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To create successful color documents and presentations, you can take advantage of the 
features of color management software as they are implemented by the Color Server 
and on your desktop computer. This chapter is devoted to various elements of color 
management that contribute to predictable color results.

 

A 

 

 is a “translator” between the 

 

the source device (for example, the monitor or a scanner) and the color space of the 
destination device (for example, the printer). It compares the color space in which the 
source image was created to the color space in which the job will be output, and adjusts 
the colors in the document to maintain consistency across different devices. A CMS 
typically uses a device-independent color space, such as CIELAB, as its intermediate 
color space. To perform its translation, a CMS needs information about the color space 
of the source image and the 

 

 of the printer. This information is provided 

through 

 

, often created by the makers of the computer monitor or printer. 

The end product of a CMS conversion is a printed document or an image file in the 
gamut of a particular printer.

There has been progress toward standardization in the field of digital color 
management systems. Both the Windows and Mac OS operating systems support an 
industry standard format developed by the International Color Consortium (ICC). 
This ICC format is implemented on Windows computers as Image Color Matching 
(ICM) and on Mac OS computers in ColorSync. More and more software developers 
are also incorporating color management systems into high-end applications. 
The Color Server color management system, 

 

, supports this standard 

profile format.

 

Before you can print a color document, the color data in it must be converted to the 
gamut of the printer. Whether performed by the Color Server or a host-based 

 

, 

the process of converting color data for a printer is the same: the CMS interprets 

 

 

image data according to a specified 

 

 and adjusts both RGB and CMYK 

data according to a specified 

 

, also called a destination profile by some 

color management systems.

The source profile defines the RGB color space of the image’s source—characteristics 
such as the 

 

 

, and the type of 

 

 used. The output profile 

defines the gamut of an output device, such as a printer. The Color Server (or the 
host-based CMS) uses a device-independent color space to translate between the 

 

 and the color space of the output device.

The Color Server allows you to specify default and override settings for the source 
color space information and the output profile information (see the 

 

When you use these settings, you do not need to use the features of other color 
management systems. Your Color Server software includes 

 

other color management systems, although conflicts may arise when the Color Server 
CMS is used in conjunction with a host CMS.

You can also use color management systems to adjust color data to the gamut of an 
output device other than the one to which you are printing. This process of simulating 
another output device is commonly used for proofing jobs that will be printed on 
an offset press. The Color Server simulation feature is described in detail in the

 

The type of print job and the final output device—Color Server or offset press—
determines the workflow that allows you to achieve the best results. For information 
about choosing workflows, see 

 

The Color Server color management system, 

 

 is designed to provide both 

casual and expert users the best color output for a variety of purposes. Several 
applications also provide their own color management system. This guide describes 
how to optimize print output using both ColorWise color management and 
application color management.

The Color Server can intelligently manage the printed appearance of 

 

 

and 

 

. You can allow the Color Server to manage color for most color 

printing jobs without adjusting any settings.

A desktop (host-based) color management system uses 

 

 to convert colors 

from one device gamut to another (see 

). The color data is converted when 

it passes from one application to another or when the job is sent to the printer; thus, 
the processing occurs on your computer, as opposed to the Color Server.

Conventional color management systems typically address only color conversions, 
and they occupy your computer processor. When you use ColorWise, jobs leave 
your computer faster, and are processed more quickly on the Color Server.

The advantages to ColorWise color management versus desktop (application) color 
management include:

• Relieving your computer from performing additional processing. Delaying color 

conversions until the color data reaches the Color Server frees your computer so that 
you can continue working, and color conversions on the Color Server are, in most 
cases, much faster than similar conversions on a host computer.

• Eliminating the potential for undesirable color management-related conflicts, 

such as iterative color conversions and inconsistent color. The Color Server applies 
global corrections to specific groups of RGB, CMYK, and spot colors to avoid 
such conflicts.

• Accepting RGB files in addition to larger CMYK files from applications, which 

minimizes network traffic and enables jobs to print faster.

ColorWise uses ICC profiles to convert colors to the device gamut or simulate other 
devices, such as an offset printing press. ColorWise manages color conversions for all 
users printing to the Color Server from Windows and Mac OS computers. It allows 
users to follow a simple workflow with minimal intervention using robust default 
settings, while giving advanced users the control and precision they need.

Your Color Server user software includes several types of color reference pages that 
allow you to see the range of colors that can be printed on your printer. For predictable 
color, use the color reference pages when defining the colors in your document.

The resources available are: 

• RGB Color Reference—a Microsoft Word file and a Microsoft PowerPoint file that 

allow you to view the colors available in the standard palettes of office applications 
and to see how those colors print on the Color Server (see 

• CMYK Color Reference—an 11-page downloadable PostScript file of CMYK color 

patches (see 

• Process Simulation of PANTONE Solid Coated Colors—a 19-page downloadable 

PostScript file of color patches showing CMYK equivalents of PANTONE Coated 
colors. This file prints differently depending on the setting of the Spot Color 
Matching option (see 

In addition, you can print RGB, CMY, and PANTONE color charts from the 
Color Server.