Each color bar resource consists of a name, artwork, spectrophotometer, and target L*a*b* values per color patch, based on a specified characterization standard.
Component compatibility
When you configure the settings for a new color bar, the software ensures that you make compatible choices:
- After naming the new color bar, you select the spectrophotometer and filter or measurement condition.
- Your Spectrophotometerselection filters the list of available artwork.
- Your Artworkselection then filters the available characterization standards.
- Selecting a Characterization Standardautomatically calculates the Target L*a*b* values.
Artwork choices and associated options
Kodak Proofing Software provides a selection of default artwork and a user-defined artwork option.
Terminology note: In the color bar Artwork list, the word default indicates preinstalled artwork.
Default color bar artwork
This general artwork is available for all spectrophotometers and has 23 patches in a single row. The characterization standard and targets can be based on one of the following options:
- A snapshot of the next reading
- A custom standard with manually provided L*a*b* target values
- A selected ICC profile, which calculates the target L*a*b* values for the basic 23 patches, which include process solids, tints, and overprints plus substrate
Default industry-standard artwork
The software includes a selection of default artwork created by industry-standards organizations.
- Default 3DAP—Digital Data Delivery for Australian Publications artwork with 72 patches in 3 rows; available for SpectroScan, i1iSis, i1iSis XL, and first and second-generation i1 and i1iO spectrophotometers
- Default Fograartwork with 2 rows of patches. The following additional artwork for the Fogra version 3.0 standard is also available:
- Default Fogra V3—3 rows of patches
- Default Fogra V3b—3 rows of smaller patches
- Fogra MKZ1—1 row of patches, for inline spectrophotometers
- Fogra MKZ3—3 rows of patches, for inline spectrophotometers
- Default IDEAlliance 2013—GRACoL 2013 (CGATS 21-2, CRPC-6) artwork with 84 patches in 3 rows; available for first and second-generation i1 and i1iO spectrophotometers and inline spectrophotometers
- Default IDEAlliance—original GRACoL artwork with 54 patches in 2 rows, available for the same spectrophotometers as for IDEAlliance 2013.
- Default JPMA—Japan Printing Manufacturers Association standard artwork; available for SpectroScan spectrophotometers and first and second-generation i1 and i1iO spectrophotometers that are either UV-filtered or M1/M2 capable.
User-defined artwork
When you select user defined artwork for a new color bar, the resource stores only a placeholder for the actual artwork. This artwork has a default of 23 patches in a single row, which you can edit. You can create a custom artwork file using software such as Adobe Illustrator, or you can obtain artwork from an industry-standards organization.
The characterization standard and targets for a user-defined color bar can be based on one of the following options:
- A snapshot of the next reading
- A custom standard with manually provided L*a*b* target values
- A selected ICC profile, which calculates the target L*a*b* values for the basic 23 patches, which include process solids, tints, and overprints plus substrate
After setting up a hot folder for color-managing a new color bar resource, you input the artwork file. The placeholder is automatically replaced by the new artwork.
Target values
Target L*a*b* values for the color bar patches can be based on a proofing standard such as FOGRA or on an ICC profile that corresponds to the selected default industry-standard artwork.
If you manually provide the target L*a*b* values or if you edit the autocalculated values, the selected characterization standard changes to custom. You can optionally save your custom values to a new characterization standard name for this color bar.
Note: For profile-based color bars, you may need to first import and enable the desired source ICC profile. Kodak provides downloadable installers that you can use to add a selection of common source profiles. You can also import custom profiles created in other software.