Glossary

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Process Printing
Output based from a printing press that uses four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to create the illusion of continuous tone images. For that reason, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are also known as process colors (CMYK).

Proofer
A printing device a service bureau uses to create images as contracts (also called a contract proof) to match in the final output from the offset press. Traditional proofers create prints from negative separations; digital proofers create ink-jet (e.g., IRIS) or dye-sublimation (e.g., Kodak, 3M) composite prints.

Reference Color Space (RCS)
A reference color space is a device-independent theoretical color model used by a CMM (color engine) for translating colors from one device's gamut to another. The CIE Lab is an example of a Reference Color Space. This component is built into the CMM, it is neither alterable nor visible to users.

Render Intent
The method a CMM uses for converting (i.e., mapping) colors from one device's gamut to another. The three methods are called Perceptual, Saturation, and Relative Colorimetric. In PageMaker and Illustrator the names of the rendering intents are called Image, Graphics, and Colorimetric, but they do the same thing.

• Perceptual/Image: Compresses the total gamut from one device's color space into the gamut of another device's color space when one or more colors in the original image is out of the gamut of the destination color space. This preserves the spectral relationship between colors and prevents "clipping," which is where distinctly different colors in one color space appear the same in the destination color space. The disadvantage of this render intent is that all of the original colors will change.
• Saturation/Graphics: Reproduces the original image color saturation (vividness) when converting into the target device's color space. Primarily designed for business graphics, where exact relationships between colors (such as in a photographic image) are not as important as bright colors.
• Relative Colorimetric/Colorimetric: When a color in the current color space is out of gamut in the target color space, it is mapped to the closest possible in gamut color in the target color space, while colors that are in gamut are not affected. This render intent can cause two colors which appear different in the current color space to be the same in the target color space. This is called "clipping." This is the method of color space translation built into Photoshop 4.0 and earlier.

Spectrophotometer
A device that measures either 16 or 32 discreet bandwidths of visible light. When used with software, it can be used to create ICC device profiles for monitors and output devices.

Educational Materials for Digital Printing