ICC Profiles in PPD's

[joannestein]

Hello.

I am wondering if it is possible to specify an ICC Profile and Rendering Intent in a PPD? I am trying to color manage an open lab for students to use and trying to make the whole icc profile selection as easy and/or invisible to the students as possible.
If it is possible, instructions on how to do so would be very very appreciated. Thank You.

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

Best way is not in the PPD, but use CSF files (colour settings files). I would say color managing without understanding what is going on is like driving without a licence…Â*will work OK till you hit traffic, because you never understood the rules.

CSF files are easy to create, easy to import, easy to manage.
You can set RGB and CMYK profiles, rendering intents (Enable Black point compensation) set Color Engine and policies about warning.

If you can teach sombody to load the correct CSF and use the right joboptions then you are on a highway to trouble free printable PDFs

Note, best creation of CSF files is in Photoshop with the advanced options available.

 

[leonardr]

Where are PPD's coming into your workflow anyway?

 

[joannestein]

We have a few printers networked to print from an open lab - the printers are loaded with a specific paper type and size so we are already using custom PPD's so that only the correct paper size comes up in the options for that printer (to prevent wrong paper size errors). I was hoping that I could also specify an ICC in the PPD so that the students don't have to specify the profile each time they print. I know that there is the PPD keyword "cupsICCProfile" ... but I haven't been able to find out more information about it or how to use it. I am new to using custom PPD's ...

 

[joannestein]

Regarding the CSF files, I don't think that is the best option for me because what I am concerned with are settings when they are sending files to print ... I wouldn't want their files to be automatically converted to the printer icc upon opening, for many reasons (not everyone who opens a file in the lab will be printing it here, I want them to be able to soft proof with the profile and adjust their colors and such accordingly etc ...) I could be wrong, but it doesn't seem like I can set up a CSF to manage/change the icc just before printing.

 

[leonardr]

We have a few printers networked to print from an open lab - the printers are loaded with a specific paper type and size so we are already using custom PPD's so that only the correct paper size comes up in the options for that printer (to prevent wrong paper size errors). I was hoping that I could also specify an ICC in the PPD so that the students don't have to specify the profile each time they print.

Why not just configure the printers to use that profile for all incoming jobs and then leave the apps at "let printer manage color"?

I know that there is the PPD keyword "cupsICCProfile" ... but I haven't been able to find out more information about it or how to use it. I am new to using custom PPD's ...

That's a Mac OS X-centric extension to the PPD language.

 

[joannestein]

That is how it is setup right now ... but its always been my experience that Photoshop and other Adobe programs handle the profile/color conversions a lot better than the printer.

Thanks so much for the suggestions ... but what I really want to know is if its possible to use the PPD to specify the profile? I know all the other ways to set up the profiles ... I would like to know if this way is possible and if so, how to do it. Thanks