Re: Help! Still Making Color Keys
Danny,
You've got to be kidding. The below info is for anyone that doesn't understand ICC profiles.
ICC profile is the description file, describing the output device, that is embedded in an image or document.
When one converts from RGB to CMYK (or builds in CMYK), the CMYK ICC profile used in the document give meaning to the numbers. That's why images look a certain way in your program. It's the ICC profile that gives meaning/context to these CMYK numbers. Without an ICC profile embedded, we wouldn't know how the image is intended to look. The appearance changes depending on output device.
The cool thing about ICC profiles is that if converted/build to the output ICC profile, the print will look as the designer intended (assuming the monitor is also profiled with a solution such as X-Rite's Eye-One Display2 or PANTONE's Huey - although I haven't tried Huey - to make sure what the designer is seeing is correct).
Every device in the workflow (scanner, camera, monitor, proofer, press) can be calibrated and profiled to make sure the device is displaying accurate colors (within limitations of the device).
When a designer makes sure everything is in the correct output profile when building (which most use the default SWOP profile now, which shares the same NPDCs with GRACoL2006_Coated1v2 and prints looking natural on GRACoL2006_Coated1v2, but I'm talking about using the actual GRACoL2006_Coated1v2 profile if designing for printing on #1 coated paper or #2 matte paper, and GRACoL2006_Coated1v2 is within tolerances of the international standard), and a printer proofs and prints to that same profile (using ICC profiles in proofing, and setting press up using G7 method or ISO 12647-2 documentation), then colors come out as expected. Simple as that. It's called everyone getting on the same page, and this industry has a hard time accomplishing this for some reason (communication breakdown, of which I have in my company I work for, and I too am part of the problem for not being able to simplify this stuff well enough for my boss to not have "deer-in-the-headlights" look on his face when it's brought up). That's why we proof customer's SWOP CMYK numbers and if they have a problem with the proof, we talk about things then, but usually there are no problems, and U have found that we've actually been printing close to the international standard for years. But having a profile available for us U.S. people now to use puts a stake in the ground and says that yes, the U.S. now has officially adopted the international standard and everyone can know what the aim is. Now we all can hit a defined target.
If different profiles are used thoughout the workflow, then matching becomes harder. But for designer's sakes, can't we all conform to the international standard that has been in effect for more than 10 years, that we now have an ICC profile defining that appearance, and now that we know that the U.S. and Europe's printing (and China's too, since it adopted the G7 method of IDEAlliance/GRACoL) is so close now that we can actually all use standard profiles and get accurate color no matter where the job is printing (Note: Europe's TVI/Dot Gain is about 2-3% less than GRACoL2006_Coated1v2 using G7 method, but they're so close in appearance most people wouldn't be able to tell - only the most color critical. But if printing in Europe, one could always use the profiles downloadble from
www.eci.org)? Either way, I see that the appearance is only going to get better defined (mapping of out-of-gamut colors into the printing condition is where more work needs done), but we can start using now. It's that well defined what the appearance should be.
Don