Ink Settings
The ink settings are required for DotProof and separation profiles. For ContoneProof profiles, the ink settings are not relevant.
The Ink Settings are available on Characterization and Project level.
In a project, the Ink Settings button is available on the Proof and Separation tabbed page. On the Proof page, you can edit the ink settings of all colors used in the project. On the Separation page, you can edit only the actual output colors as defined by the Target Color Space.
- Click Ink Settings on the Tools & Actions panel to edit the ink settings.
Screening Settings (1).
These settings are mandatory for calculating DotProof and separation profiles. Including the imagesetter resolution, the screening settings should match the actual target printing conditions you want to simulate, e.g. as used for creating the 1-bit files of the iteration chart (see "Optimizing the Profile Quality").
Different screening grids serve to avoid moiré patterns. If you want to print with more than four inks, you can use the same grid for complementary colors, as complementary colors normally do not overprint. For example, Red can have the same grid as Cyan, and Green the same as Magenta. If the colors strongly differ in lightness, however, they should use different screening grids.
The screen angles of the separate channels should be shifted at least by 15° towards each other for avoiding moiré effects. Instead of defining each angle separately, you can use one of the typical presets (> Screen Configuration).
If the screening settings used when producing the 1-bit files differ from the ones in the characterization (e.g. when using 1-Bit Creator in GMG ColorProof), the first ones should be used.
Usage (2).
The Ink Usage defines how a color will be handled during profile calculation. It also influences the choice of patches and the total number of patches in iteration test charts used for DotProof profiling.
Ink Usage
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Separation
(Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, other) |
Select this option for image separations and important colors (including spot colors) that need to be reproduced in a detailed way. Inks that are defined as separations are profiled with all overprint information available in the characterization. When calculating a separation profile, all output inks need to be defined as Separation except Contrast (Black). |
| Contrast (Black) | Use this option for shadow-enhancing colors such as black. |
| Spot Color | Select this option for colors that are used only as typical spots and are not part of the image separation. |
| Solid Only | Use this option for all colors that are used only as full tone. |
| Color Database | GMG OpenColor will use this Usage type if you are adding a whole spot color library to a project as an "ink". You can do this if you are using a project to dynamically generate proof profiles from a fixed set of colors plus colors from a spot color library, for example, CMYK + a spot color library. |
Overprint behavior
The overprint behavior depends on the Screening and Usage settings in the Ink Settings dialog box.
Colors set to the same Screening Type will overprint only with solids. For example, if Cyan and Orange are set to Configuration 2, Cyan will only print with solid Orange and vice versa. This is indicated by the filled square icon in the overprint preview on the right.
You can click the icons in the overprint preview to change the overprint behavior. For example, you could set the overprint behavior of Cyan and Orange to No Overprint. This would be indicated by a dash icon.
When calculating separation rules, the Total Area Coverage and the overprint behavior defined in the project are taken into account. This prevents overinking and moiré effects in the print production.
See also: