Xerox 700i, 700 Splash RPX-iii - Color Guide

Splash RPX-iii Xerox 700 Digital Color Press

Color Guide

45073066 7 May 2008

CONTENTS

CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION 7

Terminology and conventions 7

Splash color tools 8

Splash color correction 8

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 9

Importing profiles 10

Exporting profiles 11

Deleting profiles 12

CMYK press profiles 12

Output profiles 15

Device link profiles 16

CopyCal 16

Other color management systems 19

Profiling the digital press 19

CONTENTS 4

CALIBRATION 20

Calibrating with the ES-1000 (with or without iO) 21

Calibrating with the digital press scanner 25

Verifying digital press color accuracy 29

AutoGray 29

Custom calibrations 30

Creating a custom calibration 31

Assigning a calibration to a tray 31

Managing custom calibrations 33

Calibration status and history 33

Updating multiple EFI Splash RPX-iii servers from one server 35

Calibrating one or more servers from a remote computer 37

Color Consistency Test Page 40

Setting ColorCal preferences 41

Editing custom color profiles 42

Editing the calibration curve 42

Editing the white point 44

Previewing a profile 46

COLOR PRINT OPTIONS 47

Splash Color options in the printer drivers 47

Splash Color default settings on the EFI Splash RPX-iii 50

Splash Color job settings on the EFI Splash RPX-iii 51

Two-Way Communication 52

CONTENTS 5

Splash Color options 54

Color Model (Print Mode) 54

Printer Mode (Color Mode) 54

RGB Profile 54

Press Simulation 56

CMYK Press Profile 56

Preserve Original GCR 57

Use Embedded Profile (RGB or CMYK) 57

Match Spot Colors 57

Use Black Ink Only 57

Overprint Black 58

Rendering Style 58

Output Profile 59

Splash Quality options 59

Image Smoothing 59

Text/Graphics Edge Enhancement 59

Show Composite Overprints 59

Auto Trapping 60

Gradient Smoothing 60

PDF/X-3 Compliant 60

Text/Graphics Quality 60

Apply ColorTuner 60

CONTENTS 6

Splash Extras options 61

Separations 61

Print In Own Color 62

Print Progressives 62

Print Info Strip 62

Invert Image 62

Mirror Image 63

Use PDF XObjects 63

Save as TIFF 63

Color print options in Server preferences 63

Example color print option combinations 65

Quality and printing time 65

Black-and-white pages 65

COLOR TUNER AND COLOR TWEAK 66

Editing colors with ColorTuner 66

ColorTuner main window 69

Page tools 69

ColorTuner edits 70

ColorTuner sets 74

ColorTuner job options 75

Adjusting colors with Color Tweak 76

SPOT COLOR EDITOR 78

Editing spot colors 78

Renaming a spot color 82

Reverting spot color changes 82

INDEX 83

INTRODUCTION

Terminology and conventions

INTRODUCTION 7

This document describes how to use the color management tools in the Splash RPX-iii Xerox 700 Digital Color Press. It also describes the color print options supported by the Splash RPX-iii Xerox 700 Digital Color Press.

This document uses the following terminology and conventions.

Term or convention Refers to

Digital press Xerox 700 Digital Color Press

EFI Splash RPX-iii Splash RPX-iii Xerox 700 Digital Color Press

Mac OS Apple Mac OS X

Titles in italics Other documents in this set

Windows Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003,

Windows Vista

INTRODUCTION 8

Splash color tools

The EFI Splash RPX-iii color tools consist of the following:

•

Profile management allows you to import color profiles to the EFI Splash RPX-iii,

providing easier and more customizable color management. You can also export color profiles from the EFI Splash RPX-iii. You can manage CMYK profile associations and associate output profiles with specific media types and screening methods.

•

ColorCal allows you to create custom CMYK profiles to calibrate the EFI Splash RPX-iii to

produce the most accurate CMYK and RGB color output possible.

•

ColorTuner allows you to make color changes to any document (a single page or the entire

document) at the EFI Splash RPX-iii without having to reopen and edit the original file in the original application. You can make color (RGB or CMYK) or grayscale changes globally by adjusting either the overall intensity of a specific color or the highlights, midtones, or shadows. Direct color substitution changes the selected color to a new color for a single page of a document or the entire document. Smoothed color substitution changes all occurrences of a single color to another color, allowing you to adjust the dominant color in an image.

•

Spot Color Editor allows you to add and delete spot colors, as well as change the value

output for any particular spot color.

Before using any of these tools, you must log on to the EFI Splash RPX-iii.

Splash color correction

The EFI Splash RPX-iii has built-in color correction capabilities that allow you to match the colors of the image on your computer monitor to process inks used on commercial printing presses.

CMYK color correction on the EFI Splash RPX-iii is optimized for matching mixed press ink colors. Splash CMYK color correction automatically compensates for differences between press ink colors to accurately simulate the selected press ink profile.

Splash color correction produces the same RGB color results for TIFF and EPS files. Since color correction is applied by the EFI Splash RPX-iii, instead of the application, you can color-correct any print job, whether the job was created with a pre-press application, such as QuarkXPress, or an office application, such as Microsoft Word.

Documents that contain both RGB and CMYK graphics are a special problem for color proofing. Correcting color for one type of graphic affects the quality of the other. The EFI Splash RPX-iii provides RGB and CMYK color correction that produces accurate, consistent color for both.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 9

PROFILE MANAGEMENT

This chapter describes how to manage color profiles and adjust color output on the EFI Splash RPX-iii.

Color profiles are descriptions of the color characteristics of a device. The EFI Splash RPX-iii uses several types of profiles to manage color.

•

Output profile describes the color characteristics of a printing device, the Xerox 700

Digital Color Press in this case. The output profile is associated with a calibration target that defines the expected density response of the digital press.

•

Press profile, or simulation profile, describes the color characteristics of another printing

device, such as a printing press, that you want the EFI Splash RPX-iii to simulate. These color characteristics are specified in CMYK color space.

•

RGB profile is used by the EFI Splash RPX-iii to determine the characteristics of the color

values specified in a source digital image. These colors are specified in the RGB color space.

The EFI Splash RPX-iii comes with several ICC profiles installed. The ICC format is an industry standard color profile format developed by the International Color Consortium (ICC) that describes the color capabilities of a color device, including the gamut, based on the differences between an ideal and the current device. The ideal is often provided by the manufacturer as a color reference file.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 10

Importing profiles

You can import an ICC profile to the EFI Splash RPX-iii from a file on your system or from a client system using Splash Server Remote.

TO IMPORT A PROFILE

1 Choose Import Color Profile from the Profiles menu.

You can import RGB and CMYK profiles. A CMYK profile can be used as a press profile or an output profile.

2 Browse to the file location and select the file that you want to import.

NOTE: If you import a profile with the same file name as a profile that is already on the EFI

Splash RPX-iii, it replaces the existing profile. If you do not want to replace the existing profile, change the file name before importing.

3 Click Import.

If you selected an RGB profile, the profile is imported.

If you selected a CMYK profile, a dialog box appears that allows you to set the profile type. The profile type determines whether the profile is added to the EFI Splash RPX-iii CMYK press profiles or to its output profiles.

For more information about CMYK press profiles, see page 12. For more information about Output Profiles, see page 15.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 11

4 Select a profile type and click OK.

For a CMYK press profile, the Color Profiles dialog box allows you to specify the imported profile as a press profile or output profile.

For an output profile, the Output Profiles dialog box allows you to select whether you want the imported profile to be used by default when printing with a specific media type and printer mode.

5 If desired, choose the appropriate assignment for the new profile.

6 Click OK.

Exporting profiles

You can export any RGB, CMYK, or output profile and save it as a file.

TO EXPORT A PROFILE

1 Choose Export Color Profile from the Profiles menu.

2 Select the profile that you want to export.

3 Enter the file name or leave the default name.

4 Browse to the location in which you want to save the file.

5 Select Macintosh or Windows compatibility.

If you are going to import the profile to another EFI Splash RPX-iii, select Macintosh compatibility.

6 Click Export.

NOTE: If you export a custom profile that you created by editing a standard profile in the

ColorCal Edit Profiles tool, the edits you made are recognized only if you import the profile to another EFI Splash RPX-iii. They are not recognized by other color management systems, such as ColorSync.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 12

Deleting profiles

You can delete any custom RGB, CMYK, or output profile from the EFI Splash RPX-iii. You cannot delete the profiles that are included with the EFI Splash RPX-iii by default.

TO DELETE A PROFILE

1 Choose Delete Color Profiles from the Profiles menu.

2 Select the type of profile: CMYK, RGB, or Output.

All profiles of that type that can be deleted are displayed.

3 Select the profile that you want to delete, click Delete, and then click Delete again

to confirm.

4 Click Done to close the window.

CMYK press profiles

The EFI Splash RPX-iii provides standard CMYK press profiles. The following are 4D (new style) profiles:

•CGATS SWOP

•Corel RGB

• Enterprise CMYK

• Euro-Simulation

•Euroscale Coated

•Euroscale Enhanced

•Fogramat

•ISO Coated

• ISO Coated v2 (ECI)

• ISO Coated v2 300 (ECI)

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 13

•ISO Uncoated

•ISO Uncoated Yellowish

•ISO Web Coated

• Japanese Press Enhanced

• Japanese Press Inks

•Newsprint Recycled Paper

•Newsprint White Paper

• SC Paper (ECI)

•SWOP Coated

•SWOP Enhanced

• Type D Enhanced

•Type D Inks

The following are 1D (old style) profiles:

•CMYK Enhanced

•CMYK Euroscale

•CMYK SWOP

•Uncalibrated

•Visual Standard

• Visual Standard EHW

You can use these profiles as the basis for creating custom profiles using the ColorCal Expert tool. For more information, see “Calibration” on page 20.

When you print a job to the EFI Splash RPX-iii from a client computer with Two-Way Communication enabled in the printer driver, you can set the CMYK Press Profile option to any of these profiles or any CMYK profile that you have imported (see “CMYK Press Profile” on page 56).

When you print a job to the EFI Splash RPX-iii from a client computer that does not have Two-Way Communication enabled in the printer driver, the selections shown for the CMYK Press Profile option are:

•Printer’s Default

•Default

• Custom 1 - Custom 10

• Color Management Off

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 14

These selections correspond to actual CMYK profiles residing on the EFI Splash RPX-iii. By default, the selections are defined as follows:

• Default: CGATS SWOP (US) or ISO Coated (Europe)

• Custom 1: Japanese Press Inks

• Custom 2: Euroscale Enhanced

• Custom 3: CMYK SWOP

• Custom 4: CMYK Euroscale

• Custom 5: CMYK Enhanced

• Custom 6: Euro-Simulation

• Custom 7: Fogramat

• Custom 8: Newsprint - White Paper

• Custom 9: Enterprise CMYK

• Custom 10: Uncalibrated

• Pass Thru (Color Management Off): Visual Standard

You can change the definition of any setting in the Color Profiles dialog box. To access this dialog box, choose Color Profiles from the Profiles menu.

To import a new CMYK profile, click Profile Loader and browse for the file (see “Importing

profiles” on page 10). The new profile is added as a selection in the list of profiles available for

each setting.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 15

Output profiles

When you print a job to the EFI Splash RPX-iii with the Output Profile option (see “Output

Profile” on page 59) set to Printer’s Default rather than a specific profile, the EFI

Splash RPX-iii determines the output profile to use based on the Media Type and Printer Mode settings of the job. You can set which output profile to use for each combination of Media Type and Printer Mode.

Printer Mode is either Contone or Screened. Media Type is grouped into Paper, OHP (Transparency), and Extra Heavyweight groups, defined as follows:

Group Media type

Paper Uncoated, gsm less than or equal to 105

OHP Transparency

Extra Heavyweight All others

Transparency Interleave

You can set the associations of output profiles with Media Type group and Printer Mode in the Output Profiles dialog box. To access this dialog box, choose Output Profiles from the Profiles menu.

To import a new output profile, click Load Output Profile and browse for the file (see

“Importing profiles” on page 10). The new profile is added as a selection in the list of

profiles available for each setting.

NOTE: The settings in the Output Profiles dialog box take effect when the Output Profile

setting for a job is set to Printer’s Default. You can also select a specific output profile for a job, but make sure to select a profile that is appropriate for the job. For more information, see

“Output Profile” on page 59.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 16

Device link profiles

To use a device link profile on the EFI Splash RPX-iii, you must first import the profile. See the instructions in “Importing profiles” on page 10. For CMYK-to-CMYK device link profile, choose Simulation profile when you import the profile. An RGB-to-CMYK device link profile is handled by the EFI Splash RPX-iii automatically.

To use a device link profile when printing, select the CMYK-to-CMYK device link profile as the CMKY press profile for the job or the RGB-to-CMYK profile as the RGB profile for the job. The output profile setting is ignored. Calibration for the specified input tray and media is applied to the output.

CopyCal

CopyCal is a standalone application that creates profiles that allow the EFI Splash RPX-iii to emulate the output of any color printer. CopyCal is started from the EFI Splash RPX-iii server main window. CopyCal and the EFI Splash RPX-iii server can run at the same time. The digital press must be running during the entire profiling procedure.

CopyCal profiles are profiles that combine CMYK and RGB color correction into a single selection. Choosing a CopyCal profile in the CMYK profile list overrides any RGB color correction setting for that job.

The following procedure describes how to create a CopyCal profile for a color printer.

TO USE COPYCAL

1 Choose CopyCal icon from the Server menu in the EFI Splash RPX-iii main window.

The CopyCal main window appears.

2 Click Create Profile.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 17

3 Select the input tray for printing the calibration target and click Next.

4 Type the number of copies to print.

The number of copies is automatically set to the number specified in ColorCal preferences. For more information, see “Setting ColorCal preferences” on page 41. You can print multiple copies to warm up the digital press if it has been idle. If you specify more than one copy, all copies except the last one are printed as placeholders. The last copy is the calibration target that you will measure.

For Tray 5, you must also select the media type and paper size for printing the calibration target. For input trays other than Tray 5, the media type is automatically set to the type of paper in the tray.

5 Click Print.

CopyCal prints Page 1 of the reference target using the normal color correction settings of the digital press.

6 As instructed in the CopyCal window, return to the Finder and open one of the files in the

Splash Extras/CopyCal Target folder in an application that can print PDF files.

• For Letter size output, open CopyCalTarget.pdf. (Click Open in the CopyCal window to open this file.)

• For A4 size output, open CopyCalTarget.A4.pdf.

NOTE: These files are included on the EFI Splash RPX-iii User Software and Documentation

DVD.

7 Print the file on the printer that you want to emulate, using the color correction settings that

give you the desired output.

Pages 2, 3, and 4 of the reference target are printed.

8 In CopyCal, click Next.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 18

9 Follow the on-screen instructions and click Next.

CopyCal scans the target and determines current color performance based on the acquired image.

NOTE: If you edit the other settings in the Splash template before the scan, you may get an

error message. In this case, repeat the scan sequence.

10 Repeat step 9 for pages 2, 3, and 4.

NOTE: If the pages are placed on the glass quickly, it may possible to scan without reselecting

the scan options.

NOTE: If the wrong target is placed on the glass, a CopyCal error message appears, stating that

it could not find registration marks. Restart the CopyCal procedure.

11 When prompted, name the profile and save it.

You can now select the CopyCal profile created as a custom CMYK profile. If the profile already exists, CopyCal prompts you to replace the profile. If you do not want to overwrite the existing profile, click Cancel.

PROFILE MANAGEMENT 19

Other color management systems

You can disable Splash color correction and use a third-party color management system to correct screen-to-print or process ink-to-print jobs.

NOTE: Using a third-party color management system increases processing time.

The EFI Splash RPX-iii provides color profiles for Apple’s ColorSync color management software. The Splash ColorSync color profiles are located in the Splash : Splash Extras : ColorSync folder. These profiles enable ColorSync to print to the EFI Splash RPX-iii.

NOTE: Disable Splash Color Correction in the print driver before printing with ColorSync

color management software.

For best results with ColorSync, set the Splash Pass Through profile to Visual Standard, which is the default setting. For more information, see “CMYK press profiles” on page 12.

For more information about using ColorSync, see the documentation that accompanies the application.

Profiling the digital press

To create a color profile of the digital press that the EFI Splash RPX-iii prints to, you can print the measurement page from the EFI Splash RPX-iii. Make sure the following print options are disabled when you print:

• RGB Color Management

• CMYK Color Management

•Match Spot Colors

•Use Black Ink Only

•Overprint Black

CALIBRATION

CALIBRATION 20

The color output on any color digital press changes over time, producing inconsistent color from day to day, or even hour to hour. ColorCal adjusts the EFI Splash RPX-iii for these changes, keeping output consistent. Calibration takes only a few minutes, so the color output can be tested and recalibrated as often as necessary.

You can calibrate using three methods:

• Using the digital press’s scanner.

• Using an EFI ES-1000 spectrophotometer connected to the EFI Splash RPX-iii.

• Using an X-Rite (GretagMacbeth) iO automated chart reader coupled with an ES-1000 connected to the EFI Splash RPX-iii.

For optimal color printing results, calibrate the EFI Splash RPX-iii at least once daily. Calibrate several times a day during heavy use.

You can save multiple calibrations for use with specific printing conditions and print media.

ColorCal also offers AutoGray calibration to improve the gray balance of the calibrated digital press. You can also print a Test Page to verify visually the consistency of color output across a page.

In the Edit Profiles interface, you can create and save custom color profiles.

CALIBRATION 21

Calibrating with the ES-1000 (with or without iO)

This section describes how to calibrate the EFI Splash RPX-iii with ColorCal using an ES-1000 spectrophotometer connected to the EFI Splash RPX-iii. If you also connect the ES-1000 to an iO, the iO manipulates the ES-1000 for you. Without an iO, you operate the ES-1000 manually.

TO CALIBRATE THE EFI SPLASH RPX-iii USING THE ES-1000 WITH OR WITHOUT AN IO

1 Make sure that the ES-1000 is properly installed and connected to the EFI Splash RPX-iii. If

you are using an iO, set it up with the ES-1000.

2 With the digital press running, click the ColorCal icon in the toolbar of the EFI Splash RPX-iii

main window.

The ColorCal main window appears.

NOTE: You can run the EFI Splash RPX-iii during calibration, but do not process any jobs

until calibration is complete.

CALIBRATION 22

3 To confirm the calibration method, choose Preferences from the ColorCal menu.

By default, Preferred Calibrator is set to Copier Scanner.

4 If you do not have an iO, select ES-1000. If you have an iO, select Eye-One.

The selected device is used for calibration and AutoGray.

5 Click OK.

6 In the ColorCal main window, click Calibrate Media.

7 Select the input tray for printing the calibration target and click Next.

8 Type the number of copies to print.

9 Click Print.

The calibration target is printed.

NOTE: If the Average Two Rotated Targets option is selected in ColorCal preferences, two

targets are printed. If you specified printing more than one copy, use the last two copies. For more information, see “Setting ColorCal preferences” on page 41.

10 Retrieve the calibration target(s) from the digital press.

CALIBRATION 23

11 Calibrate the ES-1000 by placing it in its cradle and pressing the button on the side of the

instrument.

When you place the ES-1000 in the cradle, white point calibration calibrates the spectrophotometer and compensates for gradual drifts in its measurement. Make sure that the sample aperture is in full contact with the white tile on the cradle. If you do not place it correctly in the cradle, the spectrophotometer does not return accurate measurements.

Instructions for measuring the color patches on the calibration target appear.

12 For a more accurate measurement, place several sheets of plain white paper beneath the

calibration target.

The extra sheets block underlying colors from being read by the instrument.

13 If you are using an iO, follow the on-screen instructions for placing the calibration target,

click Next, and go to step 23.

14 Orient the calibration target so that strips are horizontal.

15 Click Next.

CALIBRATION 24

16 Position the ruler along the strip.

17 Hold the ES-1000 with its length perpendicular to the scan direction, and place the sample

aperture through the ruler’s track in the white space at the start of the strip.

18 Press and hold the button, and wait for a beep and for arrows showing the scan direction to

appear in the strip on the screen.

19 After you hear a beep and see the arrows, slide the ES-1000 at a slow but consistent pace

across the strip.

Take about five seconds to slide the length of the strip.

20 Release the button when all of the patches in the strip have been measured and you reach the

white space at the end of the strip.

When a strip is measured successfully, instructions for measuring the next strip appear. If the strip is not measured successfully, a message directs you to try again.

21 Repeat steps 16 through 20 for each strip (A-F).

22 If the Average Two Rotated Targets option is selected in ColorCal preferences, repeat steps 12

through 21 for the second target.

For more information, see “Setting ColorCal preferences” on page 41.

When the calibration target has been measured, ColorCal displays a graphic representation of color performance for the digital press.

23 Evaluate the measurement results.

The Desired Density lines represent accurate CMYK printing for the calibration target on the media being calibrated. The Measured Density lines show actual uncalibrated digital press performance as measured from the scanned target.

NOTE: The vertical axis for each color curve is in units of Status-T less the paper density.

The horizontal axis is represented as dot percentage from 0% to 100%.

CALIBRATION 25

If the Measured Density lines are jagged and do not increase linearly, a measurement error has occurred. In this case, do not accept the measurements. Click Cancel (rather than Update), press and hold the Option key, and then click Run Calibration. Follow the instructions to measure the target again.

24 Click Update to have ColorCal adjust color output to match the Desired Density levels for your

color profiles.

ColorCal updates all profiles at the same time, even custom profiles, so you can use any color profile immediately without repeating color calibration.

A message appears stating that profile updating is complete.

25 Click Verify to check calibration results for the digital press, or click Finish to return to the

ColorCal main window.

For more information, see “Verifying digital press color accuracy” on page 29.

26 To exit ColorCal, choose Quit ColorCal from the ColorCal menu.

Calibrating with the digital press scanner

This section describes how to calibrate the EFI Splash RPX-iii with ColorCal using the scanner on the digital press.

TO CALIBRATE THE EFI SPLASH RPX-iii USING THE DIGITAL PRESS SCANNER

1 With the digital press running, click the ColorCal icon in the toolbar of the EFI Splash RPX-iii

main window.

The ColorCal main window appears.

NOTE: You can run the EFI Splash RPX-iii during calibration, but do not process any jobs

until calibration is complete.

CALIBRATION 26

2 To confirm the calibration method, choose Preferences from the ColorCal menu.

By default, Preferred Calibrator is set to Copier Scanner.

The selected device is used for calibration and AutoGray.

3 Click OK.

4 Click Calibrate Media in the ColorCal main window.

5 To calibrate the digital press scanner, click Calibrate. Otherwise, click Skip and go to step 11.

If you are using ColorCal for the first time, or the digital press has recently been serviced, we recommend that you calibrate the scanner. ColorCal prompts you to calibrate the scanner every time you calibrate the EFI Splash RPX-iii with the digital press scanner.

Calibrating the scanner adjusts the digital press to compensate for scanning differences that could affect calibration quality. This command affects ColorCal operation only. It does not affect the scanning capability of the digital press for other scanning operations.

NOTE: To calibrate the scanner without calibrating the EFI Splash RPX-iii, choose Calibrate

Scanner from the Calibration menu. This selection is available only if the Preferred Calibrator is set to Copier Scanner in the ColorCal preferences.

6 Select the input tray for printing the scanner measurement page and click Next.

7 Type the number of copies to print.

8 Click Print.

The scanner measurement page is printed.

9 Retrieve the measurement page from the digital press.

ColorCal prompts you to place the measurement page on the digital press glass.

+ 60 hidden pages