Re: Workflow from digital RGB photos to prepress
Re: Workflow from digital RGB photos to prepress
- Subject: Re: Workflow from digital RGB photos to prepress
- From: Marco Ugolini <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 14:58:58 -0700
In a message dated Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:49:22, Marci Fermier wrote:
> As someone who has to wrangle hundreds of customer-supplied images
> daily/weekly, which will eventually be sent off to one of several different
> print vendors (and therefore printed under differing conditions) -- my
> suggestion is to make the conversion to CMYK yourself.
> That way you can "fix" any color shifting in advance, resulting in a CMYK
> image you are happy with.
>
> Of course, it all depends on what you are actually doing with these images
> (i.e. where you are sending them, how they are being printed, etc). If you
> work exclusively with one vendor, and they know what to expect, then perhaps
> you can trust them to convert it for you.
> But I personally think you are better off doing it yourself.
Marci and Carlo, that is good advice if (a) one knows how to produce a good
conversion, and (b) if one has a good and tested profile to convert to, one
that is a fair representation of the target print space.
Unfortunately, often enough there are very many "flavors" of CMYK out there.
Your image may go to a "SWOP" environment ("SWOP" being a rather nebulous
concept already), or to gravure, or to flexo, or to high-fidelity printing,
or to Japan, or Europe, or (more and more often these days) to China (where
I have no idea what standards they use).
It's a brave new multinational world out there. Even if you create a CMYK
file out of your image, that may end up with too high or too low a TAC
(Total Area Coverage) for the press it prints on, or an inadequate GCR or
UCR, or what have you.
It's trickier than just "converting to CMYK," because there are so many
variations of CMYK possible. Instead, it would be advisable to create
multiple CMYK conversions, one for each separate use, based on a dialog with
the printer/separator. And if they have it together and can provide you an
ICC profile of their press that they stand behind, then use that one with
confidence.
But I would say: do NOT assume that giving them a "CMYK" file will take the
load off your shoulders. I don't believe there is an easy answer.
Thank you.
--------------
Marco Ugolini
Mill Valley, CA
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