What standards are applied when preparing my digital files for large digital printing?

“Color management for printing” or color profiling, is the standard applied when making prints from your digital files.  This is a system which calibrates color balance, accommodating both input and output devices when producing large digital prints. This system, often referred to as CMS (color management system) sets a unified standard to include most all of the variables affecting the final print.  The International Color Consortium (ICC) established this standard, dating back to 2005.  When searching for a quality large format printing company, inquire whether they are using a CMS system for their devices.  Every step in the printing process should be maintained by color profiling.

Input Profiling (In-camera) Color calibration of the set-up of camera, lens, and lights contribute to the color quality of your digital file.  To establish quality control over these variables, a color management system is applied.  Digital capture is the portal step in the journey towards producing quality images.  The intent of maintaining CMS is to capturing color accuracy, consistently.  An easy illustrative example of this can be seen when dealing with  corporate colors.  Corporate branded colors are specified color requirements or spot colors chosen to match industry printing standards found in the PMS (panatone matching system) booklet.

Output Profiling (Print devices) This is a system of color management for all output devices within a large format printing company.  The output devices typically included are lightjet printers, inkjet printers and UV printers.   Color printer profiles should be made for each device within your selected large digital print provider’s facility.

Implementing color management for printing:
The way color profiles for printing get made is by making use of a standardized industry target, such as the one above called the Gretag Macbeth ColorChecker.  With the inclusion of the color influences of the chosen lights, camera and lens within a given establishment, the profiling software reads each value on the chart captured.  It then compares those values to the established values of the chart.  The color management software calculates a correction factor which compensates for the values that may have been skewed by the color temperature of the lights, for instance.  This correction factor is called a “mathematical filter” and will restore the established values of this standardized chart, when used correctly.  Here is an example, let’s say you are shooting fine art and you have acquired the image, brought it into Photoshop, and you have converted the profile, making use of this ICC profile. When you ‘”convert to profile,” with this color management system in place, the “mathematical filter” automatically corrects and balances the image, your camera file is now a well-balanced and accurately colored image.
To create color printer profiles, there is the added step of printing a Gretag Macbeth ColorChecker chart.  A spectro-photometer is used to read the values of this printed chart from the specifically-used output device.  The readings are fed directly into the profiling software, and it automatically receives the “mathematical filter” corrections necessary to acheive accurate values, and creates the ICC profile.  When you are ready to output your image, the ICC output profile will automatically provide accurate color balance!