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Calibrate, Calibration

SmartNote: 17
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
Calibration is the act of returning a device to factory, or some other, known specification. It does not characterize the device in the way a Profile does, but calibration should always be performed prior to building a profile.
Re-calibrating a device sometime after a profile was built should return the device to the state where the profile is valid and can continue to be used.

See Also

Term: Profiling

X-platform color

SmartNote: 172
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
see Cross-platform color

See Also

Term: Cross-platform color

xyY

SmartNote: 173
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
The xyY color space is a transformation of the CIE XYZ color space onto 2 dimensions. This allows the illustration of color using a graph like the Chromaticity Diagram and it removes the luiminance component of color.

The formulas for determining xyY are as follows:

x = X/(X+Y+Z)
y = Y/(X+Y+Z)
Y = Y

See Also

Term: CIExyY, xyY

Characterization

SmartNote: 174
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
see Profile

See Also

Term: Profile

Dot Gain

SmartNote: 175
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
Ink Absorption and Dot Gain
If the stock you are using is absorbent and the inks are liquid (as opposed to wax or toner as in many proofing printers) then the ink will "wick" into the paper as it is applied. This makes the dots fuzzier and larger and is called Dot Gain. For example, if you print a 10% cyan square on the page and then take a reading of the square with a Densitometer, you may find that it is in fact a 15% cyan square. This means your printer or press has a 5% dot gain.
What do I do about it? A printer profile should automatically take dot gain into consideration and compensate for it. This is yet another reason to profile for every paper stock you use, as each one will affect ink differently.

See Also

Term: Ink
Term: Stock

Color Separations

SmartNote: 177
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
When an image is prepared for printing, it is converted from its color space (whatever that may be, often RGB) into the color space of the printing device. When that occurs, a separate image is created for each color ink on the printing device. These are the Separations.

For instance, in printing to a CMYK printer your image is split into separate Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black images. Each image corresponds to the amount of ink of each color that the printer requires to reproduce the image in "full" color. (simulate full color by combining the separations). There can be an infinite number of CMYK combinations that will reproduce the image and each group of separations is unique to the specific output device. This makes color separation as much an art as it is a science.

See Also

Term: CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Term: Process color
Term: Spot color

Color Temperature

SmartNote: 179
Type: Term
ColorGeek factor: unrated
Color Temperature and White Point are, for most purposes, the same thing. It is the color of a monitor?s or other light source?s interpretation of white.

Color Temperature is expressed in degrees Kelvin. Kelvin degrees are similar to degrees Celsius but start 273 degrees lower at absolute zero (0 degrees Celsius - freezing - is 273 degrees Kelvin)

See Also

Term: Blackbody, Black Body Radiation
Term: White point
Term: Kelvin