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Chapter 4: Using color
Managing color
Color management
systems
There are many color management systems on the market today.
They range from simple swatchbooks to specially designed and
designated color servers. Color Management Systems (CMS)
help you match colors across a number of devices, including
scanners, monitors, and printers. A CMS ensures what you see
at every step of the publishing process matches the printed out-
put. Color management systems compensate for device limita-
tions by taking into account the varying capabilities of different
brands of monitors and printers. There are three major elements
of a CMS; they are the device profile, color calibration, and
translation.
Device profile
Each piece of equipment is characterized or profiled. The profile
reveals the color capabilities of the equipment being profiled.
The profile includes details about which colors the device is
capable of detecting, displaying, or printing. The device profile
is used to convert different color values from one device to
another.
Color calibration
Even the best equipment ages over time. For example, a monitor
capable of displaying very accurate colors when first purchased
eventually dims as it ages. Calibration ensures consistency by
returning colors to their original specifications. To be effective,
you should calibrate your equipment at the interval your CMS
specifies. Without calibration, your output may be different than
you expected.
