Profiling Your Process Makes More Sense than Ever

With the ever increasing high-end print demands and continuously improving technology, profiling your process makes more sense than ever. The ability to create a digital file that can describe all of your different devices (cameras, scanners, proofers, and presses), once considered skeptically is now becoming second hand. The tools and software are more user friendly and include new features that allow you to create a 3-D map of each devices color space. This is a great solution to help you better visualize, compare, and evaluate each device's color gamut.

The color gamut is described in 3 dimensions. Think of a globe, the hue being the degree measurement around the axis of the globe, the chroma being the measurement from the axis to the outside of the globe, and the luminosity being measured along the axis from the bottom to the top of the globe. However this can be difficult to visualize. Using simple, inexpensive software, you can easily create the profiles and actually map them on a 3-D grid.

The following 3 images are individual gamut maps of 3 different devices: a LCD monitor, a low-res proofer, and a press. The left grid is in true color so as to better visualize the achievable color gamut of that device. The right grid represents a slice of that gamut. In this case the slice has been taken at the exact center of the vertical luminosity axis (L=50). Specifically for the press, and even the proofer, it is important to remember that these gamuts are based on very specific conditions which include: the press, substrate, ink, anilox, plates, press speed, etc...

Profile of an LCD monitor

Profile of a Low-Res Proofer

Profile of a Press

The following 2 images are comparison gamut maps. The first map compares the gamuts of the LCD monitor (true color) and the press (green). As you can see there are some colors the LCD monitor can achieve that the press cannot and vice versa. Again, the map to the right is a slice of this comparison at a luminosity of 50. With these profiles, you can apply the profiles while working in an application to make sure your monitor better represents what is achievable on press. The second map compares gamuts of the press (true color) and the low-res proofer (green). The grid has been rotated so you can better see that there are some colors the press can achieve that the low-res proofer cannot and vice versa. Again, the map to the right is a slice of this comparison at a luminosity of 50. With these profiles, you can apply the profiles while working in an application or at output to make sure you proof better represents what you can achieve on press.

LCD Monitor (true color) vs. Press (green) Gamut Comparison

Press (true color) vs. Low-Res Proofer (green) Gamut Comparison

As mentioned for the last image above, these grids can be rotated so as to better visualize each gamut. The following quick movie demonstrates how rotating the image can give you a better perspective as to how two gamuts compare.

Click on the image above to view a 3-D Rotation
Requires QuickTime.