Using Windows Color Management

Color Management is a feature in Windows 98 or later that improves color consistency and accuracy between images displayed on moni­tors and printed on paper. Color Management also allows you to pre­view how images will look when printed on a specific color printer. Color Management is generally not used for Web images because most Web browsers don’t use Color Management.

You need to use Color Management if any of the following are true:

• Your pre-press provider requires specific color values for a known set of printing conditions.

• You are using the same color graphics for printing on a printer and displaying on a monitor.

• You plan to use international and domestic printing presses.

In order for Windows Color Management to work effectively, you must have proper color profiles for all the devices you are using.

To create proper monitor and printer profiles, you must use third-party color profiling tools that include software or hardware for determining how your monitor and printer produce color. If you do not have custom monitor and printer profiles, using Color Manage­ment is not recommend. For more information on Color Manage­ment, please refer to your Windows documentation.

To use Color Management:

1. Choose File > Preferences > Color Management.

2. Mark the Enable Color Management check box.

3. Choose an option:

4. Basic color management Adjusts how the monitor displays col­ors and how the printer produces colors. Most users should choose this option.

5. Proofing Previews on the monitor how colors will appear on a particular device. This option is best at representing the limita­tions of a particular output device, such as a printer.

4. Select the printer and monitor profiles for your devices in the drop-down lists.

5. For Rendering Intent, select the approach used to map image col­ors to the color gamut of your monitor or printer. The available options depend upon your Windows system. For detailed descrip­tions, see your Windows documentation.

6. If you selected the Proofing option, select the Emulated device profile (the profile of the output device) and the Rendering Intent.

7. Click OK.

Related Topics

Setting General Program Preferences

Resetting Application Preferences

Using Custom Workspaces

Setting File Locations

Setting File Format Associations 

Setting Autosave Preferences 

Setting File Format Preferences 

Customizing Toolbars and Menus

Adjusting Monitor Display Options