Generate a consistent color (Photoshop) (five)

Print proof

Print proofing (sometimes referred to as proof printing or matching printing) is a print simulation of the printing effect that is ultimately output on the press. Print proofing is usually generated on an output device that is cheaper than a printer. In recent years, the resolution of some inkjet printers is also sufficient to generate cheap print proofs.

Printed proofs:

Open the document in Photoshop.
Choose View> Proof Settings> Custom, then select the output device's profile in the Profile menu. Choose Shading Scheme from the Scheme menu. If you want to create multiple proofs on a specific output device, click Save to save the settings.
Click OK to close the Proofing Settings dialog box.
Choose File > Print Preview.
In the Print Preview dialog box, make sure Show Other Options is selected and Color Management is selected.
In the Source Space area, select Proof. "Proof Settings" should be the profile you specified.
Do one of the following in the Print Space area:
If you want to print using the factory configuration file selected by the printer driver, choose Printer Color Management from the Profile menu. Use this option if you do not have a printer's custom profile and you want the printer driver to select the best profile based on paper type, resolution, and so on. When you click the Print button, the Print dialog (for setting printer options) opens. On Windows, click the Properties button to access printer driver options and set color management options. On Mac OS, use the pop-up menu to access printer driver options and set color management options.
If you want to print using a custom profile, select the custom profile from the Profile menu and click the Print button. The Print dialog (for setting printer options) opens. On Windows, click the Properties button and set the printer driver options to turn off color management (these options are similar to No Color Management, Off Color Adjustment, or Off Color Management). On Mac OS, use the pop-up menu to access the printer driver options for color management and turn off color management.

Maintain consistent color between Photoshop and other Adobe applications

In order to maintain consistent color when moving documents between Photoshop and other Adobe applications that support color management, you must specify the same color management settings for the workspace and conversion options. The Color Settings dialog box contains universal color management controls that are shared by Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. The color management controls in Adobe Acrobat are in Presets. Synchronizing color settings helps ensure consistent color reproduction between Adobe applications that support color management. In order to share custom color settings between applications, be sure to save the settings (stored in a .csf file). You can load setup files in the desired application without having to manually copy all the settings. (See Storing and loading color management settings.)

Note: If you modify and store the current Color Settings .csf file in any non-Photoshop application, you may be prompted to synchronize these common colors when you start Photoshop or reopen the Color Settings dialog box in Photoshop Color settings. You can resynchronize color settings between Photoshop and other Adobe applications by following these steps.

Settings stored in Photoshop are displayed in the Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat 6 Settings menu to synchronize color settings between Photoshop and other Adobe applications:

Do one of the following:
(Windows) Choose Edit > Color Settings.
(Mac OS) Choose Photoshop > Color Settings.
In the Color Settings dialog box, choose preset settings from the Settings menu, or specify settings for Workspace, Color Management Scheme, and Conversion Options. If necessary, specify "Advanced Control." For more information, see Using Photoshop color settings.
(Optional) If you customize the color settings, click the Save button, specify the setting name, and click the Save button in the Save dialog box. Storing settings in a .csf file makes it easy to share settings between color-managed Adobe applications.
In the Color Settings dialog box, click OK.
To specify the same color settings in other Adobe applications, do one of the following:
In Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign, choose Edit > Color Settings.
In Adobe Acrobat, (Windows) Choose Edit > Preferences; (Mac OS) Choose Acrobat > Preferences.
(Acrobat and InDesign only) Do one of the following:
In Acrobat, click Color Management in the left pane of the Preferences dialog box.
In InDesign, select the Enable Color Management option from the Color Settings dialog box.
In Photoshop, use the Settings menu to choose a color setting.
Click "OK."

Use desktop printers to generate consistent colors

With a color-managed workflow, you can control the appearance of colors in your documents so that the same or similar colors remain when you print your document on a desktop printer.

Desktop Printer Workflow A. Photoshop handles color management, usually choosing a custom configuration file from the “Profile” menu. B. Processing color management by the printer driver Color management of documents exported from desktop printers:

Set up the device for color management

Calibrate the monitor and create a monitor profile. Use Adobe Gamma (Windows), Display Calibrator (Mac OS), or use third-party software and hardware for more accurate calibration. If your printer comes with configuration files, make sure they are installed on your computer. In an important job that requires accurate color rendering, it is highly recommended that you create a custom profile for each type of paper that your printer uses.

Setting up a Photoshop color management system

Choose Edit> Color Settings (Windows) or Photoshop> Color Settings (Mac OS) to specify color management settings. You can choose presets from the Settings menu in the Color Settings dialog box, or you can customize settings. You should select at least one Prepress Default setting, which specifies Adobe RGB (1998) as the RGB workspace. Adobe RGB (1998) is a large color space that contains all the colors used for printing. In general, sRGB is not recommended as a workspace because it is smaller and some of the important colors that can be printed are not in that space.

Edit images in Photoshop

Depending on the selected color management scheme, you will edit the image in the current RGB workspace or edit the image in the workspace profile embedded in the document. Whether you convert a document to an RGB workspace or keep a profile embedded in a document depends entirely on your personal needs. For example, if you think of Adobe RGB as a workspace that fits all your printed images, consider choosing Adobe RGB as an RGB workspace, then choose the "Convert to Workspace" scenario, and always process your images within Adobe RGB.

(Optional) Create an electronic proof of the image

If you want to see the simulated effect of the final printed image, use the Proof Settings command and select the printer's configuration file. The monitor will display images in the desktop printer's color space. For the most accurate electronic proofing, select the paper configuration file.

Use Print Preview

Choose File > Print Preview. In the Print dialog box:

Select "Show other options" and choose "Color Management" from the pop-up menu.
In the "Source Space" area, select "Documents" (unless you are printing a hard copy of your electronic proof).
In the Print Space area, select a printer's profile or a custom printer/paper combination's custom profile. Photoshop handles color management during printing. If the printer driver handles color management during printing, choose Printer Color Management.
Still in the Print Space area, choose a coloring scheme. In general, "relative colorimetry" or "perceivable" are most often used for photographic images because they preserve the overall appearance of the color of the document when printed.

Set printer options

Click the Print button (for the Print Preview command) in the Print dialog box to open another Print dialog (for setting printer options). The options available in the Printer Options dialog box depend on the printer driver installed on your computer. In Windows, click the Properties button to access the printer driver options. In Mac OS, use the pop-up menu to access printer driver options. Set the print options according to the desired print quality. If Photoshop handles color adjustments or color management options during printing, turn off all printer driver color adjustment options. If not, specify color management settings so that the printer driver handles color management during printing. It is important not to have Photoshop and the printer driver perform color management at the same time as printing. Doing so can cause unexpected colors.