Simulating printing

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ColorThink Pro can be used to provide precise color information of a color list even before it gets printed. This requires a color list and the profile representing the printing workflow.

This will define where colors in a color list end up when a profile is applied.

This is sometimes called "pushing color numbers through a profile".

  1. A reference file, containing only device data (in this case, CMYK numbers) is brought into CTP. It opens automatically into the Worksheet. There was no profile embedded in this color list.
  2. A profile of the same color space (in this case, CMYK) is clicked and dragged onto the CMYK image. The Worksheet automatically assigns the profile to the color list, calculates the Lab values and presents the Lab data in the Colors section. If the intention is to accurately simulate printing through the profile, be sure and change the default rendering intent from Rel Colorimetric to Absolute Colorimetric. This will ensure that the whites will reflect the white point of the profile.
  3. This Lab color list can be graphed or saved to disc as a color list that now contains actual color information in the form of Lab values.


Bring the color list into ColorThink Pro
Lab values are calculated, and can be saved as a new color list.


Creating a CMYK / RGB only file

Choose Source and de-select Lab

If your file contains device values and measurement values, you can also use ColorThink to strip out the measurement values so that you have only device values.

  1. Open the file into the Worksheet.
  2. Click the file name and choose Save List as...
  3. In the save dialog box, choose the "Source" checkbox to save device values (CMYK or RGB), and un-check the box for "Destination."

The file that is saved will be a text file containing only the device values.

This file can be used in the procedure above.



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