Re: Printer - RBB or CMYK?
Re: Printer - RBB or CMYK?
- Subject: Re: Printer - RBB or CMYK?
- From: Scott Martin via colorsync-users <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2020 09:45:27 +0000
> I need to determine if the print pipeline for a certain laser printer is RGB
> or CMYK. I used to know how to spin up a Photoshop file in a certain way and
> send to print.
With laser printers, Postscript drivers send CMYK color, while all others send
RGB. With some printers you have several driver to choose from.
I often do a *quick test* when working with a new laser printer, just to
confirm it’s native color mode, and that a target is being printed without
alteration. Visual profiling targets are really helpful here. Do do this I
print both my Onsight RGB 8x10 Visual profiling target, and a CMYK P2P51H
Expanded target. You can download these at https://www.on-sight.com/downloads/
<https://www.on-sight.com/downloads/>
The other thing to note is *which application to send profiling targets from*.
The Adobe Color Print Utility works great for RGB targets but often fails with
CMYK targets to laser printers. Print CMYK targets from Photoshop - simply
assign and print with the circa 1991 “US Web Coated (SWOP) v2” profile with
RelCol and no BPC.
A quick look at the printed targets will tell you which pipeline your driver
uses. If the C, M, Y, and K ramps from the P2P51H Expanded target aren’t
polluted with dots from other inks (IE; Yellow patches are 100% yellow with no
other inks, Black patches are 100% blacks with no other inks, et) then it’s
clearly a CMYK pipeline. If the P2P51H target has mixed ink ramps, and the
appearance of the Visual RGB target has nice even transitions, excellent
saturation and the litmus test at the bottom passes then you’re a go for RGB
profiling with that same target.
Good luck!
Scott Martin
www.on-sight.com
Precise color science for printmaking professionals
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