Printing from Ink-Jet Printers

After you ve completed your image, assigned RGB profiles to it, and converted it (or not converted it, depending on the circumstances), you can print it. The majority of desktop ink-jet printers use the RGB information to convert the image to CMYK (or CcMmYK) on the fly, so you should not convert to CMYK for those printers that handle this conversion internally.

Ink-jet printing results can vary dramatically from model to model because of their different color gamuts. If you have the printer s profile, the results will be more predictable. If you don t have the profile of a specific printer, you can improve the results on ink-jet printers by printing the image in RGB and letting the printer software do the conversion on the fly. You can then use the print as a proof to recalibrate your display (using Adobe Gamma or other visual calibration software) to display the image as close to the proof as possible. Save the Adobe Gamma settings to be used specifically for editing images printed on the target printer. Make your adjustments to the image based on the on-screen display and save the image as a separate file, identifying it for the specific printer. This is a funky, trial-and-error way to match the printed image to the display, but it works if you re willing to pull a number of prints and tweak adjustments to get as close a match as possible.

A far more accurate and reliable method is to invest in a spectrophotometer (an instrument that makes spectral readings of color) and take a reading from the print, and then plug the information into the spectrophotometer s software and load the resulting profile into the Color Settings dialog box. Unfortunately a system like this can be quite costly, with prices starting at more than $1,000 for the instrument and up to $3,500 for the software.

USING A SPECTROPHOTOMETER

Reading color patches and creating a color profile requires a spectrophotometer and color profiling software. Several instruments are available, as are several profiling software products, each of them producing excellent color profiles for printers and printing press output.

Shown here is the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Pro, a hand-held spectrophotometer that is useful for making printer (called Output) profiles. The software that drives the unit includes special color patch targets that are printed on the device being measured. Once printed, the resulting colors are measured by the instrument, and the data is provided to the profiling software. Profiling software compares the measurement data (the actual printed output) to the original color values of the target, then creates an ICC profile that will produce more correct color on the application of that profile.

 

A cheaper option is to use the profile creation services of a consultant. You print and mail the print target; they read it and e-mail you the profile. This way, no hardware investment is needed by the end user .