Re: Dumb question for european prepress specialists: Which profile?
Re: Dumb question for european prepress specialists: Which profile?
- Subject: Re: Dumb question for european prepress specialists: Which profile?
- From: Marco Ugolini <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 00:55:43 -0800
In a message dated Fri, Nov 25, 2005 11:53 PM, Paul Shilliger wrote:
> In fact I am trying to understand what printers want. In one occasion, I tried
> to talk about it with a printer. We sat by his computer and he opened a file
> that I had made and that contained a profile. He discarded the profile at
> opening and took his measuring tool. He measured a patch that was supposed to
> be 50% Magenta. Of course it wasn't 50% Magenta any more, for without profile,
> the values were misinterpreted. But basically his talk was this: If you want
> me to restitute 50% Magenta on the paper according to the printer's color
> charts, there should be 50% Magenta in the file. He wanted plain CMYK values
> and was ready to make the necessary adjustments to get that on paper. What
> should I have done then?
Paul, when your printer refers to his "color charts", those are predicated
on his/her press conditions, which in turn are determined by the standard
practices in a given country or area of the world. So, when they talk of
"plain CMYK values" what they are referring to are "values that they are
used to in their daily practice," which is far from universal, and instead
relates closely to their business model and/or area of the world.
I don't think that one can truly engage in a conversation concerning the
proper use of color-managed procedures with someone who seems to have such a
hard-nosed color-by-the-numbers view of his tasks as this person whom you
mention. I see two possibilities there:
1) Choose another printer, with whom an agreement can be reached on
fundamentals that give proper place to the use of profiles;
2) If, for any of a number of reasons, you are stuck with an uncooperative
printer who will not adapt to your desires, then you must be the one to go
*towards them*, since that is the only way to preserve the integrity of the
work in the given circumstances.
For example, in Europe you can deliver a file already converted by you to a
standard CMYK space (I'm not that knowledgeable in European standards, but
Euroscale or FOGRA27 probably are two examples), which should get you in the
ballpark already. You will have to do a bit of studying and asking around
for advice on the profile best suited for this task. Then deliver that
converted file untagged, knowing that its color numbers should already be in
the vicinity of where you expect your results to be when using a European
press of the kind your printer uses.
>From there, you can proceed to ask for a laminated proof (Matchprint,
Approval, Creo, etc.), have the file "massaged" for any final adjustments,
and then nail down a contract proof for you and your client to sign up on.
That will be relatively costly and time-consuming, but it has the benefit of
holding the printer responsible for achieving the expected results on their
own terms and in their own turf.
Still, I believe that, whenever possible, the better choice is to select a
printer that is willing and eager to work with you, specially if you are
knowledgeable in color management and the use of profiles, instead of one
that forces you to work for them. I truly believe that, when all is said and
done, the former will provide better results than the latter.
Best regards.
--------------
Marco Ugolini
Mill Valley, CA
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