Which colour profile to use for hi-res print pdf and low-res web pdf in InDesign

Report · Oct 03, 2012

Hi all,

I am creating a document in Indesign with many images and lots of colour and I want to create a low resolution pdf for the web which keeps as much of the colour as possible.

At the moment all the images are RGB. Should I change them to CMYK in Photoshop or do that when I pdf the document?

I will also be creating a high resolution pdf for print, however I do not know where it will be printed therefore I don't have any colour profile information from the printer, so I just need a good general profile to use.

Can anyone assist with information, it would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Juliette

Report · Oct 03, 2012

Hi Juliette,

You have a two part question there so I will answer them one at a time.

Web

You will want to use a RGB profile for any web graphics as that is the standard and it supports a larger color spectrum and all monitors use a RGB profile not CMYK

Print

A good general color profile for hi resolution printing is one of the following two

Working CMYK US Coated

or

Working RGB

these profiles will be sufficient

I use - FOGRA27 and FORGA39 - for my grand format prints but this is because I am very familiar with the equipment the printer is using

For print I would suggest converting any RGB profiles over to CMYK so you arent shocked as to color shift and brightness of the final print.

Report · Oct 04, 2012

for viewing on the web (and on the monitor) -- i would CONVERT the .pdf only to the sRGB ICC Profile and be sure to embed the profile

for printing -- you don't say if it's a CMYK printing press, an ink-jet printer, or if it is going through RIP -- so it would be rather meaningless for me to speculate a profile (use an RGB source profile for most inkjets; a CMYK source profile for offset press; a RIP on an inkjet can print either CMYK or RGB... know your workflow)

i generally keep the original source profile until i make the one Conversion to final destination profile for packaging

read up on Photoshop "Soft Proofing" gamut issues for out of gamut color...