[scribus] Colour Profiles

[Hal V. Engel]

On Thursday 03 September 2009 03:32:55 pm John Beardmore wrote:
> Hal V. Engel wrote:
> > On Thursday 03 September 2009 09:32:06 am John Beardmore wrote:
> >> Gregory Pittman wrote:
> >>> On 09/02/2009 04:35 PM, davecs wrote:
> >>>
> >>> One mistake some make with local printers (ie, one attached to your
> >>> computer) is to use the "Printer" setting for the Color tab in PDF
> >>> Export. You really should use the Screen/Web setting most of the time.
> >>> You might also check your printer settings in your OS.
> >>> Setting Printer is for when you take your work to a commercial printer.
> >>
> >> So could the print controls say
> >>
> >>      "Screen / Web / Local Printer"
> >>
> >> and
> >>
> >>      "CYMK process printer"
> >>
> >> or some such form of words ?
> >>
> >> Clearer terminology might reduce the number of times this question gets
> >> asked, and it's presumably a relatively simple fix ?
> >>
> >>
> >> Cheers, J/.
> >
> > I don't think this works.
> >
> :)   Possibly not...
> :
> >  What about the case where the "local" printer (this
> > means the printing work flow) is color managed?  In many cases (Windows
> > and OS/X and some *nix printing work flows) the local printer will be
> > (logically) an RGB device but in other cases it will be a CMYK device
> > (IE. in the GutenPrint drivers I can use either an RGB or a CMYK work
> > flow with my printer).   In either case the printing work flow can be
> > color managed. There are too many use cases to handle this with menu
> > options that support each use case and even if it were possible users
> > would still have to understand color management as least enough to know
> > that they didn't understand it in order to figure out which work flow to
> > use.
> >
> > What this boils down to is that unless you understand color management
> > then use an sRGB only work flow.  This will not get you the same level of
> > color correctness and device to device matching as a well done color
> > managed work flow but for some users it will be good enough.  If it is
> > not good enough then you need to spend the time it takes to really
> > understand color management so that you can effectively use it's very
> > powerful features.
> >
> > This has been said before here.  The color management learning curve is
> > fairly steep and most users who are new to color management feel like
> > they have been pushed into the deep end of the pool.   But once you
> > understand how it works and make the effort (and yes spend the money) to
> > get good profiles you will find that your results are MUCH more
> > consistent and that you are spending less time dealing with
> > color/tonality issues.
>
> I don't think any of this changes the notion that the current
>
>      "Output intended for: Printer"
>
> wording is pretty unhelpful, and whatever the difference is between the
> options, it could be more clearly expressed.
>
> If the difference is simply RGB vs CYMK workflow, and printers can
> require either, why not word the choices as
>
>      "Screen / Web / RGB work flow"

This might be slightly better wording for this option since it always gives an 
sRGB result.

>
> and
>
>      "CYMK work flow" ?

But this is NOT always a CMYK work flow.  It is a printer work flow that 
generates output in what ever your printer color space is.  In many cases this 
will be CMYK but it can be RGB, Gray or Device N.  It depends on the printers 
ICC profile.  

>
> I'm not sure that the tool tip in its current form helps much either.

This is certainly true.

>
> Typical ink jets may take RGB at the driver interface, but so are some
> reasonably chunky laser printers. 

On Windows and OS/X this is true but this is NOT true for the most common *nix 
drivers for ink jet printers.  The general case is that printers and printer 
drivers can and do accept input in color spaces other than and in addition to 
RGB.  The GutenPrint drivers that I use, for example, can accept CMYK input 
and will use it directly with the only processing done (other than ink 
limiting and gamma correction) is for the driver to work out how to mix the 
light/dark inks for each channel.  This same driver will accept Gray input and 
only use the black/light black/light light black inks.

> Users of both generally know that the
> inks / toners are CYMK. This knowledge also renders the "true CYMK
> printer" wording really ambiguous.
>
>
> Cheers, J/.