Re: Color profiles (was: Bloody PDF boxes)

[Henning Hraban Ramm via ntg-context <ntg-context@ntg.nl>]

> Am 01.11.2021 um 08:05 schrieb Floris van Manen via ntg-context <ntg-context@ntg.nl>:
> 
> this document:
>> and also extendedhttps://wiki.contextgarden.net/PDFX  a bit.
> 
> contains a link to the Ghent Workshop that returns a 404
> 
> [here] -> http://www.gwg.org/recommended_ICC_profiles.phtm -> 404

Thank you. The information from 2008 was outdated anyway; GWG’s latest recommendations from 2015 don’t contain ICC profiles any more (maybe their settings for commercial applications do, didn’t check).

And it seems like GWG is in conflict with the PDF association, at least GWG’s recommendations contradict PDF/X.

I’ll try to reflect both...

From my personal experience:

– If you don’t exactly know what you’re doing, you should use sRGB as RGB working color space, because most cameras and scanners use it. Yes, parts of the color space are outside the printable range, that’s why GWG (used to) recommend ECI RGB.

– Don’t use CMYK images, since they’re bigger, and if they’re not in the same CMYK color space as the one used by the printshop, the conversion is more lossy than any RGB-CMYK conversion.
– You can use DeviceCMYK (i.e. without profile) for graphical elements, that’s what GWG recommends, but it’s against PDF/X-3+.

– Use the latest FOGRA (Coated/Uncoated) CMYK profile as output intent, at least that’s what German/European printshops use in offset and digital printing. If not, your printshop should tell you which profile they use.
– For printing in the USA, use a SWOP CMYK profile as output intent. (SWOP and Euroscale CMYK colors are visibly different!)
– I don’t know about printshops in other parts of the world.

Hraban
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://context.aanhet.net
archive  : https://bitbucket.org/phg/context-mirror/commits/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________