Matching colors
The process of matching printer output color to your computer screen is quite complex
because printers and computer monitors use different methods of producing color. Monitors
display colors by light pixels using an RGB (red, green, blue) c olor process, but printers print
colors using a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) process.
Several factors can influence your ability to match printed colors to those on your monitor.
These factors include:
•
print media
•
printer colorants (inks or toners for example)
•
printing process (inkjet, p ress, or laser technology for example)
•
overhead lighting
•
personal differences in perception of color
•
software applications
•
printer drivers
•
PC operating system
•
monitors
•
video cards and d rivers
•
operating environment (humidity for example)
Keep the above factors in mind when colors on your screen do not perfectly match your
printed colors.
For most users, the best method for matching colors on your screen to your printer is to
print sRGB colors.
PANTONE
®
* color matching
PANTONE
®
* has multiple color matching systems. PANTONE
®
* Matching System is
very popular and uses solid inks to generate a wide range of color hues and tints. See
http://www.hp.com/support/lj5500_software for details on how to use PANTONE
®
*Matching
System with this printer.
Swatch book color matching
The process for matching printer output to preprinted swatch books and standard color
references is complex. In general, you can obtain a reasonably good match to a swatch book
if the inks used to create the swatch book are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. These are
usually referred to as process color swatch books.
Some swatch books are created from spot colors. Spot colors are specially created colorants.
Many of these spot colors are outside of the gamut of the printer. Most spot color swatch books
have companion process swatch books that provide CMYK approximations to the spot color.
Most process swatch books will have a note on what process standards were used to print the
swatch book. In most cases they will be SWOP, EURO, or DIC. To get optimal color matching
to the process swatch book, select the corresponding ink emulation from the printer menu. If
you cannot identify the process standard, use SWOP ink emulation.
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