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aprilk31527202
Known Participant
September 22, 2021
Answered

Question: CYMK & ICC Profile Issues

  • September 22, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 2070 views

Hello,

I am designing a book cover and I have my original design file in RGB (necessary for some of the graphic's layer modes) but I saved it out as a TIFF and converted that image to CYMK. The printer claims that they need an "uncoated" ICC profile, but if I try to change it to one of those my colors go from being blue / purple multi-toned to one value and they are extremely, extremely washed out. I cannot print it like that at all. I expect a bit of color shifting / not as vibrant of colors, okay. But this is truely terrible... I don't really understand how you could print anything half way bright or true to color in this gamut range... (To clarify, I can only find acceptable results for the image with "coated" profiles. But the printer warns that this will make the ink bleed on the paper. Still, there has to be a way to do this properly because most illustrators and book cover deisgners must work in RGB.)

 

Anyways, "uncoated" asside (though I am still wondering about that since some of the profiles do truely terrible things to my image) - although I have my image in CYMK I seem to have some kind of gamut warning. - But I thought switching from RGB to CYMK should eliminate this issue altogether? I am in the CYMK printing gamut, or am I not? I am obviously lacking a piece of the puzzle here.

 

Adding to my confusion, I have printed my files before using CYMK while leaving the standard ICC - the "Web Coated" one. And those images seemed to turn out very true to color... I am just concerned that with a new printer something may go awry, such as too much ink coating the paper.

 

(Do you know if the PDF itself comes with print color settings? I always understood that it inherited the profile of the original file.)

 

Thank you in advance! I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

 

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer D Fosse

It seems I was checking a certain profile. I don't like the changes that uncoated makes, but I found one that will probably be doable. I just hope that they add a gloss finish on top of it to bring the colors back out... 


No, you're still missing the point. You can't just "find" a profile. One one profile is the correct one, and that's the one that characterizes the actual printing process, the press/ink/paper system that produces the finished result.

 

The profile doesn't do anything. It's just a map, and it has to describe the actual terrain. If it doesn't, the map is useless. It's not about what you like. You need to deal with the reality of the print process.

 

If they add a gloss finish it's a different process, and then you need a different profile.

 

So to be clear: stop looking for a profile. Get the right one.

2 replies

Stephen Marsh
Community Expert
Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 22, 2021

Can you attach a flattened, lower resolution RGB copy of the layered file, with the RGB ICC profile embedded? Sometimes you just have to accept physics and make "artistic" adjustments, knowing that end users don't know what the original RGB looked like so they don't have the same expectation as you do.

    CShubert
    Community Manager
    CShubertCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 22, 2021

    Hi,

    Have you asked the printer to supply you with a profile for their printer/paper combo? I would start there so that when you convert from RGB to CMYK it is based on how they have their machines setup. If they don't then ask them which of the uncoated profiles do they use? 

    Here is a great resource on Soft Proofing in Photoshop and how to setup your prints.  

    https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/preparing-print-photoshop.html

     

    Hope this helps.

      A
      aprilk31527202Author
      Known Participant
      September 22, 2021

      I did ask, but they don't have one. They said "anything uncoated" but as I explained, that is not working with my image. Thanks for the link.

      A
      aprilk31527202Author
      Known Participant
      September 22, 2021

      To clarify, it doesn't help me if I know that they need X and Z if my image looks like crap when I use those settings... Therefore, I am wondering how most people resolve these kinds of issues, becuase I would expect them to crop up rather often.

       

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