When you print an image taken by a digital camera or scanner, the printed image usually looks different from what you see on your screen, because each device produces colors differently.
In a color management workflow, the profile of an input device is called an input profile (or source profile), and an output device, such as a printer, is called a printer profile (or output profile). (For a digital camera, the ICC profile may be specified as sRGB, AdobeRGB, etc.) An ICC profile must be prepared for each printer model and each paper type. In this color management system, a color definition file called an ICC profile is used to match colors between the input and output devices. When using the printer driver’s color management, the operating systems’ color management is also used. To adjust for the color differences between devices, use both the color management system provided by your operating system and image editing software.Įach operating system supports a color management system, such as ICM for Windows and ColorSync for Mac OS. Since devices such as digital cameras, scanners, monitors, and printers produce color differently, your printouts may look different from the image you see on your screen.
