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1. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
BobLevine Dec 2, 2008 3:17 PM (in response to cgrscott)Of course those monitors can be calibrated but since they're not, all
bets are off.
Bob -
2. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
cgrscott Dec 2, 2008 4:12 PM (in response to cgrscott)I don't have that kind of attitude. They're my customers and I would like to help them calibrate their displays. -
3. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
BobLevine Dec 2, 2008 4:46 PM (in response to cgrscott)This has nothing to do with attitude. You can't calibrate those displays
for them nor can you make them set up proper color management.
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4. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
Dov Isaacs Dec 2, 2008 9:08 PM (in response to cgrscott)There is no monitor calibration built into Windows. Some video driver cards attempt to provide some rudimentary calibration but that is iffy so to speak.
For real color calibration, there are third party screen calibration tools, such as the X-Rite/Pantone ColorMunki calibrators, that can be used to perform color calibration. Such calibration is not difficult, but it does yield a "new" profile for each monitor.
It isn't too clear how you are using color management with InDesign and Acrobat, but I would strongly recommend that you fully embrace ICC color management if you are not doing so already, making sure ALL profiles are embedded in your PDF file (unless you are using PDF/X-4 with InDesign 6 and Acrobat 9 Pro in which case, the output intent profile would not be embedded).
Also, for more critical color soft-proofing Acrobat 9 Pro would be a much better bet than Acrobat 7 Pro. Significant improvements have in color management have been introduced in the last three and a half years since Acrobat 7 Pro was first released.
One final thing ... if you are using spot colors for defining special colors, such as that teal, whether or not you actually print spot or process, you should set InDesign to use the LaB alternate colors instead of CMYK. That will yield more realistic screen colors when viewing your content.
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5. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
Ozzwoman9 Dec 3, 2008 10:16 AM (in response to cgrscott)The easiest way is to associate Pantone colors for your customer's to reference. -
6. Re: Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from Mac version of IDCS3
cgrscott Dec 9, 2008 4:18 PM (in response to cgrscott)Thank you all for your advise.
In the earlier part of this decade I required customers to sign off on a calibrated color contract proof. It was either a Fiery or an Iris color proof, before the job went to film separations. Then I would have the costumer view a match-print made from the film separations. Then the printers went to direct to plate PostScript imaging after I started my own design studio.
I used Adobe PressReady software RIP with my Epson Stylus Photo 1200 to make pre flight proofs that were a dead-nuts representation of what we would eventually receive off the printing press.
With InDesign and Acrobat providing onscreen separation & overprint previews, the need for me to see match-prints went away and that process moved more into the hands of the printer since they were doing direct to plate pre press imaging in-house.
I have color corrected all the photos I use to provide eye-pleasing-color on the printing press. The customers were happy to omit the printed proof stage to save on costs and the printers liked using just PDFs for customer approval because they liked my color correction and they wanted to speed up the process of getting the job approved and onto the press.
In this recent unique circumstance, my customer picked and purchased the stock art for the background of his flyer and mail card which I produced for him. I used InDesign's eye-dropper tool to make the display type the same color as the dominant highlight color in the stock art.
This is a circumstance were a printed color proof would be best and since this customer has a creative eye for color, I will probably ship color proofs to him in the future. I plan to keep the status quo with my other customers, using only emailed PDFs for review because it has been successful this way for a long time and it avoids the cost of color proofs, next day shipping, and lets me work quickly with customers and printers that are hundreds of miles away because of the customers' email accounts and the printers' FTP servers.
I appreciate all the input I have received in these forums.
Rob





