(v13) N-Color ICC profiles

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

The RIP supports the use of N-color profiles. They may be used in the /Profile and /InputColorSpace slots of the setreproduction operator, and in ICCBased color spaces. For example:

<<

/Profile (iccprofiles/CMYKOG.icc) (r) file

>> setreproduction

uses the N-color profile, CMYKOG.icc, to convert color to an XG device that uses orange and green colorants in addition to CMYK. And this example:

<<

/Profile (iccprofiles/WideCMYK.icc) (r) file

/NextDevice <<

/InputColorSpace [ /ICCBased (iccprofiles/Wide-CMYKOG.icc) (r) file ]

>>

>> setreproduction

which converts color to a wide gamut CMYK space using WideCMYK.icc, before using the DeviceLink profile, Wide-CMYKOG.icc, to convert to the same XG device. This subject is discussed in more detail in (v13) XG Color Management.

ColorantTableTag and ColorantTableOutTag

The RIP requires knowledge of the color components used in N-color profiles. Without this knowledge, the profile is rejected, and RIP throws an error.

Colorant information is supplied in N-color profiles using the standard ICC tags, colorantTableTag and colorantTableOutTag. These tags have the ICC signatures of clrt and clot respectively, and are often used synonymously:

colorantTableOutTag (clot) is required for the output colorants of a DeviceLink profile as shown as Wide-CMYKOG.icc in the above examples.
colorantTableTag (clrt) is required for other uses in N-color profiles. As shown as CMYKOG.icc in the above examples. It is also required when the N-colors are the input side of a DeviceLink profile, for example, in CMYKOGCMYK.icc as used in "N-Color ICC profiles".

It is possible to produce a DeviceLink profile that uses N-colors for both the input and output. The RIP requires these profiles to have both the colorantTableTag and colorantTableOutTag.

The ICC specification does not require these tags. N-color profiles without them are legal, but the RIP cannot use them.

N-Color ICC-based color spaces

N-color ICC-based color spaces are rarely used in jobs. When they are, they are internally converted to DeviceN color spaces with the original ICC based used as the alternate space. These are then handled in the same manner as other DeviceN color spaces. See (v13) Decomposing a DeviceN colorant list.