Printed Color Management System

What does a printed color management system refer to?

Color management has gradually permeated throughout the entire process of printing, but for various reasons, there is still a need for a deeper understanding of what printing color management entails. This is because it is not only used for digital proofing but also for the unified color management of scanners (electronic separators), digital cameras, monitors, printers, and printing presses, thus achieving color control throughout the entire process from scanning to production, output, proofing, and printing.

Implementing printed color management requires defining the color characteristics of various printing devices, which involves generating ICC profile files for the devices. This process involves measuring the color samples of printing devices using a spectrophotometer and then calculating them in professional software. The effectiveness of printed color management depends on whether ICC profile files can accurately describe the color characteristics of printing devices. The quality of ICC profile files depends on the performance of the measurement system used, as well as the algorithms and control parameters used in generating ICC profile software. GretagMacbeth’s color management system is a preferred choice in this regard, with products including the high-precision iProfileBundle, iCColorBundle, and portable EyeOneProBundle.

In more complex environments, such as those where prepress work is often handled by advertising agencies, and where business is not necessarily always printed within a single enterprise, communication between printing companies is also necessary. In such an open system, more coordination is required, and a significant amount of time and manpower is spent on color modifications to eliminate color deviations caused by different environments. Color management has broader implications; if each enterprise has a comprehensive color management application, this process can be greatly simplified. Printing companies can clearly predict and reproduce the color effects of advertising designs, and it becomes easier for printing companies to achieve consistent print colors. Therefore, the real role of color management lies in being a bridge for color communication from which everyone can benefit.