Input / Output profiles?

[Lumpy]

I got a customer asking for input / output profiles from us. What do I tell them?
FYI - They're also asking for what line screen we use, trapping, amount of bleed, and color rotation? What is color rotation?

[beck]

1st the easy question.  Color Rotation is in what order you'll set up the inks on press. 
Our basic rotation is CMYK.

Profiles.  What are they doing with your profiles?  Making proofs?  Plates?  Same devise as yours or a different one?

Need some answers from them before you can help them.  We've been down this dark path before, and it wasn't any fun.

beck

[Lumpy]

Thanks alot Beck. I appreciate your help.

[beck]

No problem...especially for a fellow Brewer fan.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I got a customer asking for input / output profiles from us. What do I tell them?
FYI - They're also asking for what line screen we use, trapping, amount of bleed, and color rotation? What is color rotation?

Input profiles will be the Profiles you use when initially opening or creating color sensitive documents. Adobe 1998, sRGB, CMYK SWOP Coated V2 would be examples. These profiles provide a wider color gamut than persay a specific Profile geared towards a specific machine or imput device. An Output Profile is going to be what you choose based on destination, a printing press. It doesn't matter if you include the profile or not in the file, but it will adapt the characteristics of the intent Profile. All of this can be set up in Photoshop or AI using Color Settings.

Your Linescreen, or LPI... is the frequency of dots you use on final output to plate or film. 150-175 is the norm for offset, however Web and Newsprint can and may use a lower LPI due to the substrates used and ink conditions.

Beck pretty well covered color rotation. It's the order your specific Pressman/s lays down color.

Traps will be the amount of color bleed from one object or image to another. This gives Pressman a little "play room" for registration. Most modern RIPS take care of this automatically, so usually traps are not necessary for the customer to handle. Besides, they wouldn't know how to do it anyway, correctly.

Bleed is the amount of overlap images or colors need to extend beyond the trim. So, if a page trims at 8.5 x 11, you would require .25" over for all 4 sides. The document is essence becomes 8.75" x 11.25".

The questions that are being asked are valid, and really encouraged for proper communication. Most Desingers could really care less.

[Lumpy]

Okay, so why would they need our output profile? Or for that matter, the input profile?
I mean, the output profile doesn't play any role in what the designer is doing right? My color settings in Illustrator are Emulate Adobe 6.0. My settings in Photoshop are custom - sRGB IEC61966-2.1, SWOP (coated), 20% GCR, Light. My settings in Indesign are Emulate Adobe InDesign 2.0 CMS off.  These were set up by a tech when he fingerprinted one of our presses (34DI).  He told me this is how we should keep our settings. Why would the customer need this info?

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

To keep everything on parr with his color. But, to answer your question, Yes it plays a major role. If his output profile differs from yours, the results could become disastrous, especially if he's one of theses ninnys that think they can differentiate visually between 8 bit and 16 bit.

Your previous tech was a moron. Your color settings are all over the place. Why not have all 3 apps using the same Profiles? Is there a reason?

[Lumpy]

Uh, what? I'll have to look into the settings with him.
Isn't there away to sync the color settings for all 3 CS4 apps (AI, ID, PS)?

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Yes. In Bridge. Go to the Edit menu and choose Creative Suite Color Settings. In there you can synchronize them all.

[Lumpy]

Thanks D. Of course I have to ask, whatcha got yours set to? Or for that matter is there a setting most people set theres up to?

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I don't know about everyone else. I do what works for me and my company. That's the beauty of Profiling. Here is a rundown of mine...



I might change the input Profiles depending on the originating platform, ie PC or MAC.

[Lumpy]

So you set up this color setting in Photoshop and then sync the other apps to it in Bridge. Is this right?

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Yeppers.

[Lumpy]

Cool. Thanks again D!

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

No problemo.