On Jan 5, 2018, at 10:11 AM, forums@walkerblackwell.com wrote:
A typical print RGB ICC will create contrast curves to match print output to a monitor.
Hmm...that's not exactly correct. Any standard ICC output profile will be designed to match appearance, period. Different media (display, printer, whatever) will have different gamuts, and viewing conditions will potentially differ. How to deal with gamut mismatches (clip, compress, whatever) is controlled by the rendering intent and may well be, in some circumstances, logically equivalent to a contrast curve. Viewing conditions (bright / dim, white point, etc.) can also have similar results; the proper result for bright conditions is (roughly) to lay down more ink (make prints darker) than for dim conditions.
My question is this: is there any ICC system out there that you know of that does not create this contrast curve?
With the caveat that you've just asked a leading question, such that you hopefully understand better with my explanation above...any "serious" CMS should be adjustable to your needs. If you're not afraid of the command line, I can wholeheartedly recommend ArgyllCMS as superlative. You can, if you have a proper workflow, make fine art reproductions that you can lay on a table next to the originals such that the artist herself will have difficulty distinguishing between the two. Plus, it's free and open source...and Graeme Gill, the author, not only has forgotten more about color science than most others will ever know, he's most helpful and responsive. X-Rite is the 800-pound gorilla of the market. Their hardware is superlative. Many speak highly of their software, and they're probably the ones to go to if the command line isn't for you. There're other choices, many of them well worth considering and of significant merit. But Argyll is my unreserved recommendation, and I'd suggest at least having a look at X-Rite if Argyll isn't an option. Cheers, b&