Re: gray is also a color (was Re: inDesign2)
Re: gray is also a color (was Re: inDesign2)
- Subject: Re: gray is also a color (was Re: inDesign2)
- From: Don Hutcheson <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 08 May 2003 09:53:00 -0400
Tom,
This may not be exactly what you want, but the problem of grayscale color
management can be worked-around quite easily at the creative stage by
creating and assembling "B&W" images in RGB, then converting them through an
appropriate output profile at the end of the process.
This has the dual advantage that (1) B&W and colored images can co-exist
easily in one document with a common output profile, and (2) there is no
need to go looking for the elusive "single-channel profile".
For most of my clients, the "problem" of monochrome images is solved quite
neatly this way. The only thing it does not address, that I can see, is if
you want to keep your images in a "monochrome" (single-channel) file format.
Now let's look at the output issues.
PRINTING MONOCHROME IMAGES IN 4-COLORS
If your page is going to a CMYK device your B&W RGB images will reproduce
perfectly neutrally in 4 colors, assuming you use a good CMYK profile.
However most offset printers prefer a different treatment of B&W images on a
CMYK page, for example a full-range black with skeleton CMY, which would
require a custom CMYK profile for the B&W images.
PRINTING MONOCHROME IMAGES IN BLACK-ONLY
If your page will be printed in black-only, or if for some other reason you
want to print your B&W images in black-only, then you can create a CMYK
profile quite easily that generates 0% values in CMY and puts all the
monochrome data in the black channel with correct luminosity. This could be
called a "Single Channel In Four-color profile" or "SCIF" (if we need
another acronym.) One advantage of this is that all your single-channel
images will exist in a 4-color wrapper so they are completely compatible
with existing CMYK workflows. If you just want a black plate, don't image
the CMY plates.
TWO OUTPUT PROFILES FOR ONE PAGE
If, in a normal 4-color document, you want to print black-only B&W images
and/or custom "full range black" B&W images, you would need to first convert
the B&W images through the appropriate full-range black or SCIF profile and
then assemble them alongside your RGB or 4-color images in InDesign or
Quark. On output you would de-select color management for the pre-separated
B&W images only. This can be handled quite efficiently by setting your ID or
QXP color management defaults to convert RGB images but not touch CMYK
images, and by keeping colored images in RGB all the way to assembly (which
is the most logical and efficient workflow anyway).
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ICC AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
In spite of the above work-arounds, it does seem a bit silly that we still
don't have an easy way to make or use a truly single-channel "monochrome"
ICC profile. And it highlights the need to have more than one output profile
for a single page. I think this is mostly a software application/RIP issue,
but if there is enough consensus I can raise it during the Graphic Arts
Workflow discussions at the next ICC meeting in June.
If you think we need ICC involvement, please let me know.
Is this what you were looking for?
Don
*************************************
Don Hutcheson
Hutcheson Consulting
(Color Management Solutions)
Phone: (908) 689 7403
Mobile: (908) 500 0341
email@hidden
*************************************
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