Help with ICC profiles and Printing standards

[radoslava645]

Hello! 

Can someone explain to me what is the difference between ICC profiles and Printing standards? 

Thank you for your time! 

[Monika Gause]

I don't know what you are referring to with "printing standards". Please elaborate what you actually need to know. ICC profiles are used for color management, which is a topic that cannot be explained in a few forum posts. But there are videos on LinkedIn Learning that cover the topic extensively. Be prepared for a couple days of intensive learning and then at least weeks of putting it into practice.

This is only one of the trainings: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-color-management (not for free)

There is also documentation in the Adobe docs, but not nearly as extensive: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/understanding-color-management.html (this is also just one of the pages, there are more)

[radoslava645]

Thank you Monika! I am sure that the course you sent will be useful. Instead of reading my horrendous attempts at trying to explain what I am talking about, I will simply link you to the article that confused me : http://the-print-guide.blogspot.com/2011/10/printing-standards-and-specifications.html

[Monika Gause]

In which way do you think that this article is relevant to you? The mentioned standards describe complete workflows and using ICC profiles might just be one tiny piece inside of a workflow. "Might just be" because there are other color profiles as well such as Device Link profiles.

[radoslava645]

Thank you for your answer, I just want to know the right questions I have to ask the printer when working with a client. I want to make sure that I use colors that they support and that the colors of the artwork will look the same digitally and when printed.

[meganchi]

I am really simplifying this answer.

With Printing Standards, this really relates to how your artwork will be printed (litho, flexo, process flexo, gravure, screen printed, etc.).

ICC profiles are setup for specific devices so that the color outcome comes close to a color target when printed (kind of like adjusting a toaster setting to get the perfect browned toast).

[radoslava645]

Thanks!