This document discusses color management in printing and monitor calibration, highlighting the importance of accurate profiles for printing, soft-proofing, and inter-device matching. It covers concepts such as gamuts, rendering intents, and the differences between RGB and CMYK color models. Additionally, it addresses factors like lighting conditions and chromatic adaptation that can impact color perception.

1. COLOR MANAGEMENT 101
Patrick Herold
CHROMiX, Inc.

2. A common printing gamut
vs.
A common monitor gamut

3. Monitor c alibration:
Colorimeters ~$200
Calibrates and profiles
Scales to the white & black points

4. Computer to monitor
• Graphics card contains
LUTs (input / output
curves).
• These are loaded with OS
• High end displays have
graphics built-in.

5. The White Paper test

6. Printer profiling
• Manufacturers’ profiles are mostly
adequate
• Custom profiles provide more accuracy
• Used for printing and proofing
• “Soft” proofing can save you $$$.

7. Spectrophotometers

8. An ICC profile is made

9. Gamuts of common printing technologies
Inkjet on glossy paper = largest
GRACoL is a common
commercial printing goal
Gamuts will be constrained by
different printing technologies,
paper, ink.

10. Gamuts of common printing technologies
Inkjet on glossy paper = largest
Wide gamut displays cannot
encompass some inkjet gamuts

11. Calibrate / profile for
accuracy.
(Not to make one device look
like another.)

12. Using accurate
profiles you can:
• Print
• Soft-proof
• Make one printer
look like another

13. Using accurate
profiles you can:
• Print
• Soft-proof
• Make one printer
look like another

14. Using accurate
profiles you can:
• Print
• Soft-proof
• Make one printer
look like another

15. Rendering intents
• Perceptual (compresses all colors to retain natural relationship)
• Relative Colorimetric (OOG colors are brought to just within gamut)
• Absolute Colorimetric (retains original white point - only for proofing)
• Saturation (much like perceptual)

16. RGB or CMYK?
• RGB are the colors in an
imaging system, not a color
space.
• A driver controls RGB
• A RIP controls CMYK
• ALL RGB profiles are not bigger
than ALL cmyk profiles

18. RGB & CMYK mis-conceptions
Do I need a CMYK profile
to print a CMYK image?
• Drivers and RIPs do both.
• RGB / CMYK refer to the
controls we have over color (not
the makeup of the images).

19. Lighting

20. Lighting
• Daylight = D50 or 5000 Kelvin
• 4000 = warmer; 7000 = cooler
• But note that monitor
calibrations should be done at
D65 to match daylight.

21. The White Paper test

22. The White Paper test

27. Is square “A” darker
than square “B”?

28. Is square “A” darker
than square “B”?

29. • Our eyes “auto-white balance” to the
ambient lighting
• This can affect color perception
• This can affect lightness perception
(examples: prints with white
borders
& screens with white borders)
• Our brains sometimes see what they
expect to see.
Chromatic Adaptation

30. COLOR MANAGEMENT 101
Patrick Herold
CHROMiX, Inc.
herold@chromix.com
206-388-2558
QUESTIONS?