Setting files for Indigo

[Designer]

I am setting Illustrator files with linked images to be produced in Photoshop for printing on Indigo. What are the color settings that you reccomend? Looking at some templates provided by vendors it looked that the illustrator template had no profile assigned but the photoshop template was set to CMYK - Sheetfed Coated v2.

I was thinking to start from a North America Prepress 2 for everything and change the working space for CMYK to US Sheetfed Coated v2 and maybe the RGB to ColorMatch RGB?

Thanks for you help.

 

[TerryWyse]

I'd recommend North America Prepress 2...but change the RGB working space to sRGB and change the CMYK working space to either "SWOP2006_Coated3" or "GRACoL2006_Coated1" (these are the official IDEAlliance profiles). You could also use the Adobe variants of these same profiles. These are "Web Coated SWOP 2006 Grade 3 Paper" and "Coated GRACoL 2006 (ISO 12647-2:2004)" respectively.

In any case, I would NOT use either ColorMatchRGB or US Sheetfed Coated v2.

Bottom line, you need to talk to folks that will be printing your job on an Indigo. Ask them these questions:

* Are they using ICC profiles/transform in the Indigo software?

* If yes, what are THEIR settings for source/assumed RGB/CMYK profiles and are they honoring embedded/tagged profiles?

* If the answer is "no" to the above or you get a blank stare, then they either need to provide you with a profile of their Indigo (hopefully from the same stock as your job) so you can separate your images correctly.....or you walk and find someone using an Indigo that is properly color-managing the device.

Indigos CAN be color-managed properly. I've done it for a few customers and it's pretty straight forward.

Terry

 

[Designer]

Thanks a lot TerryWyse. I appreciate your help.