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Known Participant
March 27, 2023
Question

Color Management: Need help exporting print files!!!

  • March 27, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 1913 views

Hello Dear Community

 

I'm a bit at my wits end here, as for years I've been having an issue where my B&W CMYK images – regardless of what computer I'm using, what version of Id, Ps or what printers i'm working with – they mostly tend to come out with a yellowish or greenish tinge.

 

My working process:

I run a music label and design all the covers as well. Usually I scan in found photography and edit it via Ps, then save it as a grayscale or rgb PDF. After that I use an Id design template, (in this case for cassette inlays) and import my image. Here, I then export everything using whatever print profile is requested, such as FOGRA39 or in the newest case, iso coated v2 300%.

 

Now somewhere along the way, something must be going horribly wrong, as this is my intended image, which according to Adobe Acrobat using print production should print as follows (and as intended):

 

 

yet instead, this is the type of outcome I usually get from various professional printing places;

 

 

Other examples are the next image from a latter project, which came out purplish instead of B&W when printed, while the bottom is the lackluster grayscale print version.

 

More interestingly. The image looks correct in both image preview and acrobat, as well as in Id itself, yet if I don't choose 'Preserve Numbers' during the export's color conversion option, the image shows up yellowish in the preview– perhaps already indicating that something seems to have gone wrong here:

 

EXAMPLE: Exported as PDF without preserved numbers (left), which is how the images also usually print, vs the right (preserved numbers), which is how I would like them to print, but they tend to come out looking like the yellowish/greenish image on the left.

 

 

Now what would the correct path be here, if I wanted to have the image prepared in Ps and then exported in Id as a CMYK printing a black and white image? Do I save it as an RGB in Ps and then first export it as a CMYK via the correct profile in Id? (in this case iso coated v2 300%) And if so, what boxes are the correct ones to tick for the color management settings?

 

Am I doing something completely wrong, or is it just very hard to get B&W images to print (relatively) accurately via a professional setting using CMYK? Why are most of my friends somehow able to do this, are they supplying RGB images and letting the printers handle the colors or what?

 

Infinite gratitude who can help me out of this year-long dilemma, it's really been weighing in on me... All the hard work I put into these projects, just for them to not print as intended in the end... 

 

Looking forward to some potential help here, and glad to supply anyone with whatever they need information wise.

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

Stephen Marsh
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 27, 2023

For such work intended for Fogra39/ISO Coated v2 output conditions, I would recommend a high GCR profile (less CMY, more K):

 

https://www.colormanagement.org/en/isoprofile2009.html#coated_FOGRA39_GCR_bas

 

For those with the same challenges printing to GRACoL 2006:

 

https://www.colormanagement.org/en/gracolprofile.html

 

Known Participant
March 29, 2023

I will try this and then profile and use ‘Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers)' to export the file to a printable PDF.

Will let you know how it goes!

 

 

Best

 

O.

 

Known Participant
April 6, 2023

Okay, finally, here is the update:

 

The new print came out B/W! I do seem to lose quite a bit of contrast with the GCR profile, yet this will be a go-to option in the future. I will try two more prints now and see how they come out.

 

A quick follow-up question; one pressing plant wants me to not include profiles. When doing so, however, the prints come out greenish. Can I just send them these with profiles attached instead?

 

I keep getting this specific message; 

Yet, my color setting are akin to that of the destination profile... Could this be a cause for concern, or can it be safely ignored?

 

Best,

 

O.

D Fosse
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 27, 2023

Short version (just on my way out):

 

InDesign doesn't have grayscale color management support. If you place grayscale, it will output to the K channel as is. There will be no grayscale profile conversion.

 

That means you can't prepare in Photoshop using the default dot gain profile (which frankly isn't useful for anything these days). You need to use this:

 

Click the working gray rolldown, choose Load Gray, and navigate to ISO Coated 300% ECI. Once you have it as working gray, it becomes available in Convert to Profile.

 

Will look at the rest later.

Known Participant
March 27, 2023

Thank you for your reply.

Here are my current Ps color settings:

Known Participant
March 27, 2023

I've now changed the setting to your suggestion.

 

That being said, I've tried exporting the image from Ps as CMYK using the appropriate profile, before inserting it into Id, yet this does not seem to solve the issue.