standard
ensures that all images are in CMYK and that all
required fonts are embedded. Using a different
standard can result in unprintable PDFs.
• Compatibility: PDF 1.3 compatibility is recommended
for printing purposes. Using PDF versions 1.5 and
above, which support more complicated features like live
transparency, can result in complications in the press.
• Third-party export plugins: some plugins that claim to
make PDF export easier provide very little control over
colors, and may in fact cause color shifts, or replace the
proper ICC profiles during the export process with their own,
defeating the whole point of a color management workflow.
Be sure that you know exactly what your plugins are doing!

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Case study
Extending the workflow
A mid-sized print advertising agency was dealing with
an ad, which included a very rich photographic image
with a lot of pure colors, vignettes, with a graduated
blue background, lots of skin tones, and dark suits.
To manage that color, they worked to the Australian
3DAP Paper Type 1 magazine standard, which
specifies high quality, very white stock.
They got client sign-off on a proof targeting that color space,
but then needed to use the same image in newsprint, this meant
yellowish paper stock, which is thin. The printing process, though
technically the same, led to a very different end medium.
While the image technically had the right blues, and
was under the ink limit standards, the outcome from
being printed on newsprint would be very different
compared to the magazine-standard proof.
So while the team did get initial technical sign-off on the high
quality stock, they needed robust color management workflows,
in order to successfully repurpose the image on newsprint.
In such cases, studios also have the option of using delivery
channels that offer color management capabilities to ensure
their original image gives them a predictable outcome
when they go to another medium or another standard.

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Step 5:
Client sign-off and delivery
to destination
It is recommended to use the PDF to create a printed
proof of the ad. This can either be done in-house, or
contracted to an approved/accredited proofing vendor
– we discuss more about this in the next chapter.
The PDF and the printed proof should be signed off
by the client. Ideally, the client should be viewing the
PDF on a color-calibrated monitor, and the printed
proof in a controlled viewing environment. A signed-
off hard proof is particularly important when dealing
with clients requiring color-critical results.
Once final approval is given, the PDF and hard
proof can be delivered to the destination. Note
that some destinations may not accept delivery
of printed proofs, while others will require them
so they can match the colors on the press.

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Best practice
The late change workflow
A lot of studios maintain a late change workflow,
where they keep their files in their original (RGB-
based) color space for as long as possible and only
convert to CMYK in the final steps before delivery.
Practically, this means a number of things:
• Always keep the original files, and create copies
for conversion to CMYK and printing
• Avoid tweaking colors once the images are in CMYK
• If the clients require revisions during Step 5, create
a fresh copy of the original files, and tweak the
colors, as needed using Soft-Proofing features.
Then go through steps 3 to 5 again to convert
the images to CMYK and export to PDF.

CHAPTER 4
THE NEXT
STEP: PRINTED
PROOFS

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CHAPTER 4 THE NEXT STEP: PRINTED PROOFS
34
E
ven with soft proofing and calibrated
screens, a properly printed proof
(or a hard proof) is usually the best
way of gauging how the final ad will look
like in the magazine or newspaper. It’s
also a very useful tool for an added level of
assurance that the final product will resemble
closely what the client has signed off on.
The question then is: should you build hard
proofing capabilities in-house? Or contract it out
to an accredited/approved proofing vendor?
An obvious advantage to having hard proofing
abilities in-house is reduced turnaround times,
as well as having more control over the entire
process. Obviously, the decision depends on your
individual circumstances. But let’s look at what hard
proofing actually entails before making a decision.

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Approved printers,
supplies and software
Only a select few standards-approved proofing
printers, calibrated with an in-line spectrophotometer,
can be used to create hard proofs.
While you can certainly do your best to calibrate
a laser printer or a consumer/office grade inkjet
printer, they will not provide a useful indication of
what the final printed product will look like – therefore
defeating the entire point of creating hard proofs.
You will also need specific ink and paper types that are
targeted to the destination. Hard proofing for newsprint, for
example, might require using the same printing processes,
ink and paper that the destination newspaper uses.
You will also need to put in place a workflow to regularly
calibrate and profile your printers, which is a much
more complex and manual process compared to
screen calibration – for example, each combination
of paper and ink will require its own ICC profile.
Creating printed proofs requires special hardware
and software. Industry-approved proof providers
use software like Proof2Go, EFI Colorproof XF, GMG
ColorProof and CGS Oris Color Tuner, among others
– titles that can require significant investment.

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Things that affect the color
on printed proofs
Paper finish: the same file printed on matte
and glossy paper can look very different.
Absorbency and thickness of paper: Different
amounts of ink might be needed to produce the
same intensity of color on each paper type.
Dot gain effect: in some printing methods, the dots of ink
laid down on a page can spread as the paper absorbs them.
This can cause colors to become darker than intended.
Color of the paper: newsprints, for example,
have a distinctly grey tinge. Some “white” papers
are also warmer in tone than others.
Ink: different inks from different manufacturers often yield
very different results due to fluctuations in the base colors.
Colors shift depending on how wet or dry the ink is.
Printing conditions: atmospheric pressure,
humidity and temperature during printing can
affect the final appearance of colors.

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Proof viewing conditions
The color of the light illuminating the piece of paper can
change the look of the colors. A proof viewed under
an incandescent light bulb would look very different
to the same proof viewed next to a window during a
clear afternoon, for example. Glare from the surface
of the paper can also affect the way we see colors.
In order to create the neutral conditions to accurately
see the colors on a hard proof, industry professionals
use a controlled viewing booth – the conditions of
which are controlled by International Standards and
the International Commission on Illumination.
This requires:
• special light sources to illuminate the proof. These
output light that simulates sunlight and contains
equal amounts of red, green and blue light energy
(D50 or D65, to match your monitor’s calibration).
• glare-free neutral grey surfaces, so
your eyes do not adapt to those colors,
causing you to see colors differently
• isolation from other light sources that might
“leak” into the controlled viewing environment

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Conclusion
Depending on the volume of print advertising
work that your studio deals with, installing the
capability to produce accurate printed proofs can be
advantageous, because you no longer have to depend
on an external contractor to provide that service.
But hard proofing capabilities can require
significant investment and expertise. Studio
managers should carefully weigh up the risks vs.
benefits when considering whether to embark
on the path towards in-house hard proofing.

39
Color management makes sense: it speeds up the
work in a studio by eliminating guesswork, cuts
down on wasted time and proofs, and plays a part in
ensuring your clients are happy. Color management
is also one way to future-proof your operations in
world where client expectations are shifting.
This eBook looked at the basic steps needed to
start managing color in the studio. The first step is
to calibrate your screens and monitors to ensure
consistent color display across the studio. We
then looked at the workflow needed to ensure the
consistent colors you see on the screen translate
as well as possible to the final printed product.
As with any other discipline, color management can be
very detailed and technical. This eBook has provided a
brief eagle's-eye glimpse at the basics - in its simplest
form, color management is about predictability and
control, to ensure what you see is what you get.
CONCLUSION
HOW MEDIAPRO AND MEDIAFRONT CAN HELP IMPROVE YOUR PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY
www.dubsat.com

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