What happens to your CMYK profile at the printers? How does that affect TIC?

Say I work in CMYK, embed the profile in the PDF and send off to the printers. Say it has a TIC of 330%...

Hopefully, the printer will use my profile to print.
Do they ever do that?

They 'strip' my profile and use their own, say a 'similar' 330% TIC profile.
Everything should be okay, then?

They 'strip' my profile and use a profile with say 300% TIC.
Does that put too much ink on the print?

They 'strip' my profile and use a profile with say 400% TIC.
Now my blacks print lighter?

They don't 'strip' my profile and use their own profile on top of it.
Is that possible?

If the profile is 'stripped' from my PDF, what does that mean in fact?  Especially in terms of the TIC?

?

Seamus

Parents Reply
  • Maybe the answer depends on the print shop and how they work?

    Yes!

    Work in RGB and let the press people do the conversion to CMYK.  Modern presses do it better than you ever could with your software package.'

    Yes and no! If the work is going to an inkjet or a RIP driven digital print engine YES work RGB and let the conversion take place in the RIP because the CMYK gamut of these devices is wider than normal CMYK gamuts. No if you're going to a traditional print press, the RGB to CMYK conversions in most cases will be worse in a press RIP.

    'Work in RGB, soft-proofing in the CMYK profile that the press uses.  Export your PDF as CMYK, embedding that profile.  The PDF export does the conversion.'

    No. If you're going to press work in CMYK, choose a CMYK profile based only on the TIC that's as close to the printers recommended CMYK profile as possible and the gray balance that appeals to you. Soft proof the CMYK profile you choose.

    Export PDF as native color unless required to use a PDFX export if required.  The latter is all BS but you can't train some monkeys. Make sure you flatten all transparency.

    "TIP" to check TIC on a CMYK profile create a vector fill with R0 G0 B0, then check to see what the CMYK numbers would be in the fill dialog, add them up that's the TIC of the CMYK profile you've set CorelDRAW to. 

    'Work in CMYK using the profile that the press uses.  Convert your images to CMYK as you work in your document.  Export your PDF using Native color space.'

    For print press work, Yes for 99.9999% of all jobs unless you get some monkey that demands a PDFX of some type. Make sure you flatten all transparency.

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