(v13) Color management background

This page applies to Harlequin v13.1r0 and later; both Harlequin Core and Harlequin MultiRIP

This section provides an insight into the background of color management. The following topics are covered:

Color conversions in a RIP environment means converting color spaces from the PDL to the color space of the output device. Typically, a given job will have no knowledge of the actual output device to be used, which implies a requirement for color management. In addition to color management, the RIP may perform device calibration. It will also have to quantize output color values, either during screening or converting to contone.

This document describes how to use alternate CMMs to replace the built-in CMM when all components of a color management transform are ICC profiles. An API for use by an alternate CMM is also specified. Other color conversion steps, such as device calibration and quantization, continue to be performed within the RIP’s CMS.

Also described is how to configure the RIP to best suit the color management of most conceivable workflows.

The RIP will also, in some jobs, encounter color conversions that are native to a PDL but are not ICC profiles, for example, CalRGB in PDF, or color rendering dictionaries in the PostScript language. Color transforms involving such components will always be performed by the RIP’s CMS. In order to make use of an alternate CMM, color transform data is required to be contained exclusively within one or more ICC profiles.