Soft-Proofing Workflow
Soft-Proofing Workflow
- Subject: Soft-Proofing Workflow
- From: Randy Zaucha <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:16:33 -0700 (PDT)
Hi Ken,
You said it correctly. Working with a color managed printer yields more predictable results.
Workflow 1:When I was working for a printer, the "guide prints" we got were not color managed. They were usually raw Epson prints that the client liked but had no relation to the real color of their files. We usually proofed them on our proofer and Photoshopped them to approximate their desires. The client never saw the first proof from their Epson file. We did like the guide proofs though because they told us approximately what the client wanted visually.
One thing you could do is to make a color correction guide to visually use to correct to their proof. Make a master image (has grays and a variety of colors) and make versions with plus & -minus yellow, magenta, cyan in 3% (small move), 6% (medium move) & 10% (large move) of that image. Also include +/- 3, 6 & 10% midtone moves too. Have them make a proof of it. Use it as a guide for correcting off their proof.
Not easy but it can guide you to visually correct your files to their proofs.
Workflow 2-Send them 4 pages of charts and make a profile for their proofing system. Load that into your Proof Setup custom menu in Creative Suite to simulate their proofing system in soft proof.
Either way, when you deal with a company that has color chaos, you cannot definitively determine the results unless you can measure them. Chances are that the printer uses some prepress proofing system that they bought from a vendor that probably does not realistically simulate what their press reproduces. It is usually an approximation and the pressman has to make it look good enough for the client to accept it. Sometimes the press house does not bother to match up the recommended ink set that the proofing system was designed to match just because they did not know or they chose some inks that were more "affordable." The same with paper.
So what are you saving by working with a non-color managed printer? Most times you are saving money so you can accept lower quality results. Does your boss blame the lousy print quality on his staff or do they realize that you get what you pay for?
One of my long time favorites was the cover of the AAA magazine. Whomever separated that one for a long time was setting the sharpness on eleven on a one to ten notch system. Yet they kept paying for it. I used to show that to students to demonstrate how not to sharpen files for print.
Randy ZauchaManaged Color
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Colorsync-users mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden