Re: Re(6): embedded profiles in PDF/Postscript
Re: Re(6): embedded profiles in PDF/Postscript
- Subject: Re: Re(6): embedded profiles in PDF/Postscript
- From: Roger Breton <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 06 Jun 2004 11:09:24 -0400
Dear Olaf,
>
Well, whether you indicate the 'wrong' pointer to a printing condition or
>
whether you embed thw 'wrong' ICC profile leads to the same disaster.
>
What I find more important is that if the ICC profile is embedded in the
>
OutputIntent, this will make it much easier for tools and systems to make
>
use of it, e.g. for soft proofing on screen (like Acrobat 6.0
>
Professional can do).
I see. You say that there is always the risk of either indicating the wrong
pointer to a printing condition or embedding the wrong ICC profile. But
there is no way to protect against this kind of error, is there?
>
Be aware though that if you wait for people to be ready, we'd still be
>
using XPress 3.3 or PageMaker 4 or FreeHand 3 for file exchange...
Yup. So we have to take the lead.
>
Think of it as a poor man's (and limited) colorimetric characterization
>
of grayscale and RGB color.
Do these profiles exist anywhere in an 'ICC' format? Or will I have to
extract them out of an existing PDF file to open them up wih ColorSync
Utility? I'm curious to see what I will find out, because I've not seen them
documented in the official Adobe PDF 1.5 Specifications anywhere. They are
mentioned in the specs but not defined.
>
Tools from callas software (pdfInspektor2, PDF/X-3 Inspector and
>
Preflight in Acrobat 6.0 Professional) always embed an ICC profile in the
>
OutputIntent. Acrobat Distiller will usually embed it.
Speaking of Distiller, have you come across a settings whereby we can
convert all colors to CMYK? If you select PDF 1.5 compatibility the only
choice offered are:
A) leave color unchanged
B) Tag everything for color management
C) Tag only images for color management
D) Convert all colors to sRGB
As you see, Adobe has not deemed important to offer a "Convert all colors to
CMYK". Why? I would think that if I have a PostScript file with RGB images,
each tagged with their own individual ICC profiles (some in AdobeRGB, some
in sRGB and some with ColorMatchRGB), I would want to have a way to go
beyond merely tagging that data to actually converting those RGB images to
whatheve CMYK Destination space and use that as my OutputIntent in a
PDF/X-1a. Or do you have that functionality in your Callas products already?
>
I believe that PDF/X CheckUp and PitStop offer both
>
(with and without embedding ICC profile).
I checked Apago PDF/X CheckUp and it looks very good -- so cheap for what it
does?
>
The Ghent PDF Work Group's
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recommendations require you to embed the profile in the PDF/X
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OutputIntent, but the settings they offer for download always embed a
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SWOP profile (regardless of what the actual printing condition is).
Yes, that is what I find so sad with the whole notion of PDF/X-1a is that
all that's required to conform to the standard is the inclusion of *SOME*
ICC profile, does not matter what that profile is (could be PANTONE 150lpi
SWOP). I mean if folks routinely tag their PDF/X-1a with the same SWOP
profile that is in the ICC resistry, without any regards to the actual
printing conditions the jobs is intended for, what good is it? It means that
all CMYK jobs are intended for TR-001? That is a farce.
The more I read about PDF/X-1a and the more I have the impression that the
inclusion of the OutputIntent was put in there to give some people good
conscience, knowing full well that, in practice, no one in the industry
bothers. The profile is just 'window dressing' and, in reality, all the
industry cares about is the assurance that all the data in the PDF is CMYK.
Politics.
>
Maybe one day the ICC architecture will offer something like a "prepared
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for" type of profile use: a CMYK profile is there (= associated with an
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image or other objects) in the first place to let you know what printing
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condition it refers to. Only if you explicitly request a conversion will
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that conversion take place.
Yes. That will do good. But we know how the industry will react to that
idea: leave it alone, another potential way of wrecking the colors and so
on...
Thank's for your enlightenment.
>
Olaf Druemmer
Mit freundlichen gru_en.
Roger Breton | Laval, Canada | email@hidden
http://pages.infinit.net/graxx
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