Color Management for Premedia
Color Management for Premedia
(Prerequisite for certification: "Color Management Fundamentals")
The CMP for Premedia course is designed for those seeking to understand how to properly color manage a digital graphics workflow through the premedia area.
This Color Management Professional course is comprised of eight video lessons totaling about four hours in length. The course describes the principles of color management with a focus on both prepress and premedia workflow, providing an excellent education on color management throughout the complete graphic communications workflow.
The student should be familiar with basic color theory, graphic communication workflows and print production processes. The student should have also completed the Color Managament Professional (CMP) - "Fundamentals" course including passing the Exam to achieve their "CMP Associate" certification.
"Color Management for Premedia" is one course in a series of color management education and certification, including:
- Color Management Fundamentals
- Color Management for Photography
- Color Management for Printing
- Color Management for Premedia
Course Lesson - Table of Contents
(see detailed lesson content descriptions below)
Lesson 1: Color Management at the Print Stage
Lesson 2: RIP Strategies for Color Managing Platesetters
Lesson 3: Color Management at the Input Stage
Lesson 4: Implementing Industry Printing Standards
Lesson 5: Application Preferences and Color Settings
Lesson 6: RIP Strategies for Color Managing Proofing
Lesson 7: RIP Strategies for Digital Presses and Large Format Printing
Lesson 8: Repurposing Data
Detailed Lesson Descriptions
Lesson #1: Color Management at the Print Stage
This lesson will cover the application of Color Management to output devices.
To ensure the expectations of the content creator or print buyer are met when delivering the printed product, we will learn that applying the proper approaches during digital capture and content creation will allow us to create digital files with the appropriate file size, resolution, and the most appropriate color space for repurposing, as well as embedding profiles for color communication downstream.
We will also learn at the production stage, we need to ensure color rules remain intact are correctly submitted to the Postscript Interpreter or RIP.
Postscript and PDF are the two most commonly used file formats used for printing. However, there are quite a few differences in the way these formats work within the RIP’s when specifying color.
In this session we will learn about these file formats and how they interact with the RIP.
Specific discussion items include:
- Applying color management for the output device
- How to understand and achieve color expectations
- How and when to use or ignore embedded profiles
- Creating PostScript or PDF files with output in mind
- Different flavors of PDF
- Preflighting PDF files
Lesson #2: RIP Strategies for Color Managing Platesetters
This session reviews the importance of calibration and linearization of digital plate imaging devices as an essential link in a process-controlled print workflow.
Screening methods will be discussed in relation to calibration requirements and the effect of various halftoning techniques on printed color appearance. Black generation will be explored, especially the benefits of using Gray Component Replacement (GCR) to enable greater control on press and to reduce ink costs.
Problems with commercial printing processes will be reviewed along with troubleshooting strategies for these problems. Gamut differences from press to digital proof device will be presented and discussed. Choosing the target reference space and using this in a color managed proofing workflow will be explored, as will the configuration of Rendering Intents.
Device link profiles for enhanced color precision will be discussed. Vendor-specific solutions for matching the G7 standard necessary for G7 provider certification will be presented and compared.
Specific discussion items include:
- Specific discussion topics include:
- Calibration vs. linearization
- Impact of screening technologies on Color Management
- Press Calibration - 3 strategies
- Applying ICC profiles in the RIP
- Device Link Profiles and their Application
Lesson #3: Color Management at the Input Stage
This session will discuss accurate and proper color management of input devices (scanners, monitors, software). We will discuss achieving stable scanning paths and using an accurate profiling target. We will also review proper monitor calibration for predictable color behavior. Then we will look at using Photoshop to establish color defaults and the setup of various color spaces. Lastly, we’ll discuss the differences and advantages of RGB versus CMYK workflows followed by color management’s relationship to digital image specifications.
Specific discussion items include:
- Profiling Scanners
- Profiling Monitors
- Proper Color Management in Photoshop
- Soft Proofing
- Printer Driver Considerations
- Making Profiles for Digital Cameras
- Workflow options: RGB vs. CMYK
- Digital Image Specifications
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Lesson #4: Implementing Industry Printing Standards
The graphic communication industry has a variety of printing standards to assure consistent and accurate color is deliverd to the customers. It is important to understand the historical development of these standards as well as having a working knowledge of how to comply with their implementation parameters.
Specific discussion items include:
- History of Printing Standards
- Exploring SWOP, SNAP and GRACoL
- Product Specifications vs. Press Standards
- United States Standards vs. International Printing Standards
- Gravure and Flexographic Printing Standards
- Press Standards versus Reality
- Why use a Print Standard ?
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Lesson #5: Application Preferences and Color Settings
This session will cover Preferences or Color Settings that utilize color management tools within current creative applications including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, QuarkXPress and Adobe Acrobat.
We will develop the understanding of how and where to choose Source, Proof Output and Destination profiles, and how to manage these setting throughout the workflow process.
Use of soft proofing rendering options in the various applications, plus defining how to integrate color communication for submission of files to a RIP will also be covered. We will also review file formats suitable for submission to RIP's.
Specific discussion items include:
- Applying color settings and preferences within the premedia workflow including:
- Photoshop
- lllustrator
- InDesign
- Adobe Acrobat
- QuarkXPress
- Printing with and without Color Management Active
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Lesson #6: RIP Strategies for Color Managed Proofing
RasterImage Processors (RIPs) and associated RIP technologies are used for color proofing. We will examine Proofing RIP's in detail in order to fully understand their use in a graphic communications environment.
Specific discussion items include:
- What is a RIP ?
- Drivers versus RIPS
- RIP Qualification
- RIP Calibration
- RIP Characterization
- RIP Conversion
- Quality Assurance
- Verifying a Color Proofing System
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Lesson #7: RIP Strategies for Color Managing Large Format and Digital Presses
This lesson discusses calibration and linearization tools for large format and digital print devices, and strategies to test these calibrations.
We will discuss types of digital halftoning in relation to optimizing print appearance and maintaining color fidelity. Black generation and the benefits of using Gray Component Replacement (GCR) for multi-black printers and to reduce ink costs will be reviewed. Problems with color reproduction will be reviewed with strategies for troubleshooting and correcting printing problems. Establishing color reference spaces for output devices will be explored. Gamut mapping and compression from RGB source color spaces to the more limited gamuts of output devices will be discussed and demonstrated, along with the application of Rendering Intent settings and the benefits afforded by the use of device link profiles.
Specific discussion items include:
- Common wide format plotters, digital presses and associated RIPs
- Color Output Problems
- Impact of Screening and Resolution on Color Management
- Understanding Calibration and Linearization
- Characterization: Creating Media Profiles
- UCR to optimize output
- Quality Assurance of Media Profiles
- Factors to consider when choosing a reference color space
- Gamut limitations for color data and prints
- Applying ICC profiles in the RIP
- Configuring Rendering Intent Settings
- Conformation and Process Control
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Lesson #8: Repurposing Data
Repurposing data provides the ability to capture or create digital content in order to deliver in a wider variety of formats or medias.
The premise of data repurposing is very important in today’s workflow in order to design and create content that will ultimately be delivered via various medias, e.g. offset press, web presses, web pages, etc. Likewise, artwork may be created for a magazine, used on billboards, printed on color copiers or beverage napkins.
There are different rules of engagement when delivering content to these diverse media’s including file size, resolution, color spaces, file formats, and more.
In this lesson, we will define how ICC Profiles are used to communicate color expectations for these varied media.
Specific discussion topics include: