ColorLogic GmbH

Printing Standards

and Profiles

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2nd Edition, Version 4.0, March 2013

Impressum

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Printing standards and profiles

Efficient workflows through using standard profiles ...........................................4 Organizations and manufacturers in connection with printing standards, printing conditions and ICC profiles ......................................................................5 ISO, ICC, GWG, Adobe ........................................................................................5 FOGRA, ECI ............................................................................................................6 BVDM, CGATS, IDEAlliance, SWOP, GRACoL and G7, Japan .....................7 Australia, Asia, South America and Africa ..........................................................8 Color management workflows with standard profiles .....................................10

4 Printing standards and profiles

Brief descriptionPresentation of the role of printing standards and the associated ICC profiles in the color management workflow.

Application programs• ColorLogic DeviceLink Sets (DLS)• CoPrA• All common DTP programs

Target groups• Agencies• Prepress• Printers• Photographers (who create printing data)

Efficient workflows through using standard profilesDepending on the printing process and the paper type, different sizes of color gamuts can be produced when printing ink on paper. A printing standard for a printing process describes various categories of substrates (papers) and the necessary measures for printing stably and repeatably on the press in accordance with a printing condition.A printing condition for printing is represented by colorimetric data - also known as characterization data. Profiling software (e.g. CoPrA) can be used to calculate an ICC printer profile for a printing standard from standard cha-racterization data. It is common practice that major manufacturers, industry organizations or experienced users calculate their own ICC profile versions on the basis of standard characterization data. Consequently, several profile versions for one and the same printing standard (process and paper type) are often in use. Depending on region, however, there is frequently one leading organization whose profile version is regarded as the industry reference for a printing standard, and thus as the printing condition. These reference profiles greatly facilitate communication between the data supplier and the printer.

To create optimum data for printing, the printer and the data supplier agree on the standard to be used. Reference profiles for the respective printing standard are then used to create the printing data and produce the proofs.

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Organizations and manufacturers in connection with prin-ting standards, printing conditions and ICC profiles

There is a handful of organizations and manufacturers around the world that advance the development of printing standards, printing conditions and the associated ICC profiles. Europe and the USA are two important centers of development in this context.

ISOThe International Organization for Standardization is made up of national standardization bodies that together define globally valid standards for the most diverse sectors. Key ISO Standards for print production define, for ex-ample, colorimetry, the format for characterization data, the format of color profiles, the PDF format in general, and the PDF/X format for the exchange of printing data in particular, or the standardization of offset printing on different paper types. The ISO itself publishes neither characterization data for printing standards, nor ICC profiles derived from them.

ICCThe International Color Consortium cooperates with the ISO on develo-ping the specifications for ICC profiles and their calculation in application programs and operating systems (e.g. with the help of a color management module - CMM). The ICC itself publishes neither characterization data for printing standards, nor ICC profiles derived from them. Rather, the ICC main-tains a directory (Registry) of characterization data for printing standards published by various national organizations. This ICC Registry is provisionally considered to be the world‘s most important reference for printing condi-tions/characterization data in print production.

GWGThe Ghent Working Group elaborates worldwide recommendations for the use of PDF/X in print production. Among other things, this includes specifi-cations for the preflighting (data check) of PDF/X files, as well as the main-tenance of a list of recommended standard profiles (output intents) for data exchange with PDF/X files (see also our "Preparing Mixed Color PDFs for Printing" manual).

AdobeFor selected characterization data, Adobe creates ICC profiles that are not only included in the scope of supply of the Creative Suite software, but can also be downloaded from the Adobe Web site free of charge.

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FOGRAFOGRA is very active in the development and updating of ISO Standards in Europe. Based on ISO Standards for standardizing printing, it elaborates cha-racterization data that can be downloaded from the FOGRA Web site free of charge. The names of the characterization data published by FOGRA consist of the abbreviation FOGRA and a serial number. For instance, FOGRA39 represents offset printing on coated paper.Under the name FOGRAcert, FOGRA additionally implements a compre-hensive certification program for equipment and services in print production. The certification of printers for production according to ISO 12647-2 is also known under the name PSO for Process Standard Offset.

ECIThe European Color Initiative is a grouping of European publishing houses, printers, and a number of manufacturers from the color management field. The objective of the ECI is the development of free tools relating to print production with ICC profiles and PDF/X on the basis of industry standards for printing. In the web offset and gravure sector, the ECI coordinates printing tests across Europe, from which standard characterization data are obtained and then published by FOGRA.The ECI creates reference ICC profiles from all FOGRA characterization data. Having initially been introduced in Germany, they are nowadays exten-sively used for standardized print production in Europe and parts of Asia. The naming conventions for ECI profiles were changed in 2008. All ECI profiles created before this date included the abbreviation ISO in their names, as they were intended to represent standardized print production on the basis of ISO 12647-2. Familiar profiles from this period include ISOcoated.icc, ISO-coated_v2_eci.icc, ISOwebcoated and ISOuncoated.icc, for example. To in future rule out the false impression that these could be official ISO profiles, the names of all ECI profiles created for offset printing since 2008 include the abbreviation PSO. ECI profiles for gravure printing include the abbreviation PSR for Process Standard Rotogravure. 2009 saw an important update in the gravure sector that is indicated by the abbreviation PSRv2.ColorLogic refers to the ECI profiles or profile names on numerous occasi-ons in its workflow products. The ZePrA program includes a host of settings for converting or optimizing PDF/X data, where the ECI profiles are embed-ded as identifiers (e.g. as the output intent). In addition, the names of many Standard DeviceLink Profiles from ColorLogic include abbreviations derived from the ECI profiles.If the ECI releases new profiles, ColorLogic promptly produces matching DeviceLink profiles and settings for ZePrA.

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BVDMIn the context of standardization, Germany‘s Bundesverband Druck und Me-dien cooperates closely with FOGRA and the ECI. Among other things, it publishes the Media Standard Printing (MedienStandard Druck), which can be downloaded for free, and the chargeable manual Process Standard Off-set Printing (ProzessStandard Offsetdruck, in German only). The BVDM and FOGRA both act as co-certifiers for certifying printers in accordance with the PSO.

CGATSCGATS represents the USA within the ISO and publishes characterization data representing American printing standards. The characterization data start with the abbreviation TR, followed by a three-digit number. TR001 represents an old version of the American SWOP standard and constitutes the basis for the commonly used SWOP profile in the Adobe Creative Suite. In contrast to FOGRA, CGATS does not certify equipment or service providers.

IDEAlliance, SWOP, GRACoL and G7IDEAlliance is an American umbrella organization for media production. Its members are not only manufacturers from the media industry, but also end users. In addition to activities relating to XML, IDEAlliance also deals with other specifications: GRACoL for sheet-fed offset printing, SWOP for web offset and gravure, and G7 as a calibration technology for all printing proces-ses. Based on CGATS characterization data, the GRACoL and SWOP working groups also devise ICC profiles for American printing standards. However, they are no longer actively advertised, now that Adobe has published its own SWOP and GRACoL profile versions and integrated them in the Creative Suite.Like FOGRA, IDEAlliance also offers certifications for equipment and service providers on the basis of SWOP, GRACoL and G7.ColorLogic offers settings for its workflow applications and Standard Device-Link Profiles for the American market. They refer to the Adobe profiles for SWOP and GRACoL.

JapanStandard characterization data likewise exist for Japanese printing standards. In contrast to Europe and the USA, however, they are chargeable. Working on this basis, Adobe offers standard ICC profiles that have established themsel-ves as quasi-standards. The naming of ColorLogic DeviceLink profiles for the Japanese market is geared to the Adobe ICC profiles for Japan.

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AustraliaThe Australian printing industry works on the basis of the ISO specifications and the FOGRA characterization data for coated papers (FOGRA39) and LWC papers (FOGRA28). The 3DAP label offers production guidelines, cer-tification for proofing systems, and proprietary profiles based on the FOGRA characterization data. ColorLogic DeviceLink profiles with the target color spaces ISOcoated_v2 and ISOwebcoated represent the same printing stan-dard as 3DAPv3_PAPERTYPE-1 and 3DAPv3_PAPERTYPE-3.

Asia, South America and AfricaApart from Japan, no Asian country has so far published its own specifications for standardized printing, including characterization data and profiles. Many Asian printers either work according to in-house standards or gear themsel-ves to their customers, if they come from Europe or the USA.The situation is similar on the other continents.

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Overview of current printing standards, characterization data and ICC pro-files

Characterisation

data

Profile ECI Profile Adobe

FOGRA / ECI

Offset sheet- / web-fed

coated FOGRA 39 ISOcoated_v2_eci.icc CoatedFOGRA39.icc

uncoated FM raster FOGRA 43 PSO_Coated_NPscreen_

ISO12647_eci.icc

uncoated FOGRA 47 PSO_Uncoated_ISO12647_

eci.icc

uncoated FM raster FOGRA 44 PSOA_Uncoated_NPs-

creen_ISO12647_eci.icc

Web-fed Heatset

LWC Improved FOGRA 45 PSO_LWC_Improved_eci.

icc

LWC Standard FOGRA 46 PSO_LWC_Standard_eci.

icc

MFC F OGRA 41 PSO_MFC_Paper_eci.icc

SC FOGRA 40 SC_paper_eci.icc

Standard NewsPrint FOGRA 42 PSO_SNP_Paper_eci.icc

Newspaper

Standard NewsPrint IFRA 26 ISOnewspaper26v4.icc

Gravure

LWC Plus ECI_PSR_LWC_PLUS_

V2.txt

PSR_LWC_PLUS_V2_

PT.icc

LWC Standard ECI_PSR_LWC_STD_

V2.txt

PSR_LWC_STD_V2_PT.icc

SC ECI_PSR_LWC_SC_V2.txt PSR_LWC_SC_V2_PT.icc

MF PSRgravureMF_ECI2002.txt PSRgravureMF.icc

CGATS IDEAlliance

Sheet-fed offset

Grade 1 TR006 CoatedGRACol2006.icc

Web-fed offset/gravure

Grade 3 TR003 WebCoatedS-

WOP2006Grade3.icc

Grade 5 TR005 WebCoatedS-

WOP2006Grade5.icc

Newspaper TR002

SNAP_220_2009.icc

(provided by www.

snapquality.com)

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Color management workflows with standard profiles

The diagram below illustrates two typical color management workflows based on standard profiles for creating PDF/X-1a documents for coated paper in the FOGRA39/ISO Coated V2 color space.

The left-hand part of the diagram shows the application of color profiles when creating a PDF/X document for coated paper in the FOGRA39/ISO Coated V2 color space:• Images in the Adobe RGB color space are converted to the

FOGRA39/ISO Coated V2 color space.• To simulate the subsequent printing result on the monitor, the data first

pass through the profile for FOGRA39/ISO Coated V2, and then the monitor profile.

• For the proof, the monitor profile is replaced by the proofer profile.• During data transfer, FOGRA39/ISO Coated V2 is embedded in the

ready-to-print PDF/X file as the color identifier (output intent).

The right-hand part of the diagram shows not only the conversion of a PDF/X-1a file from coated paper to newspaper printing, but also TAC reduction to 300% in the same ISO Coated V2 color space.

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It is advisable to use tailor-made DeviceLink profiles to convert complete PDF files. In this context, ColorLogic offers an extensive portfolio of Device-Link profiles for conversion between numerous printing standards (see our manual "Principles of DeviceLink Technology"). When converting PDF/X files, it is important to embed the correct color identifier (output intent) after conversion. If you use the DeviceLink profiles from ColorLogic in the ZePrA application, the correct output intent is embedded automatically.