Color is the core of print quality control. In the entire production management of printing companies, color management is at the center.
1. Three steps of printing color management
The color management theory divides the implementation of color management into three steps: calibration, device characterization, and color conversion. Calibration refers to correcting each device in the printing production process, normalizing process parameters, and making them work in a stable state. Device characterization refers to measuring the color data through various software and hardware tools on the premise of calibrating the device. Generate the device's color profile, record the device's color gamut characteristics, and there are three types of general color profiles, namely the input device, display device, and output device profile. The third step is to use the color management module to convert the device-dependent color space (CMYK, RGB, etc.) through the device-independent color space (Lab) to achieve the consistency of the color output from the prepress to the print.
In three steps, calibration and device characterization are key to effectively implementing color management. Calibration is not only a simple correction of each device, but a comprehensive diagnosis of the printing production process and process. It is the standardization and standardization of printing production process parameters. The key to device characterization is to obtain high-quality color profile. The key point is to select printing samples that can correctly reflect printing conditions, and use professional measurement tools and professional color profile to generate software.
2. Print color management is an automated color control process
The printing process is the process of color transmission and reproduction. Colors are transformed in various different color spaces. The accurate transmission of colors is the focus and the difficulty. In the past, mainly relying on human experience to control the transmission of color was a post-event control. This inefficient method was feasible in the past, but it has not been able to adapt to the fierce competition that modern printing companies face. Therefore, to achieve efficient, automatic color transfer control, to achieve accurate color reproduction, has an important impact on improving the competitiveness of printing companies.
Print color management is the means to automate color transfer and control in print production. To achieve this, it is necessary to look at the color reproduction from the point of view of the printing press to coordinate the interaction between the prepress processing, plate making, proofing, and printing processes. The characteristics of the press should be integrated into the prepress stage so that any changes in the printing conditions will be automatically reflected in the proofs and plate making process. Therefore, the complete printing color management should be the pre-setting, calibration, characterization, color conversion, on-machine measurement, feedback and correction cycle using prepress data. The automatic control of color by printing color management is a kind of pre-control. Printing companies reduce their consumption and increase efficiency through color management and enhance their core competitiveness.
3. Print color management is a continuous process
In recent years, the author has discovered two problems in the communication with printing companies. First, more and more companies have implemented digital proofing, and believe that color management is digital proofing; Second, the application of digital proofing is one-time. Do not pay attention to the standardization of print production and the update of color profiles. These two issues are quite hampered by the effective implementation of print color management. It is considered that color management is a misunderstanding of digital proofing. In fact, digital proofing is only a part of color management. It is a system for simulating printing results and is a proofing method that is more suitable for CTP systems. Color management is not a work once and for all. It is a continuous process of automatic color transfer and control based on the continuous improvement of printing production as the printing conditions change.