Electronics for Imaging RIP STATION 5000 User Manual

Color Printing Guide

RIP STATION 5000

Copyright © 1998 Electronics for Imaging, Inc. All rights reserved.

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The software described in this publication is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license.

Patents: 5,666,436; 5,553,200; 5,543,940; 5,537,516; 5,517,334; 5,506,946; 5,424,754; 5,343,311; 5,212,546; 4,941,038; 4,837,722; 4,500,919

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EFI, the EFI logo, Fiery, the Fiery logo, and Rip-While-Print are trademarks registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Fiery ZX, Fiery LX, Fiery Driven,
the Fiery Driven logo, Command WorkStation, AutoCal, Starr Compression, Memory Multiplier, ColorWise, NetWise , and VisualCal are trademarks of
Electronics for Imaging, Inc.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Illustrator, PostScript, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Separator, and Adobe PageMaker are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated,
registered in certain jurisdictions. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is a trademark of Altsys Corporation. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, EtherTalk,
LaserWriter, and Macintosh are registered trademarks, and MultiFinder is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft, MS, MS-DOS, and Windows are
registered trademarks of Microsoft in the US and other countries. QuarkXPress is a registered trademark of Quark, Inc. Times, Helvetica, and Palatino are
trademarks of Linotype AG and/or its subsidiaries. Corel is a registered trademark and CorelDRAW is a trademark of Corel Corporation in Canada, the United
States, and/or other countries. Macromedia is a registered trademark and FreeHand is a trademark of Macromedia, Inc. ITC Avant Garde, ITC Bookman, ITC
Zapf Chancery, and ITC Zapf Dingbats are registered trademarks of International Typeface Corporation. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation.
Farallon, PhoneNET PC, and PhoneNET Talk are trademarks of Farallon Computing, Inc. NetWare and Novell are registered trademarks and Internetwork
Packet Exchange (IPX) is a trademark of Novell, Inc. SyQuest is a registered trademark, in the United States and certain other countries, of SyQuest Technology,
Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, a wholly owned subsidiary of Novell, Inc. PANTONE is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc.

All other terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, and are hereby acknowledged.

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FCC Information

WARNING: FCC Regulations state that any unauthorized changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void
the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Class B Declaration of Conformity

Trade Name—Fiery Server (Printer Controller for Epson)
Model Number—LXFC001
Compliance Test Report Number—M71204A1
Compliance Test Report Date—December 21. 1997
Responsible Party (in USA)—Electronics for Imaging, Inc.
Address—2855 Campus Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403
Telephone—650-524-4300

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

In order to maintain compliance with FCC regulations, shielded cables must be used with this equipment. Operation with non-approved equipment or unshielded
cables is likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception. The user is cautioned that changes and modifications made to the equipment without the
approval of manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Industry Canada Class B Notice

This Class B digital apparatus meets all the requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

Avis de Conformation Classe B de l’Industrie Canada

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

RFI Compliance Notice

This equipment has been tested concerning compliance with the relevant RFI protection requirements both individually and on system level (to simulate normal
operation conditions). However, it is possible that these RFI Requirements are not met under certain unfavorable conditions in other installations. It is the user
who is responsible for compliance of his particular installation.

Dieses Geraet wurde einzeln sowohl als auch in einer Anlage, die einen normalen Anwendungsfall nachbildet, auf die Einhaltung der Funk-entstoerbestimmungen
geprueft. Es ist jedoch moeglich, dass die Funk-enstoerbestimmungen unter unguenstigen Umstaenden bei anderen Geraetekombinationen nicht eingehalten
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Compliance with applicable regulations depends on the use of shielded cables. It is the user who is responsible for procuring the appropriate cables.

Einhaltung mit betreffenden Bestimmungen kommt darauf an, dass geschirmte Ausfuhrungen gebraucht werden. Fuer die beschaffung richtiger Ausfuhrungen
ist der Betreiber verantwortlich.

Software License Agreement

Electronics for Imaging, Inc. grants to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the software and accompanying documentation (“Software”) included
with the RIP Station 5000 you have purchased, including without limitation the PostScript® software provided by Adobe Systems Incorporated.

You may:
a. use the Software solely for your own customary business purposes and solely with RIP Station 5000;
b. use the digitally-encoded machine-readable outline and bitmap programs (“Font Programs”) provided with RIP Station 5000 in a special encrypted format

(“Coded Font Programs”) to reproduce and display designs, styles, weights, and versions of letters, numerals, characters and symbols (“Typefaces”) solely for your
own customary business purposes on the display window of RIP Station 5000 or monitor used with RIP Station 5000;

c. use the trademarks used by Electronics for Imaging to identify the Coded Font Programs and Typefaces reproduced therefrom (“Trademarks”); and
d. assign your rights under this Agreement to a transferee of all of your right, title and interest in and to RIP Station 5000 provided the transferee agrees to be

bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

You may not:
a. make use of the Software, directly or indirectly, to print bitmap images with print resolutions of 720 dots per inch or greater, or to generate fonts or typefaces

for use other than with RIP Station 5000;
b. make or have made, or permit to be made, any copies of the Software, Coded Font Programs, accompanying documentation or portions thereof, except as

necessary for use with the RIP Station 5000 unit purchased by you; provided, however, that under no circumstances may you make or have made, or permit to
be made, any copies of that certain portion of the Software which has been included on the RIP Station 5000 hard disk drive. You may not copy the
documentation;

c. attempt to alter, disassemble, decrypt or reverse engineer the Software, Coded Font Programs or accompanying documentation.
d. rent or lease the Software.

Proprietary Rights

You acknowledge that the Software, Coded Font Programs, Typefaces, Trademarks and accompanying documentation are proprietary to Electronics for Imaging
and its suppliers and that title and other intellectual property rights therein remain with Electronics for Imaging and its suppliers. Except as stated above, this
Agreement does not grant you any right to patents, copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks (whether registered or unregistered), or any other rights, franchises or
licenses in respect of the Software, Coded Font Programs, Typefaces, Trademarks or accompanying documentation. You may not adapt or use any trademark or
trade name which is likely to be similar to or confusing with that of Electronics for Imaging or any of its suppliers or take any other action which impairs or reduces
the trademark rights of Electronics for Imaging or its suppliers. The trademarks may only be used to identify printed output produced by the Coded Font
Programs. At the reasonable request of Electronics for Imaging, you must supply samples of any Typeface identified with a trademark.

Confidentiality

You agree to hold the Software and Coded Font Programs in confidence, disclosing the Software and Coded Font Programs only to authorized users having a need
to use the Software and Coded Font Programs as permitted by this Agreement and to take all reasonable precautions to prevent disclosure to other parties.

Remedies

Unauthorized use, copying or disclosure of the Software, Coded Font Programs, Typefaces, Trademarks or accompanying documentation will result in automatic
termination of this license and will make available to Electronics for Imaging other legal remedies.

Limited Warranty And Disclaimer

Electronics for Imaging warrants that, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery to you, the Software under normal use will perform without
significant errors that make it unusable. Electronics for Imaging’s entire liability and your exclusive remedy under this warranty (which is subject to you returning
RIP Station 5000 to Electronics for Imaging or an authorized dealer) will be, at Electronics for Imaging’s option, to use reasonable commercial efforts to attempt
to correct or work around errors, to replace the Software with functionally equivalent software, or to refund the purchase price and terminate this Agreement.
Some states do not allow limitations on duration of implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

Except for the above express limited warranty, Electronics for Imaging makes and you receive no warranties or conditions on the Products, express, implied, or
statutory, and Electronics for Imaging specifically disclaims any implied warranty or condition of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

For warranty service, please contact your authorized service/support center.

EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTY, ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING MAKES AND YOU RECEIVE NO WARRANTIES
OR CONDITIONS ON THE SOFTWARE OR CODED FONT PROGRAMS, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR IN ANY OTHER PROVISION
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the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error free or that the Software will meet your specific requirements.

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IN NO EVENT WILL ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, LOST
PROFITS, COST OF COVER OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF
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LIABILITY. THIS LIMITATION WILL APPLY EVEN IF ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING OR ANY AUTHORIZED DEALER HAS BEEN ADVISED
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You agree that you will not export or re-export the Software or Coded Font Programs in any form without the appropriate United States and foreign government
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Electronics for Imaging, Inc.
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Contents

Introduction

About this manual
Tips for success

Chapter 1: Desktop Color Primer

The properties of color

The physics of color 1-1
CIE color model 1-2
Additive and subtractive color systems 1-3

Printing techniques

Halftone and continuous tone devices 1-5

Using color effectively

A few rules of thumb 1-6
Color wheel 1-7
Color and text 1-8
Registration and trapping 1-8

Raster images and vector images
Optimizing files for processing and printing

Resolution of raster images 1-10
Scaling 1-12

xi

xii

1-1

1-4

1-6

1-9

1-10

Workflow scenarios

Short-run color printing 1-12
Offset printing 1-13

1-12

viii Contents

Chapter 2: Color Management

Controlling printed color

Maintaining print device consistency 2-2
Print device gamut 2-2

Basics of color management

Color conversion 2-4

RIP Station color management

RGB Source 2-7
Rendering styles 2-8
Pure Black Text/Graphics 2-9
CMYK Simulation 2-9

Optional ICC color management for advanced users

Color management on Macintosh computers 2-10
Color management on Windows computers 2-12

Chapter 3: Working with Color in Applications

Working with color

Color reference pages 3-2

Office applications

Choosing colors in office applications 3-3

2-1

2-3

2-5

2-10

3-1

3-2

PostScript applications

Choosing colors in PostScript applications 3-4
CMYK simulation 3-6

Chapter 4: Printer Drivers and Print Options

What a printer driver does
Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Macintosh

Setting color management print options 4-2

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 95

Setting color management print options 4-5

3-4

4-1

4-2

4-5

ix Contents

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 3.1x

Setting color management print options 4-7

Microsoft PostScript Printer Driver for Windows NT 4.0

Chapter 5: Adobe Photoshop 4.0

Before you begin

With Windows versions of Photoshop 5-1
With Photoshop 2.5 for Macintosh 5-2

Defining colors
Saving files for importing into other documents
Selecting options when printing

Printing RGB images 5-4
Printing CMYK images 5-5

Chapter 6: Page Layout Applications

Working with page layout applications

Defining colors 6-1
Importing images 6-1
CMYK simulation 6-2

4-7

4-8

5-1

5-2

5-2

5-3

6-1

Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh and Windows

Importing images 6-3
Selecting options when printing 6-4

QuarkXPress 3.32 for Macintosh and Windows

Importing images 6-8
Selecting options when printing 6-8

Chapter 7: Illustration Applications

Working with illustration applications

Defining colors 7-1
Importing images 7-2
CMYK simulation 7-3

6-3

6-8

7-1

x Contents

Adobe Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

Defining colors 7-3
Importing images 7-5
Selecting options when printing 7-5
Saving files for importing into other documents 7-6
For advanced users: Using Illustrator color management 7-7

Macromedia FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

Defining colors 7-8
Importing images 7-8
Selecting options when printing 7-9
Saving files for importing into other documents 7-10
For advanced users: Using FreeHand color management 7-11

CorelDRAW 7.0 for Windows

Defining colors 7-12
Importing images 7-12
Selecting options when printing 7-13
Saving files for importing into other documents 7-14
For advanced users: Using CorelDRAW color management 7-14

Chapter 8: Office Applications

7-3

7-8

7-12

Working with office applications

Defining colors 8-1
Working with imported files 8-1
Selecting options when printing 8-2

Microsoft Office 97

8-1

8-2

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

xi About this manual

Introduction

Welcome to the
issues associated with printing to a RIP Station 5000 print device. It also contains
application notes that explain how to print to the RIP Station from popular Macintosh
and Windows applications.

This manual is one book in a set of documentation that also includes manuals for users
and system administrators. All the other manuals should be available at your site—
refer to them for a complete description of your documentation.

Color Printing Guide

. This manual introduces you to the concepts and

About this manual

This manual is written for anyone who prints to a RIP Station using popular Macin­tosh and Windows applications. It goes beyond the mechanics of sending a print job
and explains issues that affect the quality of the results, such as:

• Use of color in the document

• Resolution and file formats used for imported images

• Features of ColorWise™ color management performed by the RIP Station

• Effects of print option settings on printed color

Because each application has different options that affect color printing, detailed appli­cation notes are included.

Words in bold (for example,
Glossary. The Bibliography at the end of this manual provides sources for further
investigation of color printing issues.

additive color model

), are terms that appear in the

The phrase “RIP Station color management” refers to the ColorWise color
management system built into the RIP Station Color Server.

xii Introduction

Tips for success

The built-in ColorWise color management system of the RIP Station ensures that
every color job you print looks good. Regardless of the computer you work on, the
application you use, and the type of color work you do, your RIP Station print device
provides high-quality color output without any special effort on your part.

You can also customize the RIP Station color management system for particular types
of projects or environments. The RIP Station provides total flexibility, allowing you to
specify color settings on a job-by-job basis.

The following list summarizes the issues you should consider when you create and
print a color document.

1. Maintain print device consistency.

(Chapter 2)

2. Use the Color Reference pages when choosing and defining RGB, CMYK, and PANTONE™
colors in applications.

(Chapter 3)

3. Save raster images at the optimal resolution for your print device.

(Chapter 1)

4. Choose the appropriate settings for these print options (described in Chapter 2):

•

RGB Source

(and, for a custom RGB source space, Gamma, Phosphors, and White

Point)—affects the output of all RGB data in your document (see page 2-7)

Rendering Style

•

—determines the type of color effect produced; for example, vibrant
colors (such as for presentations) or accurate-match colors (such as for spot colors in
logos)

Brightness

•

Pure Black Text/Graphics

•

—increases or decreases the brightness of all colors in the document

—determines whether black text and line art in your
document are printed as one-color black or four-color black; can eliminate
misregistration and blasting problems; minimizes the cost of printing mostly black
documents

•

CMYK Simulation

—lets you use your RIP Station print device as a proofing device

for offset press jobs

1-1 The properties of color

1

Chapter 1: Desktop Color Primer

This chapter covers concepts that are basic to printing in color, including:

• The properties of color

• Printing techniques

• Using color effectively

• Raster images and vector images

• Optimizing files for processing and printing

• Workflow scenarios

If you are already familiar with color theory and digital color printing, you can skip to
the last section (page 1-10) for tips on optimizing your files for printing.

The properties of color

What we call “color” is really a perceptual ability unique to humans and a small
number of animal species. Color theory is an attempt to systematize the properties of
color perception, which by nature is relative and changeable. A color appears different
depending on the other colors around it, and individuals vary in their abilities to
perceive color.

This section introduces concepts that are basic to color theory. You will encounter
some of these concepts (such as hue, saturation, and brightness) when you work with
color in applications; others provide useful background information. Color is a
complex topic, so consider this a starting point for experimentation and further
research.

The physics of color

The human eye can see electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between 400
nanometers (purplish blue) and 700 nanometers (red). This range is called the visible
spectrum of light. We see pure
Sunlight at midday, which we perceive as white or neutral light, is composed of light
from across the visible spectrum in more or less equal proportions. Shining sunlight

spectral light

as intensely saturated or pure colors.

1-2 Desktop Color Primer

1

through a prism separates it into its spectral components, resulting in the familiar
rainbow of colors (plate 1).

Like the sun, most light sources we encounter in our daily environment emit a mixture
of many light wavelengths, although the particular distribution of wavelengths can
vary considerably. Light from a tungsten light bulb, for example, contains much less
blue light than sunlight. Tungsten light appears white to the human eye which, up to a
point, can adjust to the different light sources. However, color objects appear different
under tungsten light than they do under sunlight because of the different spectral
makeup of the two light sources.

The mixture of light wavelengths emitted by a light source is reflected selectively by
different objects. Different mixtures of reflected light appear as different colors. Some
of these mixtures appear as relatively saturated colors, but most appear to us as grays or
impure hues of a color.

CIE color model

In the 1930s, the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) defined a standard

color space

communication of color information. This color space is based on research on the
nature of color perception. The CIE chromaticity diagram (plate 2) is a two­dimensional model of color vision. The arc around the top of the horseshoe
encompasses the pure, or spectral, colors from blue-violet to red. Although the CIE
chromaticity diagram is not perceptually uniform—some areas of the diagram seem to
compress color differences relative to others—it is a good tool for illustrating some
interesting aspects of color vision.

, a way of defining colors in mathematical terms, to help in the

By mixing any two spectral colors in different proportions, we can create all the colors
found on the straight line drawn between them in the diagram. It is possible to create
the same gray by mixing blue-green and red light or by mixing yellow-green and blue­violet light. This is possible because of a phenomenon peculiar to color vision called

metamerism

different combinations of spectral light can produce the same perceived color.

Purple colors, which do not exist in the spectrum of pure light, are found at the
bottom of the diagram. Purples are mixtures of red and blue light—the opposite ends
of the spectrum.

. The eye does not distinguish individual wavelengths of light. Therefore,

1-3 The properties of color

1

Hue, saturation, and brightness

A color can be described in terms of three varying characteristics:

• Hue, or tint (the qualitative aspect of a color—red, green, or orange)

• Saturation, or the purity of the color

• Brightness, or relative position between white and black.

While the CIE chromaticity diagram (plate 2) conveys hue and saturation, a three­dimensional color model is required to add the brightness component (plate 3).

Many computer applications include dialog boxes in which you choose colors by
manipulating hue, saturation, and brightness. For example, Photoshop uses a square
Color Picker (plate 4) which can be reconfigured according to your preference.

Additive and subtractive color systems

Color devices used in desktop publishing and printing
colors using a set of primary colors that are combined to create other colors. There are
two methods of creating a range of colors from a set of primary colors. Computer
monitors and scanners use the additive color model. Printing technologies, including
RIP Station print devices and offset presses, use the

simulate

subtractive color model

the range of visible

.

Additive (RGB) color

Color devices that use the additive color model make a range of colors by combining
varying amounts of red, green, and blue light. These colors are called the

primaries

and blue light available. Black occurs wherever all three colors are absent. Grays are
created by adding varying amounts of all three colors together. Combining varying
amounts of any two of the additive primaries creates a third, saturated hue.

A familiar device that uses this color model is the computer monitor (plate 6).
Monitors have red, green, and blue
display a given color. Scanners create digital representations of colors by measuring
their red, green, and blue components through colored filters.

(plate 5). White is created by adding the maximum amount of red, green,

phosphors

that emit varying amounts of light to

additive

1-4 Desktop Color Primer

1

Subtractive (CMY and CMYK) color

The subtractive color model is used in color printing, and in color photographic prints
and transparencies. While the additive color model simulates the visible spectrum of
color by adding light of three primary hues, the subtractive color model uses a “white”
or neutral light source containing light of many wavelengths. Inks, toners, or other

colorants

otherwise would be reflected or transmitted by the media in question.

The
blue light, respectively (plate 7). Combining any two subtractive primaries creates a
new color that is relatively pure or saturated. For example, you can make red by
combining magenta and yellow, which absorb green and blue light, respectively. White
occurs when no colorant is applied. Combining all three subtractive primaries in
theory yields black, but due to deficiencies of cyan, magenta, and yellow colorants,
combining these three primaries actually yields a muddy brown. Black colorant is
added to compensate for the deficiencies of cyan, magenta, and yellow colorants, and
consequently color printing uses four process colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and
blacK (CMYK). The use of black ink helps in producing rich solid blacks and also
allows for improved rendition of black text.

are used to selectively absorb (subtract) certain wavelengths of light that

subtractive primaries

are cyan, magenta, and yellow; they absorb red, green, and

The CMYK colorants used in offset printing and by your RIP Station print device are
to some degree transparent. When one layer of colorant is applied on top of another,
you see the effect of both. To create a range of intermediary colors, a method is
required for varying the amount of each colorant that is applied. A technique called
halftoning is used in offset printing, while color print devices typically use a
proprietary system for applying ink or toner colors that is similar to halftoning.

Printing techniques

Until recently, most color printing was done on printing presses using one of several
printing techniques—offset lithography, flexography, and gravure, to name a few.
All traditional printing techniques require lengthy preparation before a print run can
take place. Short-run color printing, including RIP Station printing, eliminates most
of this preparation. By streamlining the process of color printing, the RIP Station
makes short print runs economically feasible.

1-5 Printing techniques

1

In contemporary offset lithographic printing, digital files from desktop computers are
output to an imagesetter, which creates film separations. The film is used to make a
prepress proof, which is an accurate predictor of the final print job, allowing an
opportunity to make corrections before going to press. Once the proof is approved, the
printer makes plates from the film and runs the print job on the press.

computer

Desktop
computer

With a RIP Station, you simply print the file. The RIP Station processes the Post­Script information in the file and sends bitmaps to the print engine. The ease of

RIP Station printing makes possible experimentation that would be too costly on
press, allowing unlimited fine-tuning of color and design elements.

Imagesetter Film Proof PressDesktop Print run

E

P
S
O

N

Print device Color prints

Halftone and continuous tone devices

Halftoning is used in offset printing to print each process color at a different intensity,
allowing millions of different colors to be reproduced using only the four process
colors. Depending on the required intensity of a given color, ink is placed on paper in
dots of different size. The grid of dots used for each ink color is called a screen.
Halftone screens are aligned to unique angles designed to eliminate interference
patterns called moiré that can arise with halftoning.

1-6 Desktop Color Primer

1

Some color print devices are commonly referred to as continuous tone (or “contone”)
devices. They do not use traditional halftone screen patterns and angles. However, they
do apply dots (in some cases very elongated dots or lines) of different sizes to paper in a
process similar to halftoning.

Even if your color printing is done exclusively on the RIP Station, you will encounter
concepts from offset printing if you use high-end graphics applications. For example,
color controls in illustration applications such as Illustrator are geared toward
specifying color for offset printing using process and spot colors. Many applications
allow you to specify the screening used for each printing plate.

Using color effectively

The ability to print in color can greatly increase the effectiveness of your message,
whether you are printing a presentation or a newsletter, or proofing an ad concept that
will later be printed on press. Some potential benefits of using color include:

• Conveying information rapidly by using color cues

• Making use of the emotive aspects of different colors

• Increasing impact and message retention

Color can also be a source of distraction and discord if it is used poorly. This section
outlines some tips and concepts that will prove useful as you approach designing color
materials.

A few rules of thumb

Try some of the following strategies for creating successful color materials:

• Rather than applying colors indiscriminately, use color to aid comprehension. In
presentations, graphs, and charts, use color to highlight patterns and emphasize
differences.

• In general, fewer colors work better than many colors.

• Use red as an accent color. Red is particularly effective when used in otherwise
monochromatic materials.

• Consider the tastes of your target audience when choosing colors.

• Keep a file of printed color pieces that appeal to you or strike you as effective. Refer
to it for ideas when designing your own documents.

1-7 Using color effectively

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Color wheel

A color wheel (plate 8) is a helpful tool for understanding the interrelation of colors.
The colors on one side of the color wheel, from magenta to yellow, appear to most
people to be warm colors, while those on the other side, from green to blue, appear to
be cool. The distance between two colors on the color wheel can help predict how they
will appear when seen side by side.

Colors opposite one another on the wheel are called complements (plate 9), and create
a striking contrast side by side. This can be the basis for a bold graphical design, but it
is an effect you should use with discretion since it can be visually fatiguing. Other bold
combinations to consider are split complements (a color and the two colors adjacent to
its complement) and triads (three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel). Colors
adjacent to one another on the color wheel result in subtle harmonies.

The color wheel simplifies color relationships for the purpose of clarity, showing only
saturated or pure colors. Adding the myriad variations of each hue to the palette (more
or less saturated, darker or lighter) creates a wealth of possibilities. Taking a pair of
complements from the color wheel and varying the saturation and brightness of one or
both colors produces a very different result from the pure complements. Combining a
light tint of a warm color with a darker shade of its cooler complement often gives
pleasing results. Combining a darker shade of a warm color with a light tint of its
cooler complement produces an unusual effect you may like.

Once you have mastered the concept of the color wheel, you have a good framework
for experimenting with color combinations. Many books targeted at graphic designers
show groups of preselected color combinations. Some are organized by themes or
moods, and some are based on a custom color system such as PANTONE. The more
you develop a critical facility for judging color combinations, the more you will be able
to trust your own eye for color. The Bibliography at the back of this manual includes
books on design.

1-8 Desktop Color Primer

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Color and text

It is not a coincidence that the overwhelming majority of text you see is printed in
black on white paper. Text in black on white is highly legible and is not fatiguing to
read for extended periods. For many color materials, using black text on a white
background and confining color to graphic elements and headings is a good choice.

Color text can add flair to documents printed on paper when used skillfully, and is
widely used in presentations. When using color text, avoid dazzling text and
background combinations created from primary complements, especially red and cyan
or red and blue; they are visually fatiguing and hard to read. Color text is more legible
when distinguished from its background by a difference in lightness—for example,
dark blue text on a light beige background. In addition, using many different colors in
a string of text makes for a confused appearance and is hard to read. However, using a
single highlight color is an effective way to draw the reader’s eye to selected words. See
plate 10 for color text samples.

When using color text, keep in mind that small font sizes typically do not print in
color with the same sharpness as in black. In most applications, black text prints
exclusively in black ink, while color text usually prints with two or more inks. Any
misregistration between the different inks on paper causes color text to lose definition.
You can make test prints to find the smallest point size at which color text prints
clearly. When using high-end graphics applications that allow you to specify color as
percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, you can create pure cyan or pure
magenta text that prints with the same sharpness as black text. (Pure yellow text is
extremely hard to read on anything but a dark or complementary background.)

Registration and trapping

With any print device, there is the possibility that the different inks may print slightly
out of register, producing distracting gaps between objects. Trapping is the process of
spreading one color slightly into adjacent colors to compensate for any misregistration
that might occur when the file is printed. Depending on the job’s makeup, you may
need to take trapping into consideration for best printed results. See the Bibliography
for sources of information on trapping.

1-9 Raster images and vector images

1

Raster images and vector images

Two broad categories of artwork can be printed from a personal computer to a color
printer: raster and vector images (plate 11).

A raster image, also referred to as a bitmap, is composed of a grid of pixels, each
assigned a particular color value. The grid, when sufficiently enlarged, resembles a
mosaic made from square tiles. Examples of raster images include scans and images
created in painting or pixel-editing applications, such as Photoshop and Painter.

The amount of information found in a raster depends on its resolution and bit depth.
The resolution of a raster describes the density of the pixels and is specified in pixels
per inch (ppi). The bit depth is the number of bits of information assigned to each
pixel. Black and white rasters require only one bit of information per pixel. For
photographic quality color, 24 bits of RGB color information are required per pixel,
yielding 256 separate levels of red, green, and blue. For CMYK images, 32 bits per
pixel are required.

When printing raster artwork, the quality of the output depends on the resolution of
the raster. If the raster’s resolution is too low, individual pixels become visible in the
printed output as small squares. This effect is sometimes called “pixelation.”

In vector images, picture elements are defined mathematically as lines or curves
between points—hence the term “vector.” Picture elements can have solid, gradient,
or patterned color fills. Vector artwork is created in illustration and drawing
applications such as Illustrator and CorelDRAW. Page layout applications such as
QuarkXPress also allow you to create simple vector artwork with their drawing tools.
PostScript fonts are vector-based as well.

Vector artwork is resolution-independent; it can be scaled to any size without danger of
pixels becoming visible in printed output.

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Optimizing files for processing and printing

The following sections provide tips on how to create image files that produce the
highest possible print quality while minimizing the processing time and disk space they
require.

Resolution of raster images

While a 72 ppi raster image appears sharp on a monitor, the same image would likely
appear pixelated when printed to the RIP Station. Color print devices are capable of
much greater detail than monitors, and require correspondingly higher resolution
image files. However, high-resolution files can be large, and therefore cumbersome to
transmit over a network, process for printing, store on disk, and edit.

Beyond a certain threshold, a higher image resolution greatly increases file size while
having a minimal effect on output quality. The optimal image resolution depends on
the resolution of the final print device. Aim for the resolution that optimizes both file
size and output quality.

The resolution of a raster, along with its bit depth and physical dimensions, determine
its file size. The following table shows the file sizes of color raster images at different
dimensions and resolutions.

File size at:

Image size 100 ppi 150 ppi 200 ppi 400 ppi

RGB/CMYK RGB/CMYK RGB/CMYK RGB/CMYK

3"

x 4"

x 7"

5"

x 11"

8.5"

x 17"

11"

In this table, the shaded areas indicate that 200 ppi is typically the best trade-off
between image quality and file size. However, higher resolutions (e.g., 250 to 300 ppi)
may be needed for offset printing, when quality is of the utmost importance, or for
images containing sharp diagonal lines.

0.4/0.5 MB 0.8/1.0 MB 1.4/1.8 MB 5.5/7.3 MB

1.0/1.3 MB 2.3/3.0 MB 4.0/5.3 MB 16.0/21.4 MB

2.7/3.6 MB 6.0/8.0 MB 10.7/14.3 MB 42.8/57.1 MB

5.4/7.1 MB 12.0/16.1 MB 21.4/28.5 MB 85.6/114.1 MB

1

Image quality

1-11 Optimizing files for processing and printing

To find the best image resolution for your purposes, make test prints of some raster
artwork at different resolutions. Start with a high-resolution image (400 ppi) and save
versions at progressively lower resolutions, down to 100 ppi, using a pixel-editing
application such as Photoshop. Always save a copy of the original high-resolution
version in case you need to revert to it. The high-resolution data cannot be recreated
from a lower resolution version.

Print the files and examine the output. You will likely begin to see a marked
deterioration in output quality at resolutions below 200 ppi, while above 200 ppi the
improvement may be very subtle.

100 ppi 200 ppi 300 ppi 400 ppi

Image resolution

Raster images prepared for offset printing may need to be at higher resolutions than
needed for proofing on your RIP Station.

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Scaling

Ideally, each raster image should be saved at the actual size it will be placed into the
document and at the optimal resolution for the print device. If the image resolution is
correct for the print device, there is no quality advantage to be gained by scaling an
image down to a percentage of its actual size. If you scale a large image down to a
percentage of its actual size, you incur unnecessary file transfer time because the image
data for the entire large image is sent to the printer. If an image is placed multiple times
at a markedly different sizes in a document, save a separate version of the image at the
correct size for each placement.

If you need to place an image at greater than 100% in a document, remember that the
output image resolution is affected. For example, if you scale a 200 ppi image to
200%, the image is printed at 100 ppi.

Workflow scenarios

Color print jobs can be divided into two categories:

• Short-run print jobs for which the RIP Station is the final print device

• Offset print jobs being proofed on the RIP Station

For either type of job, issues of effective color usage, trapping, file optimization, and
scaling are important ones. The areas of difference between the workflows for these two
types of jobs are outlined in the following sections.

Short-run color printing

For short-run color jobs printed to the RIP Station:

• You can work in either the RGB color model or the CMYK color model (see the
application notes). When working with RGB colors, you should take advantage of
the color rendering capabilities of the RIP Station (see Chapter 2).

• When choosing or defining colors in your application, use the RIP Station color
reference pages to be assured of predictable results (see Chapter 3).

• When printing, choose the appropriate settings for print options that affect color
output (see Chapter 2).

1-13 Workflow scenarios

1

Offset printing

For jobs that will be proofed on the RIP Station in preparation for being printed on an
offset press:

• Work in the CMYK color model only (see the application notes). All elements in
your document, including placed images, must be in the CMYK color model to
create film separations for printing.

• When choosing or defining colors in your application, use the RIP Station color
reference pages to be assured of predictable results (see Chapter 3).

• If cost is a factor and the document does not contain CMYK images, consider using
two or three PANTONE colors, instead of the standard four process colors (see
Chapter 3). This reduces the number of film separations and printing plates needed
to print the job. Use the PANTONE reference pages to define RGB-equivalents of
the PANTONE colors you want to print (see Chapter 3). These color definitions are
used only for proofing the job on the RIP Station.

• Choose the appropriate CMYK Simulation setting (see Chapter 2).

2-1 Controlling printed color

2

Chapter 2: Color Management

This chapter provides information on the factors involved in controlling and managing
color output with the objective of achieving predictable color results, including:

• Controlling printed color

• Basics of color management

• RIP Station color management

• Optional ICC color management on Macintosh and Windows computers

Controlling printed color

When working with color materials, whether they be presentations, illustrations, or
complicated page designs, you make aesthetic decisions about the colors you use. Once
you have decided on your goal, you then need to realize it in print. Your color printing
system becomes an ally in this creative process to the extent that you can get results
that are predictable.

• If you have designed a brochure to print on the RIP Station, you want the printed
colors to match the design specification.

• If you are printing presentations on the RIP Station, you want to preserve the vivid
colors in the monitor display.

• If you are working with color that will print on press, you want the RIP Station
output to match prepress proofs or PANTONE color swatch books.

The type of print job and the final print device, RIP Station or offset press, determine
the methodology you use to achieve optimal results.

No matter what your goals are, two hardware factors always impact color print output:
print device consistency and the range of colors the print device can print, known as its
gamut. These factors are covered briefly in this chapter. Creating successful color
documents and presentations also requires an understanding of color management
software as it is implemented by the RIP Station and on your desktop computer. Most
of this chapter is devoted to discussing the various elements of color management that
contribute to predictable color results.

2-2 Color Management

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Maintaining print device consistency

The factors described below affect print device consistency, as well as color fidelity and
overall output quality.

Paper stock and ink

The paper and ink used by your print device can greatly affect printed color. For best
results, use the supplies recommended in the Printer Guide.

Maintenance

Problems such as banding and insufficient amounts of one or more inks may arise if
the print device does not receive periodic print head cleaning and alignment. In
addition to having it serviced regularly, monitor the condition of your print device by
making standard test prints at regular intervals. You can do this easily by printing the
RIP Station Test Page. Save the prints and show them to the service technician
whenever output densities vary from the norm or other problems appear.

Color transparency film

RGB monitor

Offset press (white)

Other print device

Print device gamut

Different color reproduction techniques have different color capabilities, or gamuts.
Color transparency films have comparatively large gamuts, as do color monitors. The
color gamut that can be produced using process inks or CMYK inks on paper is
smaller. This is why some colors that can be displayed on a color monitor, especially
bright saturated colors, cannot be reproduced exactly by your RIP Station print
device—nor, for that matter, can they be reproduced on press using process colors.
Moreover, different print devices have different gamuts—some colors that your print
device can produce cannot be reproduced on an offset press, and vice versa. The
following illustration provides a graphical representation of this concept.

2-3 Basics of color management

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You need to account for the gamut of your print device when designing on a color
monitor. When printed, colors that fall outside the print device’s gamut are “mapped”
to printable colors. This process, referred to as gamut mapping, takes place when
color data is converted or adjusted to meet the color space and gamut requirements of
a print device.

The RIP Station is specially designed to perform gamut mapping at high speed with
high quality results. It provides these color management features automatically, using
either built-in default settings or settings that you specify for a particular print job. For
added flexibility, the RIP Station color management system can also be used in
combination with color management systems on Macintosh and Windows computers
(see page 2-10).

Basics of color management

The past several years have seen progress toward standardization in the field of digital
color management systems. Both the Macintosh and Windows 95 operating systems
now support a standard format developed by the International Color Consortium
(ICC). This ICC format is implemented on Macintosh computers in ColorSync™ 2.x
and on Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 computers in Image Color Matching
(ICM). More and more software developers are also incorporating color management
systems into high-end applications. The RIP Station provides a custom color
management system that can be used independent of, or together with, platform-based
and application-based color management tools.

A color management system, or CMS, is a “translator” between the color space of the
image source (the monitor, or a scanner, for example) and the color space of the target
print device. The CMS uses a device-independent color space, such as CIELAB, as its
reference point (see page 1-2). To perform its translation, the CMS needs information
about the color space of the image source and the color space and gamut of the print
device. This information is provided in the form of profiles, often created by the
makers of the monitor or print device. The end product of a CMS conversion is a
printed document or an image file in the color space and gamut needed for a particular
print device.

2-4 Color Management

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NOTE: If color matching between computer display and printed output is critical,

calibrate your monitor as closely as possible to the printed output. For most users,
predictability of printed color output is adequate and monitor calibration is not
necessary. For information on monitor calibration, see your Photoshop or Illustrator
documentation.

Color conversion

Before a color document can be printed, the color data in it must be converted to the
color space and gamut of the print device. Whether performed by RIP Station color
management or by an ICC CMS, the process of converting color data for a print
device is the same: the CMS interprets RGB image data according to a specified source
profile and adjusts both RGB and CMYK data according to a specified target profile.

Color management system

Source
profile

Device-independent

color standard

Input data

The source profile defines the RGB color space characteristics of the image’s source—
characteristics such as the white point, the gamma, and the type of phosphors used.
The target profile defines the color space characteristics and gamut of the target print
device. The RIP Station (or the ICC CMS) uses a device-independent color standard
to translate between the source color space and the target color space.

The RIP Station allows you to specify default and override settings for the source color
space information and the target profile information (see “RIP Station color
management” on page 2-5). When you use these settings, you do not need to use the
features of other color management systems. Your RIP Station user software includes
ICC profiles for use with other color management systems if you choose to use them.

Color management systems can also be used to adjust color data to conform to the
gamut of a print device other than the one to which you are printing. This process of
simulating another print device is commonly used for proofing jobs that will print on
an offset press. The RIP Station simulation feature is described on page 2-9.

Target
profile

Printed data

or file

2-5 RIP Station color management

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RIP Station color management

The RIP Station uses a simple and flexible color architecture that produces excellent
color results with default settings. It also allows you to customize your color results
using various color controls.

The diagram below illustrates the controls in the RIP Station color management
process that affect color data conversions. You access these controls via print options
when you send a print job. Most of these options and their settings are described in
subsequent sections of this chapter.

The output of the RIP Station color management process is color data that is ready to
be sent to the print device. Additional processing may be performed on board the print
device before printing begins.

RGB data

CMYK data

RGB Source

Gamma
Phosphors

White Point
Rendering Style (CRD)
Brightness

CMYK Simulation
Rendering Style (CRD)
Brightness
Pure Black Text/Graphics

RIP Station

color

processor

Color data sent
to print device

2-6 Color Management

2

Settings for the following RIP Station options can be specified via print options when
you send a job. Some can also be set as defaults by the administrator during
RIP Station Setup. Settings specified via print options override the defaults set at
Setup.

RIP Station color print option

and settings

RGB Source

EFIRGB/sRGB (PC)/Apple Standard/Other/Off
(Default set at Setup)

(Other) Gamma

1.0/1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8/2.0/2.2/2.4/2.6/2.8/3.0

(Other) Phosphors

Hitachi EBU/Hitachi-Ikegami/NTSC/Radius
Pivot/SMPTE/Trinitron

(Other) White Point

5000 K (D50)/5500 K/6500 K (D65)/7500 K/
9300 K

Rendering Style

Photographic/Presentation/Solid Color
(Default set at Setup)

Brightness

85% to 115%

Pure Black Text/Graphics

On/Off

What it does

Applies an RGB source space definition to RGB data (see page 2-7). If
you choose the Other setting, you can specify particular settings for
gamma, phosphors, and white point with the following three options

Applies the specified gamma value to the RGB source space definition
(see page 2-7). To use this print option, you must choose Other as the
RGB Source setting.

Applies the specified phosphor (monitor type) information to the RGB
source space definition (see page 2-7). To use this print option, you must
choose Other as the RGB Source setting.

Applies the specified white point value to the RGB source space
definition (see page 2-7). To use this print option, you must choose
Other as the RGB Source setting.

Applies a RIP Station color rendering style (CRD) to RGB data (see
page 2-8). This setting is also applied to CMYK data when a CMYK
Simulation setting other than None is specified (see page 2-9).

Performs a color adjustment on all color channels to make the printed
output lighter or darker.

The On setting optimizes the quality of black text and line art output
(see page 2-9).

CMYK Simulation

SWOP-COM-M/SWOP-COM-F/
Cromalin EuroSTD/DuPont WaterProof/DIC/
Euroscale/Custom-1 through Custom-5/None
(Default set at Setup)

Explanations of how these settings affect your print jobs are provided in subsequent
sections of this chapter.

Adjusts CMYK color data to simulate an offset press standard or a
custom color gamut defined at your site. Choosing None bypasses
simulation (see page 2-9). If you choose any setting other than None,
specify Solid Color as the Rendering Style setting.

2-7 RIP Station color management

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RGB Source

The RGB Source option is used to provide a source color space definition for RGB
data in your document. The setting you specify for this option overrides any source
color space profiles you may have specified with other color management systems. For
example, if you specified a ColorSync System Profile on your Macintosh computer (see
page 2-10), the RGB Source setting overrides it. In cases where you don’t want this
setting to override another specified source color space, choose the Off setting.

• EFIRGB specifies a ColorWise-specific source space that can be used to ensure

consistent results across different computer platforms.

• sRGB (PC) specifies the source space of a generic Windows computer monitor.

• Apple Standard specifies the source space of all standard Macintosh computer

monitors.

• Other allows you to specify custom RGB source settings. If you choose Other as the

RGB Source setting, you can choose settings for the Gamma, Phosphors, and White
Point options.

If you set RGB Source to Off, PostScript RGB data (such as RGB EPS images) and
non-PostScript RGB data (such as RGB TIFF images) are converted differently by the
RIP Station color management system.

• PostScript RGB data is converted using the CRD specified by the Rendering Style
option (see page 2-8). PostScript RGB data contains its own source color space
information which is used as a reference point for the conversion.

• NonPostScript RGB data is converted using a general under-color-removal
conversion method. Non-PostScript RGB data does not contain source color space
information and so cannot be converted using a CRD.

2-8 Color Management

2

Rendering styles

The Rendering Style option is used to specify a CRD for color conversions. The
following table describes the various color rendering styles (CRDs) provided with
RIP Station software and provides guidelines on when to use each one. Each color
rendering style uses a different gamut mapping method, such as Photographic or Solid,
designed for a particular kind of color usage.

The ICC rendering styles referred to in the table are settings you can choose when
specifying a target profile with an ICC color management system (see the application
notes.)

NOTE: Your version of RIP Station software may not include all these color rendering

styles, or may include others.

RIP Station rendering style Best used for

Photographic—Preserves tonal relationships in
images rather than exact colors. This rendering style
maps out-of-gamut RGB colors to printable colors in
a way that retains differences in lightness. Color
accuracy is sacrificed slightly in favor of presenting
color relationships in the way the human eye perceives
them. Photographic rendering typically gives less
saturated output when printing out-of-gamut RGB
colors than Solid Color rendering does.

Presentation—Creates bright saturated colors. This
rendering style does not try to match printed colors
precisely to displayed colors but instead provides
vibrant, dense colors. Photographic images, however,
are treated the same way as by the Photographic
rendering style.

Solid Color—Provides best color accuracy and
preserves the saturation of displayed colors. This
rendering style matches RGB colors to printable
equivalents wherever possible and maps out-of-gamut
RGB colors to the closest printable colors.

Continuous tone photographs,
including scans and images from
stock photography CDs

Artwork and graphs in presentations
and continuous tone photographs

Spot colors and graphic images
(Solid Color rendering may not be
appropriate for printing saturated
RGB color blends, since artifacts such
as banding may occur)

Equivalent ICC

rendering style

Image and Contrast and
Perceptual

Saturation and Graphics

Colorimetric

2-9 RIP Station color management

2

Pure Black Text/Graphics

The Pure Black Text/Graphics option provides a way to optimize the quality of black
text and line art by printing one-color black at the full density of your print device.
This option can also be used to minimize the amount of ink used when printing
documents consisting of a mixture of color and black-only pages.

• With On, black text and line art are printed using only black ink. This setting
eliminates the potential for blasting and misregistration of colors that exists when
using a four-color black.

• With Off, black text and line art are printed using all four colors of ink. This setting
should be used when a rich black is desired.

The Pure Black Text/Graphics option affects only black text and line art elements
defined in RGB as R0%, G0%, B0%, or in CMYK as C0%, M0%, Y0%, K100%. It
does not affect colors in continuous tone images.

The Pure Black Text/Graphics option can be used only when printing composites, not
when printing separations.

CMYK Simulation

The CMYK Simulation print option allows you to print press proofs or simulations.
This option affects CMYK data only.

The CMYK Simulation setting specifies the offset press standard or other color gamut
that you want to simulate. You can also create up to five custom simulations using the
Fiery Print Calibrator (see the User Guide). For details on the various CMYK
Simulation settings, see the User Guide.

The CMYK Simulation setting you should specify depends on the press standard for
which the CMYK data was separated. For example, for images that were separated for
SWOP, choose SWOP-Coated as the CMYK Simulation setting. For images that were
separated using a custom separation (such as a device-specific separation or a
separation produced with an ICC-profile), choose None as the CMYK Simulation
setting.

2-10 Color Management

2

The CMYK Simulation setting also determines whether or not CMYK data is affected
by the Rendering Style setting (see page 2-5).

• With a CMYK Simulation other than None, choose Solid Color as the Rendering
Style setting.

• With None as the CMYK Simulation, the CMYK data is converted to device-ready
color data using a default PostScript conversion scheme.

Optional ICC color management for advanced users

This section describes how the ICC color management systems implemented on
Macintosh and Windows platforms can be used in combination with RIP Station color
management. You do not need to use the Macintosh or Windows color management
systems to get good color printing results—the RIP Station provides its own built-in
color management. This information is provided for advanced users with particular
customization requirements.

Color management on Macintosh computers

The Macintosh operating system includes the ICC ColorSync 2.x color management
system. The AdobePS 8.5.1 printer driver (included in the RIP Station user software)
supports ColorSync 2.x features and all other PostScript Level 2 and 3 printing
features. You can use the AdobePS printer driver to control color conversions of RGB
data with ColorSync profiles. Some PostScript applications also provide independent
color management features that use ColorSync profiles.

To use the AdobePS driver to perform color management, choose the ColorSync Color
Matching setting and specify a ColorSync printer profile when you print (see
page 4-2). With these settings, the AdobePS driver performs color conversions and
sends the resulting color data to the RIP Station. For information on color
management tools provided with applications, see the application notes.

2-11 Optional ICC color management for advanced users

2

Source color space profiles

You can specify a ColorSync source color profile for your Macintosh computer with
the ColorSync System Profile Control Panel (see the Setup Guide). The recommended
source color profile for printing to your RIP Station print device is the EFIRGB ICC
profile included in your RIP Station user software. The source color space defined by
this profile is the same as that defined by the EFIRGB setting of the RGB Source
option (see page 2-7).

The RGB Source setting overrides the ColorSync System Profile setting for RGB data
sent to the RIP Station. If you do not want the ColorSync profile setting to be
overridden, set the RGB Source print option to Off.

The RGB Source setting does not override other source profile settings in cases where
you use the printer driver or your application’s color management system to perform
color conversions. For example, if you print using the ColorSync Color Matching
setting (as described above), the printer driver performs the color conversion and sends
CMYK data to the RIP Station. In another example, if you assign a ColorSync source
profile to an RGB image placed in a document, the application performs the
conversion to CMYK and the assigned source profile is not overridden by the RGB
Source setting.

Target profiles

The target profile, or printer profile, contains information about the color space and
gamut of the target print device. If you use the ColorSync Color Matching setting of
the AdobePS driver, you must specify the printer profile that ColorSync will use to
perform its color conversions.

Some applications let you assign ColorSync target profiles to RGB images you place in
a document (see the application notes). When you print the document, the application
performs color conversions on the placed images, using the profiles you specified, and
embeds the resulting color data in the document. Three rendering styles are included
in a ColorSync profile, each tailored for a specific type of color output (see page 2-8).

See Chapter 4 for information on setting print option settings that affect printed color.

2-12 Color Management

2

Color management on Windows computers

The Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 operating systems include the Image Color
Matching (ICM) color management system.

• The AdobePS4 printer driver for Windows 95 (included in your RIP Station user
software) supports ICM features and all PostScript Level 2 and 3 printing features.

With Windows 95, you can instruct the Adobe PS4 driver to perform color
management using ICM. To do this, you select the “Use image color matching”
option in the Graphics tab of the printer’s Properties dialog box. (See your
Windows 95 documentation for more information.) With the proper ICM settings,
the printer driver performs color conversions and sends the resulting color data to
the RIP Station.

• The Microsoft PostScript Level 2 Printer Driver for Windows NT 4.0 does not
currently support all ICM features.

• The Windows 3.1x and Windows NT 3.51 operating systems do not support ICM.

• Some PostScript applications also provide independent color management features
that use ICM profiles (see the application notes).

Source color space profile

A default source color space is defined for every Windows computer monitor. The
RGB Source setting overrides this default source color space (see page 2-7). If you do
not want the monitor’s default source color space to be overridden, set the RGB Source
print option to Off.

The RGB Source setting does not override other source profile settings in cases where
you use the printer driver or your application’s color management system to perform
color conversions. For example, if you print with Windows 95 using Image Color
Matching (as described above), the printer driver performs the color conversion and
sends CMYK data to the RIP Station. In another example, if you assign an ICM
source profile to an RGB image placed in a document, the application performs the
conversion to CMYK and the assigned source profile is not overridden by the RGB
Source setting. (See the application notes for information on the color management
tools available with different applications.)

2-13 Optional ICC color management for advanced users

2

Target profiles

The target profile, or printer profile, contains information about the color space and
gamut of the target print device. If you use the “Use image color matching” option of
the Adobe driver for Window 95, you must install the printer profile that ICM will use
to perform its color conversions.

Some applications let you assign ICM target profiles to RGB images that you place in a
document (see the application notes). When you print the document, the application
performs color conversions on the placed images, using the profiles you specified, and
embeds the resulting color data in the document. Three rendering styles are included
in an ICM profile, each tailored for a specific type of color output (see page 2-8).

See Chapter 4 for information on print option settings that affect printed color.

3-1 Working with color

3

Chapter 3: Working with Color in Applications

This chapter provides guidelines for defining colors in your documents to produce the
results you want. The following topics are covered:

• Factors affecting how you work with color

• Choosing colors with QuickDraw and GDI applications, such as presentation
applications and word processing programs

• Choosing colors with PostScript applications, such as page layout programs,
illustration programs, and pixel-editing applications

Working with color

The two main factors that influence how you work with color in your documents are
the application you use and the final print device.

Applications vary in the methods they provide for choosing colors and in the way they
transmit color data to the print device.

• Office applications such as presentation software, spreadsheets, and word processing
programs use the RGB color model.

• PostScript applications such as illustration, pixel-editing, and page layout
applications use the CMYK color model.

The type of printing you plan for the document—short-run printing on the
RIP Station versus offset press printing—determines the way you define colors as well
as the print option settings you choose.

• For short-run printing on the RIP Station, use any type of application and define
colors in either RGB or CMYK. Choose the appropriate settings for print options
affecting color output (see Chapter 2).

• For offset printing jobs, use a PostScript application and define colors in CMYK.
Placed images should also be CMYK. Choose the appropriate settings for print
options affecting color output (see Chapter 2).

3-2 Working with Color in Applications

3

Color reference pages

Your RIP Station user software includes several types of color reference pages that let
you see the range of colors your print device can produce. You can be assured of
predictable color results if you use the color reference pages when defining the colors
you want to use in your document.

• RGB color reference pages—a Microsoft Word file and a Microsoft PowerPoint file
that let you view the colors available in the standard palettes of office applications
and see how those colors print on the RIP Station (see page 3-3).

• CMYK color reference pages—a downloadable PostScript file of CMYK color
patches in the range of colors your print device can print (see page 3-5).

• PANTONE color reference pages—text files that indicate the closest equivalents of
the PANTONE coated and uncoated colors your print device can print (see
page 3-6).

Office applications

PostScript printers such as the RIP Station must receive PostScript instructions to print
an image or a document. Many applications do not create these PostScript instructions
by themselves, and instead rely on the printer driver to create them. Included in this
category are most word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation packages. These
applications use Apple QuickDraw to display and print when running on Macintosh
computers; they use the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) to display and
print when running under Windows. We refer to these QuickDraw and GDI
applications as “office applications.”

All office applications handle color similarly, using the same RGB color model used for
the color monitor display. Most office applications allow you to choose colors from a
palette of preselected colors; some allow you to add new colors to the palette using a
color picker. Although some applications allow you to specify color using the CMY,
HSL, and HSV color models, these applications always send RGB color data to the
RIP Station. (An exception to this is a CMYK EPS file placed in the document, which
is sent as CMYK data.)

3-3 Office applications

3

When working with color in office applications, keep in mind that:

• The range of colors that can be displayed in RGB on your monitor is much larger
than the range of colors that can be printed on your print device (see page 2-2).
When you print the document, out-of-gamut RGB colors are mapped to colors your
print device can produce.

• These applications send only RGB data to the RIP Station. You control the
rendering intent of the color conversion with your selection of a CRD.

Each CRD uses a different color rendering style, and therefore has a different way of
mapping unprintable colors to your print device’s color gamut. RIP Station color
rendering styles are described on page 2-8.

Choosing colors in office applications

Two RGB color reference pages, a Microsoft Word file and a Microsoft PowerPoint file,
are provided with your RIP Station user software. Print these files using different
CRDs to see how the colors appear when printed to the RIP Station. For best results,
print the color reference page using the same media and CRD you plan to use for your
final document. Select the colors you want to use from the printed version of the RGB
color reference page and then use those colors in your document.

RGB Color Reference page (Microsoft PowerPoint)

3-4 Working with Color in Applications

3

PostScript applications

Most applications used for illustration, pixel editing, and page layout can create the
PostScript information they send to PostScript printers or save in PostScript files.
Illustrator, Photoshop, PageMaker, QuarkXPress, and FreeHand are all PostScript
applications.

PostScript applications work with color in many different ways. Most allow you to
choose process colors (by entering a percentage for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black),
as well as named colors from a custom color system such as PANTONE. When you
print composites, these applications send process-color equivalents for named spot
colors to color print devices. In some applications, you can also choose colors using
the RGB, HSB, HSL, or other color models.

Generally, PostScript applications send color information to the RIP Station in
CMYK. An exception to this is RGB images placed in the document which are sent
directly to the RIP Station (unless you specify special color management settings in
your application). In addition, some PostScript applications that allow you to define
colors in RGB or other color models can also send the data in those color spaces.

Color controls in PostScript applications are typically designed for printing on an
offset press, and some adjustments are required for printing to the RIP Station.
Displayed versions of colors you choose in these applications may not match
RIP Station output exactly, and named colors may not print accurately on the
RIP Station, since these colors typically require custom inks.

Choosing colors in PostScript applications

With PostScript applications, you can create colors using any of the color models
supported by the application. All PostScript applications support the CMYK model;
some also support the RGB model and other color models based on monitor display
values. PostScript applications also allow you to choose named colors using one or
more color libraries, such as PANTONE.

The important thing to remember when creating or choosing colors is that the
displayed versions of those colors may not match RIP Station output or the output of
identically defined colors from other color print devices. For this reason, you should

3-5 PostScript applications

3

use swatch color matching to ensure predictable color printing results with the
RIP Station or to match your RIP Station color output to colors produced by other
print devices.

Swatch color matching

Your RIP Station user software includes downloadable PostScript files of reference
pages for CMYK colors and text files indicating RGB values for PANTONE­equivalent colors. By choosing colors from these reference pages and specifying the
indicated values, you can be sure of obtaining the same color from your print device.

NOTE: Swatch color matching does not match monitor colors to printed colors. For this

you must use a color management system and calibrate your monitor to the color
output of your print device.

Using the CMYK color reference pages

The CMYK color reference pages, included with your RIP Station user software, let
you see how various cyan, magenta, yellow, and black combinations look when printed
on your print device. Using the CMYK color reference pages, you can easily determine
the CMYK values to specify to obtain the printed colors you want.

The CMYK color reference file is an 11-page letter-size PostScript file.

CMYK color reference page

3-6 Working with Color in Applications

3

To use the CMYK color reference pages, download the file using the Fiery
Downloader. The printed pages display groups of color patches in graduated
combinations of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and smaller patches that include 25, 50,
and 75% black. Refer to these pages to pick colors and specify process color values in
your application. (For the location of the CMYK color reference file, see the Setup
Guide. For instructions on using the Fiery Downloader, see the User Guide.)

NOTE: If you plan to later print your document on press, you may need to adjust the

process values to duplicate the colors from your RIP Station.

Using the PANTONE color reference pages

The PANTONE color reference pages, included with your RIP Station user software,
let you determine the nearest RGB values to match a given color in the printed
PANTONE Color libraries for coated and uncoated paper. One file provides values for
the PANTONE Coated colors; the other provides values for the PANTONE Uncoated
colors. These files are text-format files that can be opened and printed with any text­handling application.

To use the PANTONE reference pages, print the files with RGB Source set to Off and
Rendering Style set to Solid. (The CMYK Simulation setting is irrelevant.) The
printed pages display PANTONE numbers and the RGB values you use to create
them. Refer to these pages to specify the appropriate RGB percentages in your
application. (For the location of the PANTONE color reference files, see the Setup
Guide.)

You can supply these pages to all designers who specify PANTONE colors in their
applications. Designers can pick PANTONE colors from the book and then specify
the colors in their applications by manually entering the RGB values.

CMYK simulation

If you are using the RIP Station to print proofs for an offset press job or to simulate
another print device, choose the appropriate CMYK Simulation print option setting
and choose Solid Color as the Rendering Style print option setting (see “CMYK
Simulation” on page 2-9).

4-1 What a printer driver does

4

Chapter 4: Printer Drivers and Print Options

This chapter describes the role of the printer driver in your workflow and explains how
to use Macintosh and Windows printer drivers for RIP Station printing. It includes the
following topics:

• An explanation of what a PostScript Level 2 or 3 printer driver does

• Information on the capabilities of various printer drivers

• Instructions for setting color options with the Adobe PostScript printer drivers for
Macintosh, Windows 95, and Windows 3.1x

• Instructions for setting RIP Station print options with the Microsoft PostScript
Level 2 printer driver for Windows NT 4.0

What a printer driver does

To take full advantage of the features of the RIP Station, your print jobs must be sent
as PostScript Level 2 (or higher) files. Most applications cannot create this PostScript
data directly. It is the function of a printer driver to interpret the instructions generated
by the application and convert them into PostScript data.

A PostScript Level 2 or 3 printer driver also allows you to select print options specific
to your print device. To do this, the printer driver must be matched with a PostScript
printer description file (PPD) for your RIP Station. The PPD contains information
about the particular features supported by the RIP Station and the print device. When
you print a job, the printer driver lets you choose among features by specifying print
options.

A few PostScript applications (for example, PageMaker 6.5) can send PostScript
Level 2 data directly to the print device and present print options within the
application interface. Even these applications, however, require that you use a
PostScript Level 2 or greater printer driver.

4-2 Printer Drivers and Print Options

4

Your RIP Station user software includes Adobe printer drivers for Macintosh,
Windows 95, and Windows 3.1x computers. These are the recommended printer
drivers for printing to the RIP Station.

• For Windows NT 4.0 computers, you can use the Microsoft PostScript Level 2
printer driver included with Windows NT 4.0.

• For Windows NT 3.51, there is no PostScript Level 2 printer driver available. You
can print from Windows NT 3.51 using the Microsoft PostScript Level 1 printer
driver, but the driver does not let you specify print options. You can use only the
RIP Station default settings when you print from Windows NT 3.51.

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Macintosh

This section explains how to set color management print options with the
AdobePS 8.5.1 printer driver for Macintosh. AdobePS is a PostScript 3 driver that can
take full advantage of the color features of the RIP Station, and lets you save a set of
print option settings that you use often.

Before you proceed, make sure you have completed the following procedures:

• Install the AdobePS printer driver and the RIP Station PPD as described in the

Setup Guide.

• Select the RIP Station in the Chooser and match it with the RIP Station PPD.

NOTE: The following illustrations and instructions do not apply to all applications.

Some applications, such as PageMaker 6.5, handle color management settings
independently of the printer driver. For information on specific applications, see the
application notes.

Setting color management print options

You choose print options from the various panes of the AdobePS driver dialog box.

NOTE: The word “pane” is used to describe the different “pages” that appear in the

driver’s dialog box when you make selections from pull-down menus in the dialog box.
Each pane presents a particular set of print options.

To access the initial AdobePS dialog box, choose Print from your application’s File
menu.

4-3 Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Macintosh

4

The AdobePS driver offers you the following three Color Matching options.

• PostScript Color Matching—This option is intended for use with PostScript Level 2
(or higher) printers such as the RIP Station. It provides for color conversion on the
RIP Station using a color rendering dictionary resident on the printer (i.e., a
RIP Station CRD) or a color rendering dictionary that is downloaded with the print
job. Typically you should use this option for printing to the RIP Station.

• ColorSync Color Matching—This option provides for color conversion on the
computer using a color rendering dictionary generated by ColorSync from an ICC
profile. This option can be used with PostScript Level 2 printers such as the
RIP Station, but is intended for use with PostScript Level 1 printers, or in cases
where the computer’s processing capability exceeds that of the printer, or for use
with customized ICC profiles. If you use this option, be sure to specify your custom
ICC profile or the RIP Station ICC profile as the Printer Profile.

• Color/Grayscale—This option maps color data to grayscale shades for monochrome
printers and provides a generic color conversion for color print devices.

Setting RIP Station color management options

In the AdobePS Print dialog box, choose Color Matching from the pull-down menu.

4

Choose PostScript Color
Matching

Choose Printer’s Default

4-4 Printer Drivers and Print Options

In the Color Matching pane, choose PostScript Color Matching as the Print Color
setting and choose Printer’s Default as the Printer Profile setting.

NOTE: The Printer Profile setting must be Printer’s Default. If you choose a named

printer profile from this menu, it overrides any Rendering Style setting you choose.

In the Printer Specific Options pane, choose settings for the print options described in
Chapter 2.

If these settings are ones you use regularly, click Save Settings to preserve them for
subsequent jobs.

4-5 Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 95

4

The AdobePS driver writes a PostScript file containing the instructions generated by
your application and the RIP Station print options you selected. The driver sends the
PostScript file to the RIP Station. The RIP Station performs PostScript processing and
color conversions according to the settings you chose and sends rasterized color data to
the print device.

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 95

This section explains how to set RIP Station color print options with the Adobe
PostScript Printer Driver version 4.2.x for Windows 95.

Before you proceed, make sure you have completed the following procedures described
in the Setup Guide:

• Install the Adobe PostScript Printer Driver version 4.2.x and RIP Station PPD.

• Set up the RIP Station for printing.

Setting color management print options

The printer driver options described in this section can be set from the Windows
Control Panel or from the Print Setup or Page Setup dialog boxes of most applications.
It is recommended that you set these options initially from the Windows Control
Panel as described in this section. This provides you with a default configuration that is
appropriate for most RIP Station print jobs. You can choose different settings for
individual jobs from the applications you use.

To set default print options, open the Printers Control Panel, right-click the
RIP Station, and select Properties. For more information on how to access the dialog
boxes shown in this section, see the User Guide.

NOTE: The following illustrations and instructions do not apply to all applications.

Some applications, such as PageMaker 6.5, handle color management settings
independently of the printer driver. For information on specific applications, see the
application notes.

4-6 Printer Drivers and Print Options

4

In the Fiery Options tab (or the Device Options tab), choose settings for the print
options described in Chapter 2.

The printer driver writes a PostScript file containing the instructions generated by your
application and the RIP Station print options you selected. The driver sends the
PostScript file to the RIP Station. The RIP Station performs PostScript processing and
color conversions according to the settings you chose and sends raster color data to the
print device.

4-7 Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 3.1x

4

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver for Windows 3.1x

This section explains how to set RIP Station color print options with the Adobe
PostScript Printer Driver version 3.01 for Windows 3.1x.

Before using the instructions in this section, make sure you have installed the printer
driver and RIP Station PPD and set up the RIP Station for printing, as described in
the Setup Guide.

Setting color management print options

The printer driver options described in this section can be set from the Windows
Control Panel or from the Print Setup or Page Setup dialog boxes of most applications.
It is recommended that you set these options initially from the Windows Control
Panel as described in this section. This provides you with a default configuration that is
appropriate for most RIP Station print jobs. You can choose different settings for
individual jobs from the applications you use.

To set default print options, open the Printers Control Panel and select the RIP Station
in the Installed Printers box. For more information on how to access the dialog boxes
shown in this section, see the User Guide.

In the Features tab, choose settings for the print options described in Chapter 2.

4-8 Printer Drivers and Print Options

4

Microsoft PostScript Printer Driver for Windows NT 4.0

The printer driver options described in this section can be set from the Windows
Control Panel or from the Print Setup or Page Setup dialog boxes of most applications.
It is recommended that you set these options initially from the Windows Control
Panel as described in this section. This provides you with a default configuration that is
appropriate for most RIP Station print jobs. You can choose different settings for
individual jobs from the applications you use.

To set default print options, open the Printers Control Panel, right-click the
RIP Station, and select Document Defaults. For more information on how to access
the dialog boxes shown in this section, see the User Guide.

NOTE: The following illustrations and instructions do not apply to all applications.

Some applications, such as PageMaker 6.5, handle color management settings
independently of the printer driver. For information on specific applications, see the
application notes.

From the Advanced tab of the Document Properties dialog box, choose settings for the
print options described in Chapter 2.

5-1 Before you begin

5

Chapter 5: Adobe Photoshop 4.0

This chapter covers features of Photoshop version 4.0 for Macintosh and Windows.
The illustrations show only Macintosh dialog boxes, but the information and
instructions apply equally to the Windows version of Photoshop. Most of the
information presented in this chapter also applies to previous versions of Photoshop.

Before you begin

A special feature of Photoshop allows you to save RGB EPS (PostScript) images that
include independent source color space information. This feature is sometimes referred
to as “PostScript Level 2 tagging” or “RGB tagging.”

You define the source color space to apply to RGB EPS images by specifying a Monitor
Setup in Photoshop. This Photoshop-specific source color space definition is
overridden by the RGB Source print option setting unless you set RGB Source to
Off (see page 2-7).

If you are using a Windows version of Photoshop or Photoshop 2.5 for Macintosh, use
the instructions below to ensure proper functioning of the RGB tagging feature.

With Windows versions of Photoshop

If you use any Windows version of Photoshop, you must edit the Photoshop
configuration settings file in order to enable PostScript Level 2 tagging for RGB
EPS files.

In the Photoshop\Prefs folder, open the Photos40.ini (Photoshop 4.0) or Photos30.ini
(Photoshop 3.0) file and append the following line to it:

DISABLERGBTAGS=1

Save the file; the change takes effect the next time you start Photoshop.

5-2 Adobe Photoshop 4.0

5

With Photoshop 2.5 for Macintosh

If you use Photoshop version 2.5 for Macintosh, make sure the plug-in called “Don't
Tag RGB PostScript®” is not placed in the Photoshop Plug-ins folder. Otherwise
PostScript Level 2 tagging does not occur for RGB EPS files.

If you remove the plug-in, the change takes effect the next time you start Photoshop.

Defining colors

You can choose colors in Photoshop with various color models including HSB, Lab,
RGB, and CMYK. For best results, use the color definition methods described in
Chapter 3.

Saving files for importing into other documents

Before saving an RGB EPS file, check the Photoshop Monitor Setup. This setting
defines the RGB source color space information that will be included in the RGB EPS
image (see page 5-1). You can override this source color space with the RGB Source
setting (see page 2-7).

Choose Photoshop EPS or TIFF

Before saving any file, perform any rotating, cropping, and resizing needed. This
speeds processing when printing from the application in which the image is placed.

It is recommended that you use the EPS or TIFF file formats to save RGB images that
will be imported into other documents and printed to the RIP Station. EPS and TIFF
files can be imported into virtually all page layout applications.

5-3 Selecting options when printing

5

In the EPS Format dialog box, choose binary encoding and do not include transfer
functions or halftone screens. A TIFF preview is compatible with both Macintosh and
Windows computers.

If you experience problems printing the document in which you place the image,
substitute an ASCII-encoded version of the same image, and print the document
again. Binary encoding is much more compact than ASCII encoding, but occasionally
causes printing problems with some system configurations.

NOTE: If you choose to try JPEG encoding, keep a backup of the original image saved

with binary encoding until you have seen the printed results of the JPEG-encoded file.
The compression used for JPEG encoding may produce unwanted artifacts in the file.
If you see unexpected results in the printed output of a JPEG-encoded file, use a
binary-encoded version instead.

Selecting options when printing

You can print RGB or CMYK images from Photoshop.

• When you print RGB images, you can choose whether a color conversion is
performed by the RIP Station using a CRD or by Photoshop using Photoshop’s
separation settings.

• When you print CMYK images, you can print composites or color separations.

5

Click to print using a
RIP Station CRD

Click to print using Photoshop’s
separation settings

5-4 Adobe Photoshop 4.0

Printing RGB images

Use the following instructions to print RGB images.

Choose whether to print in RGB or CMYK. (With the AdobePS 8.5.1 printer driver
for Macintosh, these options appear in the Adobe Photoshop pane of the Print dialog
box.)

If you select “Print in RGB,” Photoshop sends RGB data to the RIP Station and a
CRD is used to perform color conversion. Choose the appropriate print option
settings for RGB data (see Chapter 2 and Chapter 4).

If you select “Print in CMYK,” Photoshop performs a color conversion and sends
CMYK data to the RIP Station.

• If Photoshop is configured for separating to an offset press standard, apply the
corresponding CMYK Simulation setting. For example, if Photoshop is configured
for separating to SWOP, choose SWOP-Coated as the CMYK setting. If you apply a
CMYK Simulation setting (other than None) to the job, choose Solid Color for the
Rendering Style setting (see page 2-9).

• If Photoshop is configured for a custom separation (not a press standard), choose
None as the CMYK Simulation setting.

5-5 Selecting options when printing

5

For fastest print times, select JPEG encoding. You should, however, check the printed
output carefully for unwanted artifacts that can appear as a result of JPEG
compression. If you see unexpected results in the printed output when printing with
JPEG encoding, print the job again using Binary encoding.

Choose any other print options you want to use (see Chapter 4).

Printing CMYK images

Use the following instructions to print CMYK images.

Choose an encoding method. (With the AdobePS 8.5.1 printer driver for Macintosh,
these options appear in the Adobe Photoshop pane of the Print dialog box.) For fastest
print times, select JPEG encoding. You should, however, check the printed output
carefully for unwanted artifacts that can appear as a result of JPEG compression. If you
see unexpected results in the printed output when printing with JPEG encoding, print
the job again using Binary encoding.

Choose any other print options you want to use (see Chapter 4).

• If the image was separated for an offset press standard, apply the corresponding
CMYK Simulation setting. For example, if the image is separated for SWOP, choose
SWOP-Coated as the CMYK Simulation setting. If you apply a CMYK Simulation
setting (other than None) to the job, choose Solid Color for the Rendering Style
setting (see page 2-9).

• If the image was separated using a custom separation (not a press standard), choose
None as the CMYK Simulation setting.

6-1 Working with page layout applications

6

Chapter 6: Page Layout Applications

This chapter provides instructions for printing color documents from Adobe
PageMaker 6.5 and QuarkXPress 3.32.

Before printing from these applications, make sure the appropriate printer driver and
the RIP Station PPD are installed on your computer as described in the Setup Guide.

Working with page layout applications

The following sections apply to all page layout applications.

Defining colors

Page layout applications generally use the CMYK color model. Some allow you to
define colors with other color models and may be able to send that data to the
RIP Station in those other color models. For predictable results with CMYK colors,
use the CMYK Color Reference pages when defining colors in page layout
applications. See “Choosing colors in PostScript applications” on page 3-4.

Importing images

EPS and TIFF are the recommended formats for images imported into page layout
documents. Support for importing other file formats may be provided by individual
applications.

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by the RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. The RIP Station color management system applies the
specified RGB Source setting to all RGB data and then uses the specified Rendering
Style (CRD) to perform a color conversion. An exception to this occurs if you assign
ICC profiles to RGB images using the application’s color management tools (see “Tips
for advanced users”). In this case, the application performs the color conversion of the
image and sends CMYK data to the RIP Station.

If you apply any CMYK Simulation setting other than None to the job, CMYK data is
also affected by the specified Rendering Style setting.

6-2 Page Layout Applications

6

Tips for advanced users

If you place multiple RGB images, some non-photographic and some photographic, a
single CRD may not be suitable for all the images. In this case you may want the
photographic images to bypass the CRD altogether. To accomplish this, separate the
image to CMYK data with a pixel-editing application such as Photoshop and perform
color correction on it. Then save it as an EPS or TIFF file and import it into the
document. When specifying print option settings, set the CMYK Simulation option to
None so that the Rendering Style setting will not be applied to CMYK data (see
“CMYK Simulation” on page 2-9).

Alternatively, you can save the RGB image in TIFF format and assign it an ICC profile
and rendering intent when you import it into the document, if your application
supports this feature.

CMYK simulation

You can specify a press simulation target for the job with a print option (see page 2-9).
The CMYK Simulation setting affects all CMYK color data sent by
the page layout application.

• If the document contains CMYK images that were separated for an offset press
standard, apply the corresponding CMYK Simulation setting. For example, for
images separated for SWOP, choose SWOP-Coated as the CMYK Simulation
setting. If you apply a CMYK Simulation setting (other than None) to the job,
choose Solid Color for the Rendering Style setting (see page 2-9).

• If the document contains CMYK images that were separated for a custom separation
(not a press standard), choose None as the CMYK Simulation setting.

6-3 Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh and Windows

6

Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh and Windows

The Windows and Macintosh versions of PageMaker 6.5 are essentially identical. The
illustrations in this section show only the Windows version, with the exception of
instances where differences exist between the two versions.

PostScript Level 2 interface

PostScript Level 2 features, including color management, are incorporated into the
PageMaker 6.5 application interface. When you print from PageMaker 6.5, you specify
print options and color settings using PageMaker print dialog boxes, not the printer
driver dialog boxes described in Chapter 4. However, you must use a PostScript Level 2
(or higher) printer driver to access RIP Station print options when printing from
PageMaker.

Windows version requirement

For the Windows version of PageMaker 6.5, make sure a copy of the RIP Station PPD
file is in both of the following folders:

• PM65\RSRC\USENGLSH\PPD4

• Windows\System

Importing images

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. For best results with placed images, use the instructions in
“Importing images” on page 6-1 and “CMYK simulation” on page 6-2.

Advanced users can use PageMaker’s color management tools for added flexibility with
placed RGB images (see “Assigning ICC profiles to RGB images” on page 6-5).

6

RIP Station name appears here

Choose the RIP Station PPD

6-4 Page Layout Applications

Selecting options when printing

All print settings are specified from the various Print dialog boxes in PageMaker 6.5.
The printer driver interface described in Chapter 4 is not used.

Click Options

In the Print Document dialog box, select the RIP Station PPD from the PPD menu.

Choose Normal

Click Features

In the Print Options dialog box, choose Normal (not the Optimized Subsampling
default) from the Send image data menu. This setting ensures that TIFF images print
at their full resolution.

6-5 Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh and Windows

6

If your document contains RGB placed images or colors defined in RGB that will not
be separated to process colors, choose RGB Source and Rendering Style settings in the
Print Features dialog box. Choose any other RIP Station print options you wish.

When you click Print from any of the PageMaker 6.5 dialog boxes the job is sent to the
RIP Station. You do not see the printer driver dialog boxes described in Chapter 4.

Assigning ICC profiles to RGB images

When you place a non-EPS RGB image (such as a TIFF, JPEG, or GIF image), you
can specify an ICC target profile and a rendering intent for the image. You can assign a
unique rendering intent to each image you import.

When you use this feature, PageMaker controls the color conversion of the RGB
images (using the specified ICC profiles) and sends CMYK data to the RIP Station.
The CMYK data produced by these conversions is not separated for offset press
standards; therefore you should set the CMYK Simulation print option to None (see
“CMYK Simulation” on page 2-9). The RGB Source and Rendering Style settings have
no effect on these images (unless you specify a CMYK Simulation setting other than
None).

6-6 Page Layout Applications

6

After selecting an image to import with the Place command, the CMS Source button
becomes active in the Place dialog box.

Click to select an ICC profile

Choose Kodak ICC

Choose a source profile

Choose a rendering intent

Click CMS Source and choose settings in the CMS Source Profile dialog box.

Windows

6

Choose ColorSync
Choose a source profile
Choose a rendering intent

6-7 Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh and Windows

Macintosh

With the Macintosh version of PageMaker, choose ColorSync from the This Item Uses
menu; with the Windows version, choose Kodak ICC.

The rendering intents correspond to RIP Station CRDs as follows:

• Default—uses the profile’s rendering intent

• Image—similar to the Photographic CRD

• Graphics—similar to the Presentation CRD

• Colorimetric—similar to the Solid Color CRD

This dialog box can also be accessed by selecting the image and choosing Image > CMS
Source from the Element menu.

6-8 Page Layout Applications

C

6

QuarkXPress 3.32 for Macintosh and Windows

Before starting QuarkXPress, make sure the EfiColor XTension is not loaded in the
XTensions folder. EFICOLOR profiles are not currently provided with RIP Station
products. Without the correct EFICOLOR profile, the EfiColor XTension does not
perform color conversions on placed images.

Windows version requirement

For the Windows version of QuarkXPress, make sure a copy of the RIP Station PPD
file is in the \XPRESS\PDF folder.

Importing images

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. For best results with placed images, use the instructions in
“Importing images” on page 6-1 and “CMYK simulation” on page 6-2.

Selecting options when printing

You must select the RIP Station PPD from the Printer Type menu in the Page Setup
(Macintosh) or Printer Setup (Windows) dialog box.

Macintosh

Choose the RIP Station PPD

Choose an output paper size

hoose Binary

6

Choose the RIP Station PPD

Choose Binary

6-9 QuarkXPress 3.32 for Macintosh and Windows

Windows

Choose an output

paper size

If your document contains RGB placed images or colors defined in RGB that will not
be separated to process colors, choose RGB Source and Rendering Style settings.
Choose any other RIP Station print options you wish.

For instructions on setting print options, see Chapter 4.

7-1 Working with illustration applications

7

Chapter 7: Illustration Applications

This chapter provides instructions for using Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and
Windows, FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows, and CorelDRAW 7.0 for
Windows.

Before printing from these applications, make sure the appropriate PostScript printer
driver and the RIP Station PPD are installed on your computer as described in the
Setup Guide.

Working with illustration applications

You can print directly from an illustration application or use it to create and save files
that will be imported into a page layout document. To print from an illustration
application, use the printer driver and the print settings recommended in Chapter 4.

These application notes provide instructions for printing composites only. For
instructions on printing color separations, refer to the documentation for your
application.

As a general rule, use the EPS file format when saving files with an illustration
application.

Defining colors

All illustration applications use the CMYK color model. While some also allow you to
define colors using other color models, they all send CMYK data to the RIP Station.
For predictable results with CMYK colors, use the CMYK Color Reference pages when
defining colors (see “Choosing colors in PostScript applications” on page 3-4).

7-2 Illustration Applications

7

Importing images

In general, all images placed into illustration application documents should be in EPS
format.

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by the RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. The RIP Station color management system applies the
specified RGB Source setting to all RGB data and then uses the specified Rendering
Style (CRD) to perform a color conversion. An exception to this occurs if you assign
ICC profiles to RGB images using the application’s color management tools (see “Tips
for advanced users”). In this case, the application performs the color conversion of the
image and sends CMYK data to the RIP Station.

If you apply any CMYK Simulation setting other than None to the job, CMYK data is
also affected by the specified Rendering Style setting (see “RIP Station color
management” on page 2-5).

Tips for advanced users

If you place multiple RGB images, some non-photographic and some photographic, a
single CRD may not be suitable for all the images. In this case you may want the
photographic images to bypass the CRD altogether. To accomplish this, separate the
image to CMYK data with a pixel-editing application such as Photoshop and perform
color correction on it. Then save it as an EPS or TIFF file and import it into the
document. When specifying print option settings, set the CMYK Simulation option to
None so that the Rendering Style setting will not be applied to CMYK data (see
“CMYK Simulation” on page 2-9).

Alternatively, you can save the RGB image in TIFF format and assign it an ICC profile
and rendering intent when you import it into the document (see the individual
application notes in this chapter).

7-3 Adobe Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

7

CMYK simulation

You can specify a press simulation target for the job with a print option (see page 2-9).
The CMYK Simulation setting affects all CMYK color data sent by the illustration
application.

• If the document contains CMYK images that were separated for an offset press
standard, apply the corresponding CMYK Simulation setting. For example, for
images separated for SWOP, choose SWOP-Coated as the CMYK Simulation
setting. If you apply a CMYK Simulation setting (other than None) to the job,
choose Solid Color for the Rendering Style setting (see page 2-9).

• If the document contains CMYK images that were separated for a custom separation
(not a press standard), choose None as the CMYK Simulation setting.

Adobe Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

The Windows and Macintosh versions of Illustrator 7.0 are essentially identical. The
illustrations in this section show only the Windows version, with the exception of
instances where differences exist between the two versions.

Defining colors

Any colors defined in Illustrator are sent to the printer in CMYK—even those defined
using other color models. For best results, use the color definition methods described
on “Choosing colors in PostScript applications” on page 3-4.

Color Settings

You can control the conversion of RGB colors defined in Illustrator by specifying
settings in the Color Settings dialog box.

With Macintosh computers, you can specify the EFIRGB ICC profile as the Monitor
profile. This defines the same source color space for RGB data defined in Illustrator as
is defined by the RIP Station RGB Source setting of EFIRGB (see Chapter 2).

7

C

C

C

Choose an ICC profile

Choose a printer profile

Choose a rendering intent
For placed RGB TIFF images

7-4 Illustration Applications

If the “Use ICC profiles with TIFF” option is checked, you can specify an ICC profile
and a rendering intent for each RGB TIFF image you place in the document (see “For
advanced users: Using Illustrator color management” on page 7-7).

Macintosh

Windows

hoose an ICC profile

hoose a printer profile

hoose a rendering intent

For placed RGB TIFF images

7-5 Adobe Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

7

Importing images

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. For best results with placed images, use the instructions in
“Importing images” on page 7-2 and “CMYK simulation” on page 7-3.

Advanced users can use Illustrator’s color management tools for added flexibility with
placed RGB images (see page 7-2 and page 7-7).

Selecting options when printing

Choose Composite output and PostScript Level 2.

Macintosh

Choose Composite

Choose PostScript

Level 2

7

Choose Composite

Choose PostScript Level 2

7-6 Illustration Applications

Windows

If your document contains placed RGB images, choose RGB Source and Rendering
Style settings. With the exception of placed RGB images, these settings have no effect
on colors printed with Illustrator 7.0 (unless you specify a CMYK Simulation setting
other than None).

The PostScript Color Matching setting (made from the Macintosh printer driver) has
no effect on colors printed from Illustrator 7.0. The effect of CRDs on placed RGB
images is independent of this setting.

For instructions on setting print options, see Chapter 4.

Saving files for importing into other documents

When saving files in Illustrator 7.0 for importing into other types of documents, use
the EPS file format.

Illustrator saves all color information in CMYK, so RGB Source and Rendering Style
settings have no effect on color output of artwork saved with Illustrator and imported
into other kinds of documents. (An exception occurs if you apply a CMYK Simulation
setting other than None to the CMYK data; see “RIP Station color management” on

7

Choose an ICC profile

Choose a rendering intent

7-7 Adobe Illustrator 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

page 2-5.) In the case of Illustrator files imported into Photoshop, however, vector data
from the Illustrator file is rasterized into bitmaps in Photoshop, and the final color
space of the bitmap data is determined by the color mode you set in Photoshop.

For advanced users: Using Illustrator color management

When you place an RGB TIFF image, you can specify an ICC profile and a rendering
intent for the image. You can assign a unique rendering intent to each image you
import. To use this feature, make sure the “Use ICC profiles with TIFF” option is
checked in the Color Settings dialog box (see page 7-3).

Macintosh

Choose an ICC profile
Choose a rendering intent

Windows

The rendering intents correspond to RIP Station CRDs as follows:

• Default—uses the profile’s rendering intent.

• Image—similar to the Photographic CRD

• Graphics—similar to the Presentation CRD

• Colorimetric—similar to the Solid Color CRD

7-8 Illustration Applications

7

For more information on Illustrator’s color management features, see your Illustrator
documentation.

Macromedia FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

The information in this section applies to both the Macintosh and Windows versions
of FreeHand 7.0. Only Macintosh-version dialog boxes are shown, but the
information and instructions are identical for the Windows version of FreeHand.

Defining colors

Any colors defined in FreeHand are sent to the printer in CMYK—even those defined
using other color models. For best results, use the color definition methods described
on “Choosing colors in PostScript applications” on page 3-4.

You can control the conversion of RGB colors defined in FreeHand by specifying
settings in the Color Management Preferences dialog box (see page 7-11).

Importing images

A number of file types can be imported into FreeHand 7.0 but, once imported, all are
treated as either an EPS image, a TIFF image, or editable paths. For details, see your
FreeHand documentation.

When you place an EPS image into a FreeHand document, the image is imported as a
unit, with a reference link to the original file; the contents of the image are not
affected. If the image is a CMYK EPS file, the colors are printed just as from the
application in which they were saved.

NOTE: Before placing a CMYK EPS file, be sure the file was saved with Desktop Color

Separation (DCS) set to off. If the file was saved with DCS on, FreeHand prints
composites of the image at the low resolution used for screen viewing.

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. For best results with placed images, use the instructions in
“Importing images” on page 7-2 and “CMYK simulation” on page 7-3.

Advanced users can use FreeHand’s color management tools for added flexibility with
RGB images and colors (see page 7-2 and page 7-11).

7-9 Macromedia FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

p

7

Selecting options when printing

Refer to the following illustrations to choose options when printing.

Choose Normal

Click to select a PPD

PPD name shown here

Click to access FreeHand

Print Setu

In the Print dialog box, make sure the Use PPD option is turned on. For Print setting,
select Normal. If the Use PPD option is on, a plus sign (+) appears in front of the word
“Normal”. If the PPD name for your RIP Station is not displayed next to the PPD
selection button, click the button marked “…” and select the appropriate PPD.

7-10 Illustration Applications

7

To use RIP Station color management features, turn off the “Convert RGB to process”
checkbox in the Imaging tab of the FreeHand Print Setup dialog box. If this option is
turned on, FreeHand’s color management settings are used to convert RGB colors and
images to CMYK (see page 7-11).

Imaging

property sheet

of the

FreeHand Print

Setup dialog

box

Turn off to

use RIP Station

color

management

If your document contains placed RGB images, choose RGB Source and Rendering
Style settings. With the exception of placed RGB images, these settings have no effect
on colors printed with FreeHand (unless you specify a CMYK Simulation setting other
than None).

Refer to your FreeHand documentation for information about other FreeHand print
options.

Saving files for importing into other documents

When saving files in FreeHand 7.0 for importing into other types of documents, use
the EPS file format.

FreeHand saves all color information in CMYK, so RGB Source and Rendering Style
settings have no effect on color output of artwork saved with FreeHand and imported
into other kinds of documents. An exception occurs if you apply a CMYK Simulation

7

Turn on to use FreeHand’s
color management

7-11 Macromedia FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and Windows

setting other than None; see “RIP Station color management” on page 2-5. In the case
of FreeHand files imported into Photoshop, however, vector data from the FreeHand
file is rasterized into bitmaps in Photoshop, and the final color space of the bitmap data
is determined by the color mode you set in Photoshop.

For advanced users: Using FreeHand color management

For colors defined in RGB and RGB images, you can activate FreeHand color
management and make selections in the Color Management Preferences dialog box.

Select ICC profiles

Turn on the Color management checkbox and choose ICC profiles from the four
menus. Refer to your FreeHand 7.0 documentation for instructions on setting the
options in this dialog box. These settings affect only RGB images and colors defined in
RGB—they have no effect on RGB EPS images.

With Macintosh computers, you can specify the EFIRGB ICC profile as the Monitor
profile. This defines the same source color space for RGB data defined in FreeHand as
is defined by the RIP Station RGB Source setting of EFIRGB (see Chapter 2).

7-12 Illustration Applications

7

In the Imaging property sheet of the FreeHand Print Setup dialog box, turn on the
“Convert RGB to process” option. This setting has no effect on RGB EPS images.

Imaging

property sheet

of the

FreeHand Print

Setup dialog

box

Turn on to use

FreeHand’s

color

management

For more information on FreeHand’s color management features, see your FreeHand
documentation.

CorelDRAW 7.0 for Windows

Defining colors

Any colors defined in CorelDRAW are sent to the printer in CMYK—even those
defined using other color models. For best results, use the color definition methods
described in “Choosing colors in PostScript applications” on page 3-4.

You can control the conversion of RGB colors defined in CorelDRAW by specifying
settings with the Color Manager (see page 7-14).

Importing images

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings. For best results with placed images, use the instructions in
“Importing images” on page 7-2 and “CMYK simulation” on page 7-3.

7-13 CorelDRAW 7.0 for Windows

7

Advanced users can use CorelDRAW’s color management tools for added flexibility
with placed RGB images (see page 7-2 and page 7-14).

Selecting options when printing

In the Print dialog box, make sure the correct printer and PPD are selected.

To use RIP Station color management, make sure the “Use color profile” option is not
turned on. If this option is turned on, CorelDRAW’s color management settings are
used to convert RGB colors and images to CMYK (see page 7-14).

Click Properties to specify RIP Station print options.

Printer name appears here

Printer driver/PPD name
appears here

Turn off to use RIP Station
color management

Click to access RIP Station

print options

If your document contains placed RGB images, choose RGB Source and Rendering
Style settings. With the exception of placed RGB images, these settings have no effect
on colors printed with CorelDRAW (unless you specify a CMYK Simulation setting
other than None).

7-14 Illustration Applications

e

7

Saving files for importing into other documents

When saving files in CorelDRAW for importing into other types of documents, use
the EPS file format.

CorelDRAW saves all color information in CMYK, so CRDs have no effect on color
output of artwork saved with CorelDRAW and imported into other kinds of
documents. In the case of CorelDRAW files imported into Photoshop, however, vector
data from the CorelDRAW file is rasterized into bitmaps in Photoshop, and the final
color space of the bitmap data is determined by the color mode you set in Photoshop.

For advanced users: Using CorelDRAW color management

If the document contains RGB images or colors defined in RGB, you can use the
CorelDRAW Color Manager to specify ICC profiles.

Choose a source profile

Choose a printer profil

In the Color Manager dialog box, select ICC profiles from the four menus. Refer to
your CorelDRAW 7.0 documentation for instructions on setting the options in this
dialog box. These settings affect only RGB images and colors defined in RGB—they
have no effect on RGB EPS images.

7

Turn on to use CorelDRAW’s
color management

7-15 CorelDRAW 7.0 for Windows

In the Print dialog box, turn on the “Use color profile” option. The printer profile you
selected appears to the right of this checkbox.

8-1 Working with office applications

8

Chapter 8:
Office
Applications

This chapter provides instructions for printing color documents from QuickDraw and
GDI applications such as presentation, spreadsheet, and word processing applications.
You can use these instructions with the Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Office 95
suite of applications and Persuasion v3.0.

Working with office applications

Before printing from these applications, make sure the appropriate printer driver and
the RIP Station PPD are installed on your computer as described in the Startup Guide.
The RIP Station color management system provides complete color management for
jobs printed from office applications.

Defining colors

Office applications use the RGB color model. For instructions on defining colors, see
“Choosing colors in office applications” on page 3-3.

Working with imported files

Use EPS format files for all raster images you import into office applications. They
print at their full resolution on the RIP Station (not at the low resolution used for the
screen preview).

Although your application may allow you to import a variety of file formats, EPS
format files are recommended for all raster images you want to import; some
applications have printing problems when using file formats such as TIFF and PICT.

All RGB images placed in your document are affected by your RGB Source and
Rendering Style settings.

8-2 Office Applications

8

Tip for advanced users

If you place multiple RGB images, some non-photographic and some photographic, a
single CRD may not be suitable for all the images. In this case you may want the
photographic images to bypass the CRD altogether. To accomplish this, separate the
image to CMYK data with a pixel-editing application such as Photoshop and perform
color correction on it. Then save it as an EPS file and import it into the document.
When specifying print option settings, set the CMYK Simulation option to None so
that the Rendering Style setting will not be applied to CMYK data (see “CMYK
Simulation” on page 2-9).

Selecting options when printing

There are few differences between office applications with regard to RIP Station
printing. The instructions in this chapter apply to all office applications. Use the
instructions in Chapters 2 and 4 to specify print options and color management
settings. To specify these options, you must use a PostScript Level 2 (or higher) printer
driver, such as the Adobe PostScript Printer Driver.

Because these applications send RGB data to the RIP Station, your choices of
RGB Source and Rendering Style settings are important. Be sure to specify the
appropriate CRD for the color effect you want (see “Rendering styles” on page 2-8).

Microsoft Office 97

Before printing from Microsoft Office 97, make sure the RIP Station ICM profile is
not installed in the Windows\System\Color folder. If the ICM profile is installed,
JPEG, BMP, and TIFF images print incorrectly from Microsoft Office 97.

Browse to the Windows\System\Color folder and locate the RIP Station ICM profile.
If the icon is white, the profile is installed; if it is gray, it is not installed. If the profile is
installed, select the profile and choose the right-mouse Uninstall command.

8-3 Microsoft Office 97

8

When the ICM file is not installed, color control options do not appear in the Graphics
tab of the Printer Properties dialog box, as shown below.

Glossary

additive color model

A system in which colors are produced
by combining red, green, and blue light
(the additive primaries). An RGB video
monitor is based on an additive color
model.

additive primaries

Red, green, and blue light that is used in
additive color systems. When added
together in proper amounts, these colors
of light produce white.

banding

Visible steps between shades in a color
gradient.

bit depth

Amount of information used for each
pixel in a raster image. Black and white
images require only one bit per pixel.
Grayscale images with 256 shades of gray
require eight bits per pixel. Photographic
quality color images can require 24 bits
per pixel (RGB images) or 32 bits per
pixel (CMYK images).

bitmap

An image comprised of small squares
arranged in a grid. Each square in the
grid is a pixel. The number of pixels per
inch defines the resolution of a bitmap.

blasting

An undesirable effect that occurs when
excess amounts of toner, combined with
certain types of paper stock, cause an
image to spread beyond its boundaries as
defined in the file.

calibration

The process of ensuring that a device
behaves consistently with respect to a set
of specifications.

color gamut

See gamut.

color management system (CMS)

Software used to match color across
different input, display, and output
devices.

color rendering

A feature of color management software
and PostScript Level 2 color printers that
allows you to maintain the best possible
translation of color from one color
device to another. A color rendering
dictionary (CRD) is used by the color
management system or the printer’s
PostScript interpreter when converting
data between color spaces. The
RIP Station includes several CRDs,
including Solid Color, Photographic,
and Presentation, each of which provides
a different color rendering style.

CRD (Color Rendering Dictionary)

See “color rendering”

color separation

The process of separating a color image
into the primary color components for
printing—cyan, magenta, yellow, and
black. Also used to refer to the four
sheets of film that result from the process
of separating a color image.

G-2 Glossary

color space

A model for representing color in terms
of measurable values, such as the amount
of red, green, and blue in an image. RGB
and CMYK color spaces are based on
color devices—monitors and printers
respectively. Other color spaces, such as
CIELAB are based on mathematical
models and are device-independent.
They are not based on the color response
of a particular device.

colorant

An ink, die, toner, paint or other
pigment that modifies the color of media
to which it is applied.

composite printer

Any printer that can print directly in
color without first creating color
separations. A composite print can be
used as an early proof of an offset print
job.

continuous tone (contone)

A characteristic of printing in which dots
(in some cases very elongated dots or
lines) of different sizes are printed; can
represent several intermediate gray tones
between highlight and shadow.

continuous tone (contone) image

An image containing fine gradations of
tones, such as a photographic image.

custom color system

A system of named color swatches that
can be matched on press using process or
spot colors. PANTONE and TruMatch
are examples of custom color systems.

density

A precise measurement of the light
energy transmitted or reflected by a
surface in the presence of a standard
light source.

DIC

A Japanese standard of specifications for
separations, proofs, and color printing.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS or EPSF)

A PostScript file format expressly
designed to be embedded in another
PostScript stream.

Euroscale

A European standard of specifications
for separations, proofs, and color
printing.

flexography

A printing technology that uses flexible
raised-image plates. Flexography can be
used to print on non-flat materials such
as cans.

four-color printer

A printing device that uses cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black ink or toner.

gamma

A numeric value representing the plotted
relationship (gamma curve) between the
input and output values of a color
monitor. If gamma equals 1, input values
are mapped exactly to output values.
Most devices have a gamma curve greater
than 1.

G-3 Glossary

gamut

A range of colors. A device gamut is the
range of colors that a device, such as a
printer, can produce. An image gamut is
the range of colors in a particular image.

gamut mapping

The process whereby the color
management software compresses—
“maps”—the colors in a digital image to
fit the color gamut of a particular device.

gradient

A smooth transition between two
different colors or between two shades of
a color.

Graphics Device Interface (GDI)

Graphics and display technology used by
computers running Windows. GDI
applications rely on GDI (rather than
the PostScript language) to send words
and pictures to printers.

gravure

A printing technology that uses an
etched cylinder that has been immersed
in ink. The ink that remains in the
etched areas is applied to the paper. The
raised surfaces of the cylinder are non­printing areas.

halftoning

A method for representing an original
continuous tone image using a pattern of
dots of various sizes.

metamerism

Phenomenon in which two colors
composed of different combinations of
light wavelengths appear identical. The
colors are called “metamers.”

moiré

An undesirable pattern in images made
using halftone screens. Moiré can be
caused by improper screen angles,
improper alignment of halftone screens,
or by the combination of a halftone
screen with patterns in the image itself.

named color

A color that is defined according to a
custom color system. For example,
PANTONE 107 C is a named color.

office applications

Software applications commonly used
for business purposes, including
presentation applications, spreadsheets,
and word processing programs.

offset lithography

Printing in which ink is transferred from
printing plates to a rubber blanket and
then from the blanket to paper.

phosphors

Materials used in making computer
monitors.

photographic rendering

A color rendering style that preserves
tonal relationships in images.
Unprintable colors are mapped to
printable colors in a way that retains
differences in lightness, slightly
sacrificing color accuracy as necessary.

pixel

The smallest distinct element of a raster
image or an image displayed on a
monitor. The term is a combination of
the words “picture” and “element.”

G-4 Glossary

PostScript

Adobe Systems’ computer language for
defining text and pictures. The current
version is PostScript 3. PostScript Level 2
included many enhancements to
PostScript Level 1 including improved
color matching and the ability to control
printer-specific features from
applications. EPS (Encapsulated
PostScript) images are PostScript files.

PostScript Printer Description file
(PPD)

A file containing information about a
particular PostScript print device’s
capabilities and restrictions. The
information in the PPD is presented to
you via the printer driver.

prepress proof

A print made from a set of film
separations, or from an electronic file, to
simulate the results of printing. A film
proof is the last opportunity to catch
problems before the final printing.

presentation graphics rendering

A color rendering style that does not try
to precisely match printed colors to
displayed colors. It is appropriate for
bright saturated colors used in
illustrations and graphs.

process colors

The four ink colors used in printing to
simulate full-spectrum color images:
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK
(CMYK).

profile

A digital file that describes the color
capabilities, including the gamut, of a
color device.

QuickDraw

Graphics and display technology built
into Macintosh computers. QuickDraw
applications rely on QuickDraw (rather
than the PostScript language) to send
words and pictures to printers.

raster image

Electronic representation of a page or
image using a grid of points called pixels.

rendering intent

A style of color rendering, or gamut
mapping, designed for a particular type
of color job. An example of a rendering
intent is Photographic rendering—also
referred to as Image rendering or
Contrast rendering—which is designed
for photographic images.

resolution

The number of pixels per inch in a
bitmap image or the number of dots per
inch that an output device can print.

solid color rendering

A color rendering style intended for use
when color accuracy is crucial.
Unprintable colors are mapped to the
closest printable colors. Solid color
rendering does the best job of preserving
the saturation of displayed colors.

G-5 Glossary

source color space

The color environment of the
originating source of an image, including
scanners and color monitors.

source profile

A profile used by the color management
system to determine the context for the
color values specified in a digital image.

spectral light

The wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation emitted by a given light source
that can be seen by the human eye.

spot color

A color that is printed on its own
separation plate when separations are
specified. A spot color is printed using a
special ink for that color, in contrast to
process colors that are printed using
combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow,
and black.

subtractive color model

A system in which color is produced by
combining colorants such as paint, inks,
or dyes on media such as paper or
transparent film or acetate. All printing
devices use the subtractive color model.

subtractive primaries

Cyan, magenta, and yellow colorants
used in subtractive color systems for
color printing. Combining the
subtractive primaries produces darker
colors. Black is added to the subtractive
primaries to compensate for deficiencies
of the toners or inks, and for more
efficient black printing.

SWOP

The abbreviation for Specifications for
Web Offset Publications. A standard of
specifications for separations, proofs, and
color printing.

trapping

The practice of adjusting the borders of
adjacent images that do not share
common colors. Trapping compensates
for misregistration of inks or toners
during printing.

vector image

Graphic illustration created on
computers where picture elements are
defined mathematically as lines or curves
between points. These mathematical
definitions are interpreted by a computer
language such as PostScript. Vector
images include artwork created with
illustration applications (such as
Illustrator or FreeHand) and page layout
applications (such as PageMaker).

white point

The color temperature of a color
monitor (or any white light source),
typically expressed in degrees Kelvin (for
example, 6500 K).

Bibliography

Books

Adobe Print Publishing Guide. Adobe Systems Incorporated, 1995. (Comes as part of the
documentation for Adobe products such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator,
P/N 0397 0719)

Blatner, David and Fraser, Bruce. Real World Photoshop 3: Industrial Strength Production
Techniques. Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 1996.

Bruno, Michael H., ed. Pocket Pal®: A Graphic Arts Production Handbook. Sixteenth
Edition. Memphis: International Paper, 1995.

Kieran, Michael. The Color Scanning Success Handbook. Toronto: DPA Communications
Corp., 1997.

Kieran, Michael. Understanding Desktop Color, Second Edition. Berkeley: Peachpit Press,

1994.
Margulis, Dan. Professional Photoshop: Color Correction, Retouching, and Image

Manipulation with Adobe Photoshop. John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
Miller, Marc D. and Zaucha, Randy. The Color Mac. Second Edition. Hayden Books,

1995.

X-Rite Color Guide and Glossary: Communication, Measurement, and Control for Digital
Imaging and Graphic Arts. X-Rite Incorporated, 1996. (Provided as part of the

documentation for X-Rite densitometers, P/N XRC-550)

World Wide Web sites

Adobe Systems Incorporated: www.adobe.com
Electronics for Imaging, Inc.: www.efi.com
Epson America, Inc.: www.epson.com
MacPro America: www.macproa.com/ColorTheoryIndex.html
Seybold Seminars Online: www.seyboldseminars.com
University of Washington’s Publications Services:

www.pubserv.washington.edu/Color.Theory/Color.Theory.html

Magazines

Adobe Magazine. Seattle: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Publish!. San Francisco: Integrated Media Inc.

Index

A

accent color 1-6
additive color model 1-3
additive primaries 1-3
Adobe Illustrator, see Illustrator
Adobe PageMaker, see PageMaker
Adobe Persuasion, see Persuasion
Adobe Photoshop, see Photoshop
Adobe PostScript Printer Driver 3.0.1 for

Windows 3.1x 4-7

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver 4.2.x for

Windows 95 4-5 to 4-6

Adobe PostScript Printer Driver 8.5.1 for

Macintosh 4-2 to 4-5

Color/Grayscale option 4-3
ColorSync Color Matching option 4-3
PostScript Color Matching option 4-3

Apple Standard setting, RGB Source

option 2-7

B

banding 2-8
bit depth, of raster images 1-9, 1-10
bitmaps 1-5

see also raster images 1-5
black, four-color and one-color 2-9
black text and line art 2-9
blasting 2-9
blends, printing 2-8
brightness 1-1, 1-3
Brightness option 2-6

C

charts, using color in 1-6
CIE

chromaticity diagram 1-2, 1-3

color model 1-2
CIELAB color space 2-3

CMY color model 3-2
CMYK Color Reference pages 3-2, 3-5
CMYK Simulation option 1-13, 2-6, 2-9
color

accent color 1-6
additive model 1-3
choosing in applications 3-1
CMY model 3-2
complements 1-7
controlling printing results 2-1
conversion by color management

systems 2-4
custom color systems 3-4
defining in applications 3-1
HSB model 3-4
HSL model 3-2, 3-4
HSV model 3-2
physics of 1-1
process colors 1-5
properties of 1-1
reference pages 3-2
RGB model 3-2, 3-4
split complements 1-7
spot colors 1-6, 3-4
subtractive model 1-3, 1-4
subtractive primaries 1-4
swatch color matching 3-5
text 1-8
theory 1-1
trapping 1-8
triads 1-7
using effectively 1-6 to 1-8
wheel 1-7
working with 3-1

colorants 1-4
Color/Grayscale option of Adobe PostScript

Printer Driver 8.5.1 4-3

Colorimetric ICC rendering style 2-8

I-2 Index

color management 2-3 to 2-13

basics 2-3
Macintosh, see ColorSync
RIP Station 5000 2-5 to 2-9

Windows, see ICM
color management system (CMS) 2-3
color matching systems, see custom color

systems 3-4
color monitors, see monitors
color rendering styles, see rendering styles
color space 1-2
ColorSync 2-3, 2-10 to 2-11

profiles, applied to RGB images 2-11

ColorSync Color Matching option of Adobe

PostScript Printer Driver 8.5.1 4-3
color theory 1-1
color wheel 1-7
Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, see

CIE
complements, color 1-7
computer monitors, see monitors
continuous tone devices 1-6
Contrast ICC rendering style 2-8
CorelDRAW 7.0 for Windows 7-1 to 7-3,

7-12 to 7-14
CRDs 3-3, 4-3
custom color systems 1-7, 3-4
custom simulations 2-9

D

default color controls set in Setup 2-6
device profiles 2-3
drivers, see printer drivers

E

EFICOLOR

profiles 6-8

XTension 6-8
EFIRGB ICC profile 2-11
EFIRGB setting, RGB Source option 2-7
Excel, see Microsoft Office

F

Fiery Print Calibrator 2-9
file size, of raster images 1-10
flexography 1-4
font size, for color text 1-8
FreeHand 7.0 for Macintosh and

Windows 3-4, 7-1 to 7-3, 7-8 to 7-11

G

gamma 2-4
Gamma option 2-6
gamut 2-8

of monitors 2-2
of photographic transparencies 2-2

of print devices 2-1, 2-2
gamut mapping 2-3
GDI applications, using color in 3-2 to 3-4
Graphics Device Interface, see GDI
Graphics ICC rendering style 2-8
graphs, using color in 1-6
gravure 1-4

H

halftoning 1-4, 1-5

screens 1-5
HSB color model 3-4
HSL color model 3-2, 3-4
HSV color model 3-2
hue, saturation, and brightness 1-1, 1-3

I

ICC color management 2-10
ICC profiles 2-4, 2-10 to 2-11
ICC rendering styles 2-8
ICC standard for color management

systems 2-3

ICM 2-3, 2-12 to 2-13

profiles 2-12 to 2-13

profiles, and Microsoft Office 97 8-2

profiles, applied to RGB images 2-13