HP DesignJet Z5600 - Introduction; How colors are represented; A summary of the color management process; Color calibration

Introduction
Color management is performed using a set of software tools that allow you to reproduce a color as
accurately as possible on any display or printing device.
In addition, your printer has been engineered with advanced hardware and software features to ensure
predictable and dependable results.
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Color calibration for consistent colors
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The Photo Black ink provides pure blacks when printing on photo papers
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Color emulation of other HP DesignJet printers
How colors are represented
Color is usually represented as an array of numbers: three numbers in the RGB color model or four in the
CMYK color model. These numbers are a measure of the base colors used in a mixture to create a given color.
RGB means that we are using a mixture of Red, Green, and Blue to create any specic color. In the case of
CMYK, the mixture is of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (where Key means black, for historical reasons).
Most monitors use the RGB color model, while most printers use the CMYK color model.
An image can be converted from one color model to another, but in general the conversion is not perfect. Your
printer uses the RGB color model: the same color model that is used by your monitor.
This simplies but does not completely solve the problem of matching colors. Each device represents colors a
little dierently from another device, even if they use the same color model. However, color management
software can adjust the colors in an image according to the characteristics of the particular device, using a
color prole of the device, in order to achieve correct colors.
A summary of the color management process
To get the accurate and consistent colors that you want, you should follow these steps for each paper type
that you use.
1. Color-calibrate the paper type, for consistent colors. Calibration should be repeated every now and then
(see Color calibration on page 74). In addition, you may wish to calibrate immediately before a
particularly important print job for which color consistency is vital.
2. When printing, select the correct paper preset for the paper type you are using. The paper preset
contains the color prole as well as various other characteristics of the paper. See Paper presets
on page 43.
Color calibration
Color calibration enables your printer to produce consistent colors with the particular printheads, inks and
paper type that you are using, and under your particular environmental conditions. After color calibration,
you can expect to get similar prints from any two dierent printers situated in dierent geographical
locations.
Some paper types cannot be calibrated. For all other paper types, calibration should be done in any of the
following circumstances:
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