Images in indesign are changing colour when printed 1

[hailes09]

I importent CMYK images from photoshop into indesign. (Previously RGB didn't print good either) On the screen the images look good, but when I print the images they are dark and dull, they look completely different.
My colour settings are at U.S. Prpress default, is this right? When I export the indesign file to a PDF, the printing is just as bad.
Please Help.

 

[jmgalvin]

What kind of printer are you using. If it's a normal inkjet, not postscript, it will not recognize cmyk and will output rgb. If you're usi9ng an inkjet, there are probably many variables you can set in teh print window to enhance output.

Try turning color management off in both ID and Photoshop. If you are going to color manage, make sure you have the same profiles in all applications.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[hailes09]

Thanks for the tips, I'm getting a printing centre to print it for me and they said the images must be CMYK. After changing it, it still printed out dark and dull.
The color management settings are the same for photoshop, indesign and acrobet on my computer, so I'm not sure what's happening there?
I did notice looking back again some of my images have embedded color profiles and some don't, is that part of the problem?

 

[hailes09]

If the color embedded images are the problem, how do I change it?

 

[jmgalvin]

If you want to match profiles, open Photoshop and set the color setting to the same as ID. Or, if you don't want to color manage, open a pic in Photoshop, and go to Image Menu/Mode/Assign Profile and select Don't color manage.

For defaults in Photoshop you can go to Color Settings and turn management off.

Once you have selected the RGB value in any color matching scheme, you have to calibrate your monitor. On Mac this can be done from System Preferences/Monitor/color. On a PC, look to see if you have Adobe Gamma and use that. The ONLY way to get true color on the screen is to use a third party hardware calibrator such as a Pantone EyeOne.

Please understand that, if you're going to commercial print, all color output must be cmyk. It's next to impossible to match that on a common inkjet. A proofing inkjet with a rip will cost about $1000 and up.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[hailes09]

I've been playing around, checking all my colour settings, and they are consistant through all my adobe progams.
I think want's happening is when I export my indesign file into a PDF, the PDF is reading it as RGB even though the images are CMYK.
How do I make sure when I print the PDF that it prints CMYK not RGB?

 

[jmgalvin]

First of all, do you have a postscript printer? Without that cmyk is pointless.

If you do want to export a cmyk choose the Press setting in the PDF export presets. Under that the color is cmyk. To see that, just click on the Advanced tab of the pdf export window and see Color. It can be changed to RGB if desired and saved as a different preset.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[Lessa]

Do you have a high-end calibrated monitor? Most monitors don't show accurate colors. Are you printing to an inkjet? I've had more luck getting nice colors from an inkjet by messing around with the print driver settings in the print dialog box than with worrying about color settings for the photos. On a Mac, using OS X, you have different options for quality & media and color options. I assume a PC would have similar options (if you're on a PC).

 

[jgwatkins]

I am having the same problem but I sent my document to my printer and my Fuji proofs look nothing like it did on my monitor. I know my motior isn't totally accurate, but I didn't expect it to be that off. I am using a G5 but I don't have a Mac monitor, is the monitor just bad?

 

[jmgalvin]

OSX has built in calibration but it's not that simple. You can go to sytem prefs/displays and click on color.

White point at 9300 is pretty common. 1.8 gamma is standard mac gamma. 2.2 = Windows. If you check Adobe RGB in the display profile and then Calibrate you might get a better match if you select adobe rgb in teh rgb part of your color setting in adobe apps.

Follow th instructions and calibrate teh thing. You can try advanded mode to give more control. Also in the color part of the display preferences click preferences and prepress for calibration accuracy.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[apepp]

...just to add...

...there is a superior visual calibrator than apples in built one here:

http://www.bergdesign.com/supercal/

andrew

 

[apepp]

...to work out if your printer is a cmyk printer or an rgb printer run this test...

...chances are it is an rgb desktop, in this case, do all your work in an rgb colour space (adobe rgb 1998) to be able to proof to your desktop device...

...worth trying this link to see...

http://www.webstir.com/color_management/RGBorCMYKprinter.html

...note that you either let the application you are printing from handle the colour or you let the printer driver deal with colour management, if you have both turned on you will likely get messy results, i would let the application deal with the colour in most cases...

...in reality, for colour management to really work, every type of paper you print on needs a meausured profile. It's a big area to deal with and the majority of us have to put up with canned or supplied profiles from the printer manufaturers...

...a good link to get an idea of this is from russel brown, demonstrating an epson workflow along with colour profile setups and handling...

...scroll to the bottom of the page...

http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

...another good link to follow is this one, need a good deal of spare time to digest it all though, colour management in depth...

http://www.normankoren.com/color_management.html

andrew

 

[apepp]

...colour has come along way with digital management, still an art though rather than an exact science...

...we have the lastest pantone system books, they last 12 months or there abouts and fade after time, general wear and tear...

...when we got the latest book from pantone, we instructed a design agency to purchase one too, turns out the main pantone distribution centre is on our industrial estate. So handed with our new pantone book and the old one the designers used we went to buy the designers a brand new one for their studio...

...told the assistant that the old book the designers were using was five years old, the difference was huge...

...not only that the new book the assistant dragged out his box was differnt to our new one, off he went to pull another one out...

...yes different too...

...so many variables in printing it is difficult to control, pantone are unlikely to admit this though as they do well at selling calibration units...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...yes i was a bit off the thread really, slightly side tracking, but you know what i mean i hope...

andrew

 

[jgwatkins]

Thanks for all of the great tips!

I definitely have a rgb printer and I have been doing all of my work in rgb, but I have not been using my rgb printer to proof my work because I figured it would be so far off from the offsett printing result anyway. I have been relying way too much on my monitor, which was not calibrated before yesterday.

I basically have two questions:
1) Do I now calibrate my monitor with the piece that I sent to the printer on the screen while I am also looking at their Fuji proofs on my desk, and make them look as close as possible? Will this prevent my screen from being so different from the printer in the futire?
2)You talked about working in rgb so that I can proof it on my printer. Does that mean that when I am working and printing in RGB what I print on my printer will be similar to waht the offset will look like? I have really not been using my own printer because I don't trust it. (just an HP business inkjet 1200)

I did go to school for this but I am fresh out of school and this is the first time I have actually sent something so big to print, this is a 48 page showbill. I guess a lot of it is that I will get better at the whole color thing over time? (I hope!)

Thanks! This website is great!

 

[RegistrationMark]

Do not do color correction at your desk!! i assume you live in a cubicle with flourescent lighting. Color should be judged in daylight conditions (D5000) or in a light booth with lighting at 5000K. At least take the proof outside to judge color if you don't have daylight conditions indoors.( Flourescent lighting casts green, incandescent lighting casts yellow, red. )
Your printer that takes an RGB file and generates a CMYK proof, will not look like offset printing. If you can somehow find a postscript printer, that'll take CMYK, use that. At least then you can send the SAME file to your proofing machine as you send to the offset printer.
Mark

 

[apepp]

...yes registration mark is correct, an inkjet printer is design to give you flashy bright prints for the person to print out some bright pictures from their recent holiday or something...

...if colour is critical to any of your projects, i would strongly recommend a contract proof from the printer you are about to use. the proofs they generate are calibrated to the press they will use to print the job...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...in answer to your questions...

1) Do I now calibrate my monitor with the piece that I sent to the printer on the screen while I am also looking at their Fuji proofs on my desk, and make them look as close as possible? Will this prevent my screen from being so different from the printer in the futire?

...well this is a method i have heard people using before, not ideal but a step i would use with great caution, in a nutshell stick to using a visual calibrator for now, and calibrate often too as your monitor will deterorate over time...

...work in rgb mode using Adobe RGB (1998) colour space in general, if needing your images for websites, convert them from this color space to the sRGB profile...

2) You talked about working in rgb so that I can proof it on my printer. Does that mean that when I am working and printing in RGB what I print on my printer will be similar to waht the offset will look like? I have really not been using my own printer because I don't trust it. (just an HP business inkjet 1200)

...the straight answer to this is no it won't, you can get a very rough estimate by choosing the view > proof colors option, you need to go to proof setup first and choose a cmyk profile first. bear in mind this is rough and will not really substitute a proper hard proof from your printer...

andrew