Color matching
As a color matching (English Color matching or Image colormatching ) is known in the digital imaging color matching for monitor -Bildausgaben in terms of input devices , such as camera , scanner or digital camera , and output devices such as printers and plotters , but also for the multi-color printing to the greatest possible Maintain color fidelity from the original to the final product. This procedure is necessary in order to match different color models such as RGB (monitor) and CMYK to one another in the prepress stage , since the screen output can only insufficiently simulate a subtractive color mixture .
As a rule, the color is matched with the help of color tables or color fans according to defined systems of solid colors and spot colors such as B.
which are compared with the display on the calibrated screen. In order to compensate for even the smallest differences, these color systems are adapted to the respective printing material (different types of paper , plastics , textiles , but also metals , glass or ceramics in the screen printing process ).
Optical measuring devices such as B. Spectrophotometer , a type of hand scanner that measures the spectral reflectance values of a reference color . There are also numerous software solutions that can compensate for the "individual" properties of individual input devices - mostly these are color casts. In addition, platelets made of solid- colored or transparent plastics are used for the product design , which help in CAD work to assess the color of the end product before the prototype is manufactured .
Current operating systems and image processing programs offer color matching by ICC profile -supported color management (color management), which among other things, the device-neutral treatment of spot colors on the Lab color space allows definitions.