My Giclee Printing Blog

In this video we introduce the basics of color management and monitor calibration. For more info, questions or comments visit prophotolife.com .

It is a dream of every graphics designer to create a design which not only arouses interest of his viewers but also creates a long lasting impression in their minds. With the advent of digital media and more so, the internet based publishing, the work of such designers has become ever more important.The internet has opened new avenues of opportunities but it also comes with certain limitations. One such limitation is that one has to often compromise on quality to make the images and designs more easily downloadable. In addition to that the other major problem faced is the incompatibility between the various digital formats as well as that between digital designs and printed ones. Taking these into account, the Adobe Photoshop has come up with a unique color management mechanism in its Photoshop CS4 which helps create custom graphic design without compromising on either its quality or its ability to get published online or on paper. The new mechanism employs a standard profile which helps maintain the quality of the design. It solves a comprehensive range of problems regarding the origin of a design, looks of a design as well as those regarding the transfer of that particular design from one medium to another or from one format to the other. These days, graphic designing and activities related to that are a source of earning for not just big corporations but also numerous professionals who offer designing services to the clients. And since these services are provided for a fee, it is natural for the client to seek best results. A client would always want best value for money. The Color Management helps a creative graphic designer to make best use of his talent by providing the best results.  Without a proper color management software, the people in the designing field often feel helpless as it is not quite easy for professionals to make a correct assessment of the colors and thereby produce the best designs and colors manually.

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Is anyone using ColorVision’s Spyder Suite for color management? I was at a seminar recently, and it looked pretty good. Opinions?

just what it says. I am only into photography a year or so but am starting to be good enough to worry color management. Any suggestions for a reasonably priced monitor? Also I use Adobe elements 5 for editing and filing. Thanks

I am getting serious about my photography and it appears it is time I get some color management software/hardware. The Spyder2 package was suggested to me. A few questions regarding that:

1-Is the Spyder2 a decent choice? What is ColorVision’s reputation?
2-Do I need color management software/hardware if I will be printing 99% of my shots through a pro lab and very few on my own printer?

Thanks for sharing the knowledge!

Am having trouble obtaining the best color configuration for my monitor.
Programs like picassa, photoshop and windows picture and fax viewer appear more saturated between one another.
Can anyone recommend a method i could use to solve this problem ?

Majority of the print materials is done through offset printing that is integrated with 4 color printing or four-color process printing. It has gained a following of many small businesses and entrepreneurs who are looking for high-quality prints in the most cost-effective means.

It produces photographic quality full color prints at cheaper cost per unit, compared to inkjet printing, and other printing processes.

However, as popular or common this process maybe, some people still fall into certain pit traps. Some people set certain expectations to find they have actually been asking too much.

Things to Consider with Color Management

Think about how colors work. Think how the colors you’ve worked on will actually appear on print. There is a discrepancy with what you see and what you may get. Computer screens and prints are different media. Think about these and other things that would affect your prints.

1. Color limitations

The CMYK can only but closely match itself to the closest possible colors projected on the computer screen. The color gamut of CMYK, although relatively large, is not enough to encompass the thousands of color hues there are.

2. Monitor Calibration

What we see in our computer screen is different from what will be printed out on presses and even in desk jet printers. The computer monitor has a different color profile and produces color through RGB. Prints that are printed in CMYK cannot fully capture the colors present in RGB although it can match accurately up to a certain point or degree.

3. Machine Calibration

To maintain colors or color profiles of your design, from the pre-press department’s computer to your print out, a printing companies machines and computers are calibrated. This means it will preserve the original look and colors of your design throughout.

Added to this, whatever the material you choose, be it a 100 lb. Gloss Text paper or a 14 pt. Gloss Cover stock, the presses are still calibrated to maintain consistency in the print output. The presses are configured to recognize the properties of these paper stocks to produce prints in premium condition.

4. File Conversion and Compression

Some or part of your data can get lost along the way in the process of translation. Your files for offset printing works differently from that of your desk jet printer. The latter can process your RGB files and print it out automatically. In offset printing, you need to work in CMYK mode or convert your RGB files into CMYK.

For file compression, you may risk the image quality of your file because data compression like files saved in jpeg may lose some information. In return, the image quality of the file may be affected or compromised. Avoid this problem by saving in lossless files such as .tiff or .eps.

5. Paper finishing.

Matte paper has a polished but dull surface that gives it a natural feel. Because the paper surface is different from the standard gloss and high-gloss, matter paper absorbs more light without reflecting it back.

Gloss paper, as the name indicates, has a polished smooth surface that possesses a soft gloss. The High Gloss coated stock or UV coated gives your prints a striking and reflective surface with the sheen or gloss it has. It also has the ability to make colors more vibrant unlike the two other paper stocks.

Manage and know the issues concerning color management. And let your 4 color printing companies find the best suitable conditions to bring out the richness and vibrancy of your colorful prints. Contact your printing company now and work with the experts who can capably make your prints more brilliant.