iGen4 question about paper stocks setting up..

[yanger]

We just got a cute new igen4 diamond edition and was inquiring about what this paper option means, and if it's really needed.

Whitepoint L * a * b

Some people (that we have talked to) say it's needed, others are saying it's not, what's your conscience thought on this if you have an igen? =)

 

[SteveL]

L*a*b* is a colourspace, just as RGB and CMYK are colourspaces.
The "whitepoint L*a*b*" is the whitepoint of the paper, defined in L*a*b*.
It describes the colour of the paper.
Whether or not it is needed depends on your colour management workflow.

 

[yanger]

hmm.. our color management workflow.. PDFs sent to us are supposedly, CMYK print ready, using the standard GraCol2006 [from mostly Adobe InDesign], and our paper standard is white.

am I making sense?

 

[arossetti]

I was told by the iGen trainer that the DFE does not use this information and to not bother.

 

[arossetti]

our paper standard is white.

Go grab 5 different brands of "white" paper and you will see there are a lot of variations of white. Those minor differences make big differences especially when printing highlights. The idea is that you can compensate for your paper, so if it is more blue then what GRACoL specifies then 2% cyan might turn into 1% cyan, white the blue of the paper helping it appear like a 2% patch of cyan.

 

[SteveL]

The DFE uses the information when it does a colour transformation from GRACol to the output profile of the printer / stock.
Of course the colour management workflow on the DFE needs to be set up correctly.

It comes down to a choice.
Do you want your colour management to be as accurate as you can get it? Define paper white.
Are you happy with your colour management being "near enough is good enough"? Don't define paper white.

 

[kansasquaker]

The DFE uses the information when it does a colour transformation . . .

Do you know that for fact? I know it seems like that's what the DFE would do, but like Arossetti, I too was told that data is not used in any calculations. In that case it's a waste of time. We don't have an iGen anymore (thank god) or I would test it. Somebody could create a temporary stock and set the lab to 94,0,-40 but put in a regular white stock. Then print something with a light blue. It would be pretty obvious is Xerox is using the data or not.