Introduction
Understanding ICC Color Profiles with Artelo Print-on-Demand
When creating digital artwork meant for printing, artists often struggle with color consistency. The colors they see on their screens might differ from the final printed product due to variations in screens, printers, and materials. At Artelo, we prioritize accuracy in color reproduction, ensuring that what you see on-screen is as close as possible to what we print. This is where ICC color profiles come into play. By using our tailored ICC color profiles for each paper type, artists can make informed adjustments and visualize how colors will appear in print, providing confidence that their artwork will meet expectations.
What is an ICC Color Profile?
An ICC (International Color Consortium) color profile is a standardized data set that describes the color characteristics of a specific device, like a printer, monitor, or scanner. In the context of Artelo's print-on-demand service, our ICC color profiles are specially designed to reflect how colors will render on each of our paper types. This allows artists to soft proof their designs, or preview the printed result on their screen before committing to a print.
For instance, if an artist is designing for one of our fine art papers, they can download the ICC profile for that specific paper type and apply it in Adobe Photoshop. This profile will adjust the on-screen colors to better represent how the artwork will look once printed on our paper, taking into account factors like color gamut, brightness, and contrast unique to that paper type.
Why ICC Color Profiles Matter for Print
Color profiles are essential for bridging the gap between digital artwork and its physical representation. With an ICC profile, artists can expect:
Accurate Color Matching: Every paper type has unique characteristics, and the ICC profile considers these to provide the best match for your on-screen colors.
Reduced Guesswork: Instead of trial and error with printed proofs, artists can trust that what they see during soft proofing closely mirrors the final output.
Professional Quality Control: Artists who understand how their colors will appear in print can avoid unexpected shifts in hue, brightness, or contrast.
How to Use Artelo’s ICC Color Profiles for Soft Proofing in Photoshop
To start soft-proofing your artwork using Artelo’s ICC color profiles, here’s a simple guide:
Instructions for MacOS:
Download the ICC Profile: Visit Artelo's color-matching page, where you’ll find ICC profiles for each of our paper types. Download the appropriate profile for the paper on which your artwork will be printed.
Install the profile on your computer: Once downloaded, install the ICC profile on your computer.
Step 1: Open Finder on your Mac and enter "Command + Shift + G"
Step 2: From there, paste in the folder location:
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/Recommended
Step 3: Enter the folder path into the search bar and the folder will show up
Step 4: Drag in the ICC Color Profile that you downloaded into the folder. The ICC Color Profile should now sit in the Recommended Folder
Setting up Soft-Proofing in Photoshop
Step 1: Restart Photoshop
Step 2: Open your artwork in Photoshop.
Step 3: Go to View > Proof Setup > Custom.
Step 4: In the Device to Simulate dropdown, select the ICC profile you installed.
Adjust Rendering Intent to your preference (usually “Relative Colorimetric” or “Perceptual” work best).
Check Black Point Compensation and Simulate Paper Color for a more accurate preview.
Click OK. This action then applies the proof conditions to your art.
Review and Adjust Your Colors: With the profile applied, you can make color adjustments to achieve the look you want. Soft proofing enables you to preview potential color shifts and modify them before committing to a print.
Using ICC color profiles to soft proof your artwork provides a professional edge, ensuring that your final printed pieces look just as intended. Artelo's commitment to quality control and precision gives artists confidence in how their colors will translate from digital screens to real-world prints. With this tool, you can streamline your process, reduce proofing costs, and deliver artwork with colors that truly come to life.
Pro tip: Use Command + y to toggle the proof colors back and forth
Pro tip: Open up both files side by side
Duplicate original file and open both files using PDF Preview.
Saving your print-ready artwork
Once you're done with your changes, save the file (file --> Save As)
Deselect the Embed Color Profile Option and click save
Click on the Output section
Select Convert to Destination for the Color Conversion option
Choose Coated GRACoL 2006 (ISO 12647-2:2004) as the Destination
Choose Include Destination Profile as the Profile Inclusion Policy
Then click Save PDF
How to Apply ICC Color Profiles in Bulk Using Photoshop Actions
If you have a collection of artwork to soft proof, manually applying an ICC color profile to each file can be time-consuming. Fortunately, Photoshop’s Actions feature allows you to automate this process in bulk, saving time and ensuring consistency. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up an action to apply Artelo’s ICC color profile across multiple images.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Photoshop Action for Bulk Soft Proofing
Download and Install the ICC Profile:
Follow the steps outlined in the How to Use Artelo’s ICC Color Profiles for Soft Proofing in Photoshop section above.
Create a New Action:
Open any artwork file in Photoshop to start recording your action.
Go to the Actions panel (Window > Actions).
Click the Create New Action button (it looks like a plus icon) at the bottom of the Actions panel.
Name your action (e.g., “Apply Artelo ICC Profile”) and click Record. Photoshop is now recording each step you take.
Set Up Soft Proofing:
With the action recording, go to View > Proof Setup > Custom.
In the Device to Simulate dropdown, select the ICC profile you installed for your specific Artelo paper type.
Choose your Rendering Intent (typically “Relative Colorimetric” or “Perceptual”).
Check Black Point Compensation and Simulate Paper Color for an accurate preview.
Click OK to apply these settings.
Save the Image (Optional):
To save a copy of the image with the soft proof applied, go to File > Save As, and specify a save location and format.
If you only want to preview the soft proof without saving changes, you can skip this step. However, if you want to save the adjusted images in bulk, include this step in your action.
Close the File (Optional):
If you're processing a large batch, you may want to close each file after saving. This can also be recorded as part of the action to automate closing the image file.
Stop Recording:
In the Actions panel, click the Stop button. You’ve now created an action that applies the ICC profile settings for soft proofing.
Applying the Action in Bulk
Now that your action is recorded, you can apply it to multiple files in a single batch using Photoshop’s Batch Processing tool:
Open Batch Processing:
Go to File > Automate > Batch.
Select the Action:
In the Batch dialog, select the action you created from the Action dropdown menu.
Choose Source Folder:
In the Source section, choose the folder containing the images you want to process.
Choose Destination Folder:
Under Destination, select where you want the processed images to be saved. You can also specify file naming options to prevent overwriting original files.
Run the Batch:
Click OK to start processing. Photoshop will open each image, apply the ICC color profile for soft proofing, save the result (if you included a save step), and then move to the next image.
With this setup, you can soft-proof multiple images quickly, ensuring each file is correctly adjusted for print with Artelo’s ICC color profile. Using batch processing in Photoshop allows you to streamline your workflow, especially for large projects, ensuring color consistency across all your artwork in an efficient, automated way.