O
VERVIEW
OF
C
OLOR
M
ANAGEMENT
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ONCEPTS
10
Using ColorWise and application color management
The Color Server CMS, ColorWise, is designed to provide casual and expert users the best
color output for a variety of purposes. Several applications also provide their own CMS.
This document describes how to optimize print output using ColorWise color management
and application color management.
The Color Server intelligently manages the printed appearance of
RGB
,
CMYK
, and
spot
colors
. You can allow the Color Server to manage color for most color printing jobs without
adjusting any settings.
A desktop (host-based) CMS uses ICC profiles to convert colors from one device gamut to
another (see
“Desktop Color Primer”
on page 60). The color data is converted when it passes
from one application to another or when the job is sent to the printer; thus, the processing
occurs on your computer, as opposed to the Color Server.
Conventional color management systems typically address only color conversions, and they
occupy your computer processor. When you use ColorWise, jobs leave your computer and
are processed faster on the Color Server.
The advantages to ColorWise color management versus desktop (application) color
management include the following:
• Relieving your computer from performing additional processing. Delaying color
conversions until the color data reaches the Color Server frees your computer so that
you can continue working. Color conversions on the Color Server are, in most cases,
much faster than similar conversions on a host computer.
• Eliminating the potential for undesirable color management-related conflicts, such as
iterative color conversions and inconsistent color between applications. The Color Server
applies global corrections to specific groups of RGB, CMYK, and spot colors to avoid
such conflicts.
• Accepting RGB files in addition to larger CMYK files from applications, which minimizes
network traffic and enables jobs to print faster.
ColorWise uses ICC profiles to convert colors to the device gamut or simulate other devices,
such as an offset printing press. ColorWise manages color conversions for all users printing
to the Color Server from Windows and Mac OS computers. It allows users to follow a simple
workflow with minimal intervention using robust default settings, while giving advanced
users the control and precision that they need.
