Characterization

Characterization determines the color characteristics of your printer.

1. Calibrate your measurement device:
   1. Select the type of measuring device and the port that connects it to your computer.

      Not all devices support calibration from Color Profiler. If the Calibrate button is disabled, you should calibrate your device using the software provided with it before using it with Color Profiler.

   2. If desired, click Settings to set advanced settings for either type of device:

      Illuminant	The light source currently used by the device.
      Observer	The observer angle.
      Status	The status currently used by your colorimeter. If you are unsure which status to use, we recommend using Status A (Automatic). This status will be uniform across all colorimeters.
      Samples	The number of samples that will be taken of each swatch in a test pattern for automated measuring devices.
      Spacing	The amount of spacing between the samples, expressed as a percentage of the width of the swatch. This field is disabled when only 1 sample is specified. The approximate position of the specified samples is displayed in the square below.

      Not all settings are available for all devices.

   3. Click Calibrate.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Import measurement data from another ICC Profile by clicking Measurement Data.

     The color modes of the current ICC Profile and any imported measurement data must match.

   • Import a 3rd party ICC Profile by clicking 3rd party ICC. See Generating ICC Profiles Using Third Party Color Profiling for more information.
   • Print a target and measure it to obtain characterization data:
     1. From Target Setup, select a Style.

        Selecting a large number of swatches will yield better data, but will increase the amount of time required to take the measurements. It is recommended to use the default number of swatches.

        ECI2002	Contains 1485 swatches. This style will give you the most data to create a characterization.
        IT8.7	Contains 928 swatches.
        TC3.5	Contains 432 swatches. This style will give you the least data to create a characterization.

     2. Select a Size.
     3. Click Print Target.
     4. Click the Measure button to measure the swatches with your measuring device.

        After you measure the swatches, check to see that the measured swatches line up with the target swatches.

        

        If you need to remeasure swatches:

        • To remeasure the entire target, click the Measure button.
        • To remeasure a swatch sheet, select a swatch and click the Remeasure one sheet button.
        • To remeasure a swatch strip, select a swatch in the strip that you want to remeasure and click the Remeasure one strip button.
        • To remeasure a single swatch, select the swatch and click Remeasure one swatch button.

          Depending on the type of measurement device you use, the choices for remeasuring may be limited.

3. Click Next.