VUTEk Advisory Bulletin VAB-87 Revision D December 2002
Workflow for creating ICC Profiles Using the ColorBurst RIP and the MAC Note: For the purpose of this document, we are primarily using the GretagMacbeth Spectroscan.
An ICC Profile can help maximize the color and tonal reproduction of images RIPped with the ColorBurst Software and printed on a VUTEk Printer. It is advised that an Output ICC Profile be created for each combination of ink, number of colors used when printing (4, 6 or 8), media, and model of printer. To accomplish this, the ability of the media to hold ink and the density of the ink throughout the tonal scale must be defined. This is achieved through the Linearization process. Linearization will allow you to standardize your color output by equalizing the steps between specified ink densities. You can use the Linearization settings to create consistent output and match output from multiple printers of the same type (all using the same ink, media, and settings). There are three major steps to this process. •
Linearize ColorBurst for the combination of Ink and Media.
•
Determine the amount of Ink the Media can hold.
•
Create a Profile using the ICC Profile creation software i.e. ChromaCapture.
Creating an ICC Profile Note: It is important that the printer is set up properly to run the material you will be profiling. This includes the platen and post heat temperatures, carriage height, bi-directional and step settings, and that all jets are firing.
To create an ICC profile, perform the following: Step
Action
1
Load a Setup environment. When creating a Linearization file, you will need to print a file using “raw” ink data. a.
On the main menu bar of ColorBurst, select Printer Setup/Select Printer Setup.
b.
In the c:\cbvutek\ENV folder, open the folder for your printer and select the setup file named “Setup (printer name).env” (Figure 1 on page 2). This will set all the options necessary for Linearization. Note: The Printer Setup file, Setup.env, should turn OFF the following options: ICC Profile and Linearization functions, and also set the Color Adjustment and Ink Balance menus to the defaults.
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Figure 1.
Setup (printer name).env
Step
Action
2
Print the linearization target. a.
Go to File/Open and choose the “Testfiles” folder (C:\cbvutek\Testfiles folder). Inside the Testfiles folder, there are several different TIFF files targets for different spectrophotometers. Note: ColorBurst currently supports the following Spectrophotometers: GretagMacbeth Spectroscan, GretagMacbeth Eye One, X-Rite DTP 41.
b.
Choose the Target file that corresponds to the type of spectrophotometer you will be using: • The GretagMacbeth Spectroscan uses the “Lin Chroma Cap CMYK XY.tif” file (Figure 2 on page 3). • The Eye-One and the DTP 41 use the “Lin Chroma Cap CMYK Strip.tif” file (Figure 3 on page 3). Note: Target file must be at 100%, no scaling allowed.
c.
Click the “START” button in the file information box to print the target to a RTL file. The file will be printed with 100% of your CMYK primaries. By printing out at 100% ink, ColorBurst will be able to determine a printer's maximum ink density. The Linearization function is only concerned with the four solid inks, and not the light inks. Note: Be sure the printer temperature settings are correct for the material.
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Figure 2.
Lin Chroma Cap CMYK XY.tif
Figure 3.
Lin Chroma Cap CMYK Strip.tif
Step
Action
3
Create a “.Lin” file. a.
Install the ChromaCapture application (it is included on your ColorBurst installation CD). Refer to “Installing ChromaCapture and the Spectrophotometers” on page 15 for installation instructions. Note: ChromaCapture is currently only available for the Macintosh. A Windows based version will soon be available.
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b.
Open ChromaCapture and in the “Select your Measurement Device” field, select the spectrophotometer that you will be using (Figure 4 on page 4).
c.
Select the communication port to which the spectrophotometer is connected in the “Select Connection Port” field.
d.
Click “Next”.
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Figure 4.
Spectrophotometer Setup
Step
Action
4
Select the Linearization Target that you will be reading. a.
In the “Target to be measured” field, select the target identified in Step 2.
b.
After selecting the “Target to be measured,” enter a name for the linearization file you will be creating in the “Enter your profile name” field. It is suggested you enter a name that tells you something about the printer and the Substrate for easy reference and recall. In the example in Figure 5, the name XXXX Material Lin is used.
c.
In the “Choose or create a destination folder” field, enter a destination folder to store the .lin file.
d.
Select “Done” to continue.
Figure 5.
Setting the Linearization Target
Step
Action
5
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Measure the Target and Save the .lin file (Figure 6). a.
Click on “Connect” to enable your spectrophotometer.
b.
Click on “Start” and follow the instructions for positioning the printed target on the spectrophotometer or manually reading in the target patches.
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Step
Action c.
When ChromaCapture is done reading the patches, it will Auto Save the file, but not in the correct format for ColorBurst. To manually save the file in the correct format, select File/Save Status T Measurement As (third item in list). Over-write the file that was saved automatically. You will be using this file to build your profile.
Figure 6.
.lin File
Step
Action
6
Copy the *.lin file from the Mac to the RIP Workstation or network drive.
7
Load and Read the Lin file. a.
In the ColorBurst Software go to the Options\Linearization Menu.
b.
Select the “Allow Linearization” button (Figure 7 on page 6).
c.
Select “Find” and locate the .lin file that was created during the above steps. This will load in the “Original DMax” (densities) from the .lin file.
d.
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Click the “Reduce DMAX 5%” button and it will update your desired densities.
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Figure 7.
Linearization Options Dialog Box
Step
Action e.
A warning window will appear, select “Yes” (Figure 8).
f.
Select the “Copy” button to copy the *.lin file to the ColorBurst default Lin folder (Figure 9).
Figure 8.
Warning Dialog Box
Figure 9.
Linearization Options Dialog Box
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Step
Action
8
Save the Printer Setup File. a.
On the main menu bar of ColorBurst, select Printer Setup\Save Printer Setup; locate the proper folder and name the file (Figure 10). You should name the Printer Setup file according to the machine type, material and number of colors being printed i.e. XYZ Material_3360_4C.env.
b.
Click “Save.”
Figure 10.
Save As Dialog Box
Step
Action
9
Determine the proper ink load for the material. a.
Open both the “CSE Media Ink Limit.eps” (Figure 11) and “Media Ink Limit CMYK. - Yellow.eps” (Figure 12) files located in the C:\cbvutek\testfiles folder. Note: For best results, enlarge files to 300% before printing.
b.
Select “Start” to RIP the targets to a RTL file.
c.
Print them on the material to be profiled. Note: Check the Temperature, Step Size and Bi-directional settings are correct for the material.
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d.
Look for the darkest patch that is dry, does not bleed into the white and has a solid fill with no material showing through (Figure 12).
e.
Look for the highest level of ink that does not show any bleeding of the black ink into the Red or Yellow areas.
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Figure 11. CSE Media Ink Limit.eps
Figure 12. Media Ink Limit CMYK - Yellow.eps
Note the black ink bleeding into the colors
Note the sharp edges between colors.
Proper Total Ink and Pre-Heat Settings
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Too much Ink and/or too low a Pre-heat Setting
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Step
Action
10
Set the Ink Limit Value in ColorBurst. a.
Select “Color Adjustments” form the Options menu (Figure 13). The Color Adjustments Dialog box will open up to the “Adjustments tab”.
b.
In the Color Adjustments Dialog box, click on the “Ink Limits” tab.
c.
Click on the “Enable Ink Limiting” check box and enter the total ink limit established in Step 9, in the “Total ink limit %” field.
d.
Check the “Do Not Limit Black…” check box. Generally, the black limit percentage should be left at 80% (70% to 100% is the recommended range).
e.
All other features in this menu should be left at the defaults.
Figure 13.
Color Adjustment Dialog Box
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Step
Action
11
Save the Printer Setup File. a.
On the main menu bar of ColorBurst, select Printer Setup\Save Printer Setup, locate the proper folder and name the file. You should name the printer Setup file according to the machine type, material and number of colors being printed i.e. XYZ Material_3360_4C.env.
12
Print the ICC Profile patch targets (Figure 14). Note: The target files are located in the C:\cbvutek\Testfiles folder.
a.
Open, RIP, and Print the ICC Profile patch targets (i.e. Chroma Cap XY CMYK Profile Page1.tif). • The GretagMacbeth Spectroscan uses the “Chroma Cap XY CMYK Profile Page 1.tif” file. There are 2 targets that must be printed and read (Page 1 and 2). • The Eye-One and the DTP 41 use the “Chroma Cap CMYK Profile Strip 1.tif” file. There are 5 targets that must be printed and read (Page 1-5). Note: Do not scale the patches. They are formatted to be used with specific spectrophotometers. There will be several files to print since the ColorBurst Profiler uses readings from over 1248 patches to get the best reading of a printer, ink, and media combinations total gamut.
Figure 14. ICC Profile Patch Targets
Chroma Cap CMYK Strip1.tif (Eye-One and DTP 41) 10 of 16
Chroma Cap CMYK Profile Page 1.tif (GretagMacbeth SpectroScan) VAB-87 Revision D
Step
Action
13
Measure the printed ICC Profile patch targets. a.
Open the ChromaCapture application on the Mac (Figure 4 on page 4).
b.
Open ChromaCapture and Select your Measurement Device (spectrophotometer).
c.
Select the Connection Port to which it is connected.
d.
Click Next.
14
Select Target Type and Enter Your Profile Name (Figure 5 on page 4). a.
Select the type of target to be measured (the target you printed earlier). The GretagMacbeth Spectroscan uses the “XY8MM CMYK Prof”. The Eye-One and the DTP 41 use the “CMYK Strip Prof” file.
b.
Enter Your Profile Name for the data you are saving i.e. XYZ Material_3360_4C.
c.
Choose a destination folder where you want to store the data. This is the folder you will go to later when you use this data to create a profile. The folder should be on the same network your ColorBurst RIP is on so that ColorBurst can easily access it.
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Click “Done.” Read in the ICC Profile Patches Target (Figure 15 on page 12). The process for reading the profile target is identical to reading linearization targets.
a.
Click on “Connect” to enable your spectrophotometer.
b.
Click on “Start” and follow the instructions for positioning the printed target on the spectrophotometer or manually reading in the target patches.
c.
When ChromaCapture is done reading the patches, it will Auto Save the file, but not in the correct format for ColorBurst. To manually save the file in the correct format, select File/Save Measurement As (first item in list). Over-write the file that was saved automatically. You will be using this file to build your profile.
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Figure 15.
Reading the ICC Profile Patches Target
Step
Action
16
Create an ICC Profile using ColorBurst's Built-in ICC Profile software. a.
Go to ICC Profile Options / Build Profile Tab menu.
b.
Click on “Find” then go to the folder where you have saved your measurements (Figure 16 on page 13).
c.
Select your measurement file (it will end in .CIE). Note: Most profiles can be built with the Default settings.
d.
It is recommended that the Ink Limit and Black Controls be set to the following: Total Ink - 300% (between 200% - 320% depending on the material) Total Black Ink - 100% Black Starting Point - 40% Black Intensity - 65%, Color GCR - 0% Neutral GCR - 0%
e.
In the Profile descriptor box it is recommended that you enter the values from the “Ink Limit and Black Controls.” This information will show up below the ICC Profile name in the Output Profile Menu. It can be used a reference if you choose to rebuild a profile using similar settings.
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Step
Action f.
Select “Build Profile” and your profile will be generated and saved into the Output Profile folder. You could also select the Prompt for output file name box and give it a different name or location. Note: For a complete description of what each setting does, please refer to “ICC Profile Options - Build Profile Settings” on page 16.
Figure 16.
ICC Profile Options
Step
Action
17
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Load the ICC Profile. a.
Load the ICC Profile into ColorBurst by going to the Options\ICC Profiles menu.
b.
Select the “General” tab then select “Enable ICC profile color management.”
c.
Select the “Output Profiles” tab and verify the CMYK color Type is “On” (Figure 17 on page 14).
d.
Select “Find” and locate the ICC Profile that was just created. Select “OK.”
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Figure 17.
ICC Profile Options Output Profiles
Step
Action
18
Create a Printer Setup file. It is a good idea to save these new settings to a Printer Setup file (.env) for later use. Usually the file is named for the Material, and printing parameters i.e. XYZ Material_X360_4C.env. a.
On the main menu bar of ColorBurst, select Printer Setup\Save Printer Setup, locate the proper folder and name the file.
b.
Click “Save.” You should now be ready to print images on this material.
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Installing ChromaCapture and the Spectrophotometers ChromaCapture for the Macintosh We have provided a version of ChromaCapture that will run on Mac OS X or 9.2.2 (CSE_OSX-OS9 ChromaCapture.hqx). If you have problems communicating with the spectrophotometer on OS 9.2.2, we have also provided an OS 9.2.2 (CSE_OS9 ChromaCapture.hqx) only version of Chroma Capture. We found that this version may communicate better but runs slower while capturing the data. Copy the .HQX files to your Macintosh and extract the installer for ChromaCapture.
Mac OS 9 You must be running Mac OS 9.2.2 to get the X-Rite DTP 41 and the GretagMacbeth/ Spectroscan to communicate properly.
Upgrading your Mac's OS and Firmware via the Internet. If the Mac is connected to the Internet it is easiest to go to the Control Panel and select the Software Updater and this will automatically update you system. If your OS is several revisions old (i.e. 9.1), you may need to repeat this step several times, since it only updates your OS one revision at a time. If your Mac is not connected to the Internet you will need to go to a Mac that is and download the OS and Firmware updates from the Apple web site and then copy them to your Mac.
Serial Port Connections Using a Keyspan “USB to Serial Adapter” or a “PCI Serial Port Card.” It is very important that you DO NOT connect the serial interface cable from the spectrophotometer to the serial port 1. You must use port 2, 3, or 4.
Baud Rate Be sure to run at a Baud Rate of 19200 and not 9600 or 38400. If you are using the KeySpan card or adapter, you can set the Baud Rate by using the KeySpan SX Pro Manager.
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•
If using a KeySpan USB to Serial Adapter choose Double Baud Rate.
•
If using a KeySpan PCI Serial Port Card, DO NOT select Double Baud Rate.
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ICC Profile Options - Build Profile Settings Total Ink Limit This setting will limit the total ink even further. It is probably the most frequently used feature in building profiles. If your patches come out a little wet choose a total ink limit of 300% for your first test. If it is still wet go to 250%, if it is still wet after that go to 200%. Remember, this is ink limiting on top of all the other ink limiting you have done. It tends to be much less dramatic than other ink limiting methods. This is the most often used feature.
Total Black Ink This setting will further limit your total black ink. If your prints are dark, you could use this feature to lighten them up a bit. It should be used sparingly.
Black Starting Point This defines the starting point for where black ink should be used. Prior to the Black starting point, all Blacks are CMY builds. After the starting point, Black color Builds will be a combination of CMY and Black.
Black Intensity This determines the rate at which black ink is added once the black starting point has been reached. For example: a black intensity of 30 is a very slow build for the black channel and a black of 70 is a much faster build. The default is set at 60 so if a deeper black is desired a setting of 90 or 100 is recommended.
Neutral GCR Takes control of the NEUTRAL AXIS/GRAYS only. Over-rides the black starting point. The Higher the neutral GCR, the more quickly Black will be added and CMY will be removed. This should be used very sparingly as prints tend to speckle when you use it.
Color GCR Has the same function as Neutral GCR, but will add Black and remove CMY in colors other than neutral. This should be used very sparingly as prints tend to speckle when you use it.
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