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1-12 Understanding color management systems
Color Reference Guide for C9800 - 12
To create successful color documents and presentations, you can take advantage of the
features of color management software as they are implemented by the Fiery and on
your desktop computer. This chapter is devoted to various elements of color
management that contribute to predictable color results.
Understanding color management systems
A color management system (CMS) is a “translator” between the color space of
the source device (for example, the monitor or a scanner) and the color space of the
destination device (for example, the printer). It compares the color space in which the
source image was created to the color space in which the job will be output, and adjusts
the colors in the document to maintain consistency across different devices. A CMS
typically uses a device-independent color space, such as CIELAB, as its intermediate
color space. To perform its translation, a CMS needs information about the color space
of the source image and the gamut of the printer. This information is provided
through profiles, often created by the makers of the computer monitor or printer.
The end product of a CMS conversion is a printed document or an image file in the
gamut of a particular printer.
There has been progress toward standardization in the field of digital color
management systems. Both the Windows and Mac OS operating systems support an
industry standard format developed by the International Color Consortium (ICC).
This ICC format is implemented on Windows computers as Image Color Matching
(ICM) and on Mac OS computers in ColorSync. More and more software developers
are also incorporating color management systems into high-end applications.
The Fiery color management system, ColorWise, supports this standard profile
format.
How color management works
Before you can print a color document, the color data in it must be converted to the
gamut of the printer. Whether performed by the Fiery or a host-based CMS, the
process of converting color data for a printer is the same: the CMS interprets RGB
Chapter 1:
Overview
of Color
Management
Concepts
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