InDesign

Use color management when printing

When you print a color-managed document, you can specify additional color management options to keep color consistent in the printer output. For example, suppose that your document currently contains a profile tailored for prepress output, but you want to proof the document colors on a desktop printer. In the Print dialog box, you can convert the document’s colors to the color space of the desktop printer; the printer profile will be used instead of the current document profile. If you select the Proof color space and target an RGB printer, InDesign converts color data to RGB values using the selected color profiles.

When printing to a PostScript printer, you also have the option of using PostScript color management. In this instance, InDesign sends the document’s color data in a calibrated version of its original color space, along with the document profile, directly to the PostScript printer and lets the printer convert the document to the printer color space. The printer’s color space is stored at the device as a color rendering dictionary (CRD); this makes device-independent output possible. CRDs are PostScript equivalents of color profiles. The exact results of the color conversion can vary among printers. To use PostScript color management, you must have a printer that uses PostScript Level 2 or higher; it is not necessary to install an ICC profile for the printer on your system.

  1. Make sure that you’ve installed the correct driver and PPD for your printer.
  2. Choose File > Print.
  3. If a printer preset has the settings you want, choose it in the Printer Preset menu at the top of the Print dialog box.
  4. Adjust settings as desired for this document.
  5. Click Color Management on the left side of the Print dialog box.
  6. Under Print, select Document.
  7. For Color Handling, choose Let InDesign Determine Colors.
  8. For Printer Profile, select the profile for your output device.

    The more accurately the profile describes the behavior of an output device and printing conditions (such as paper type), the more accurately the color management system can translate the numeric values of the actual colors in a document. (See Working with color profiles.)

  9. Select Preserve RGB Numbers or Preserve CMYK Numbers.

    This option determines how InDesign handles colors that do not have a color profile associated with them (for example, imported images without embedded profiles). When this option is selected, InDesign sends the color numbers directly to the output device. When this option is deselected, InDesign first converts the color numbers to the color space of the output device.

    Preserving numbers is recommended when you are following a safe CMYK workflow. (See Using a safe CMYK workflow.) Preserving numbers is not recommended for printing RGB documents.

  10. Press either Setup (Windows) or Printer (Mac OS) to access the printer driver dialog box.
  11. Turn off color management for the printer, and click Print to return to the InDesign Print dialog box.

    Every printer driver has different color management options. If it’s not clear how to turn off color management, consult your printer documentation.

  12. Click Print.