Color Management Color Management;Why is Color Important?
BT&D Big Graphics Large Format Graphics and Exhibits Wanna Get Seen!?
web-header-image_06

Large Format Printing Services

Backlit Graphics

Banners

Display Graphics

Event Signage

Fine Art Prints

Museum Displays

Photo Enlargements

Pop Up Booth Replacement Panels

Poster Printing

Street Pole Banners

Trade Show Graphics

Vehicle Graphics

Wall Murals/Graphics

Window Graphics

Gallery
Testimonials
Charity
FAQs
Contact Us
Who We Are
How to Order
 

Go Here for Creative Services

What is Color Management?

Why Should I Care?You cannot get good accurate color without color management

Color management is an integral part of any color work.  It allows you to achieve good consistent, reproducible color.

You should care because without color management you cannot get consistent, reproducible color.  Which means each time you print your file or image you may or may not get a print that looks the same as the last one.

Producing high quality display prints from a computer file or original requires a "good eye", the right equipment, quality media and the experience to make sure it is right.

Color Management vs. Color Matching

Color management is not the same as color matching. Color management is a procedure for maintaining consistent, predictable colors from scanning to proofing to final print. 
Color matching (or color correction) is a process of altering a color or range of colors to match an existing piece.

Every output device (monitor, laser printer, inkjet printer, etc.) has it's own range of colors it can produce (called its gamut).  This gamut can be altered by the type of inks, media, color settings in software, or lighting conditions.  RGB monitors typically can reproduce a wider range of colors than CMYK printers. This is why the wonderful blue you see on your screen can come out purple on your printout.

If you want to delve more into gamut read Why Don't the Colors on My Print Match the Colors on My Monitor?

In order to get the full potential of the gamut of a particular device you need a way to modify the colors available to fit the gamut of that device.  The way to do that is with a ICC Profile

Original Red, Green, Blue
Correct RGB to CMYK Conversion
Incorrect RGB to CMYK Conversion

What's an ICC Profile?

ICC profiles are files that contain the color characteristics (basically tables of numbers) of the device they are created for - whether it be a monitor, printer or scanner. The profile allows the device to reproduce the colors of a graphic as accurately as possible within the gamut of that device. ICC profiles for your scanner, monitor and printer are essential for color management.

ICC profiles are instrumental in converting RGB images into CMYK or vice versa. One misnomer is the way to convert an image in Photoshop from RGB to CMYK would be to pick Image, Mode, CMYK.  This is wrong.  Ever convert an RGB image this way and it looks washed out? The correct way (if you are using CS and above) is to select Edit, Convert to Profile, and select the CMYK Profile you want to use.

If you are not using color management, then you are shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to getting good color. I have heard many people say they don't need color management. I have seen those same people sit at their computer and manually adjust their images, sometimes for hours, to get the color right on their little desktop printer. Then they are aghast when they print that same image on another printer or take it to an outside service and it comes out washed out or over saturated.  Will color management make this image print the same on all printers?  No.  Different devices have their own gamut.  What it will do is make the image more reproducible on that other printer and outside service.

Still Have Questions? Click Here

Like This Page? Share it:

 

Click Here to Get a Quote
BuiltWithNOF2
Contact-Us How to Order Who We Are Testimonials FAQ Gallery Charity Sitemap

Creative Services

Design

Illustration

Scanning

Photo Retouching

Tradeshow
Booth Design

Corporate Displays

Museum Exhibit Design

Sales Office Displays

Large Format Printing Services                    

Banners Backlit Graphics Display Graphics Event Signage Fine Art Prints Museum Displays Photo Enlargements
Street Pole Banners Trade Show Graphics Vehicle Graphics Window Graphics
Pop Up Booth  Replacement  Panels
Poster Printing

Trade Show Displays   

Banner Stands Hanging Banner Frames Flood/Spot Lights Light Boxes Literature Stands Panel Displays Pop Up Booths Shipping Cases Tabletop Displays Table Skirts

Museum Exhibits

BT&D Big Graphics, Inc.
1061 E. Main St, Suite 500, East Dundee, IL 60118
(847) 428-5990 Ph, (847) 428-5992 Fx Contact Us

www.btdgraphics.comFollow us on LinkedIn
web-header-image_9
Click Here to Get a Quote

Why Us?

BT&DTM has made a considerable investment in the latest equipment and time to maintain consistent, accurate color from our monitors to printed output. We calibrate all of our equipment and create custom profiles for each media we print on. You can be assured that the graphics you get from us are consistent and accurate time and again.

File Guidelines and Setup Checklist
File Guidelines and Setup

Set up your files correctly for our large format printing.

BT&D's
Color Matching Policy

Color can be very subjective. BT&DTM strives for pleasing color in images and a perceptual match for Pantone colors. The vast majority of the time this is satisfactory.
If a color match is important to you, you must run a proof off of our equipment.  We will then modify the color or colors that you select for a more accurate match to what you are looking for.  There is a nominal charge for this service.