Question Gamut

[JFoerg]

Is there a way to tell if a certain color is within a printers color gamut? I have seen illustrations of CMYK color gamuts but don't know how to tell what colors fall inside or outside of it.

Trying to come up with a way to decide when we have come as close to a color as the printer can.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you are using the CMYK color space in your design software, you are technically within gamut by default and the software will usually tell you if you have a color that is not within gamut, in Adobe Illustrator at least. So basically as long as your document is in CMYK mode, it will warn you if you go outside gamut. As far as pushing it to the limit of the gamut, custom color profiling is the way people realize the full gamut of their printer. When you profile your printer on the specific media you are printing on, it essentially tells the RIP, "This is what we are capable of printing." I have seen software that visualizes the gamut and tells you whether your color is within but I can't remember the name. I'm pretty sure it was a profiling software.

To break it down a little, when you are using design software the document has what is called a color space. In the case of printing, usually that color space is CMYK but people do also design in RGB. The way the computer handles these color spaces is with what are called Input Profiles. These profiles are a lot like the color profiles in your RIP except they handle how color is expressed on your monitor. The most common profile for CMYK is called (US WEB COATED SWOP) and this profile is also what tells illustrator to warn you about being out of gamut. Since it is generic, it has no idea what your printer is capable of printing. So if you create your own profile for the CMYK color space that is tied to the gamut of your printer, when you choose a CMYK value in illustrator, it will tell you if you are within gamut or not.

Try it out for yourself if you use Illustrator. Create a new document in CMYK mode and then create a square with an RGB value for like neon green or some thing like that. A little exclamation point will pop up next to the color letting you know you are out of the generic CMYK gamut the input profile is using.

 

[AF]

SWOP is very limiting and as stated above will be safe if you don’t have a sophisticated rip with extended CMYK gamut input profiles and soft proofing.

 

[CIE_Sparrow]

Is there a way to tell if a certain color is within a printers color gamut? I have seen illustrations of CMYK color gamuts but don't know how to tell what colors fall inside or outside of it.

Trying to come up with a way to decide when we have come as close to a color as the printer can.

Thanks in advance.

Hello,

in the beginning I would like apologize for my english.

Gamut is in CIE Lab color space. Better comparable than CMYK+ICC is in L a*b* value. You can use the Delta E to define the color difference. When the color is out of gamut, the deviation will be large.

Score Delta E can be simplified and will work very reliably. In real is more difficult, distance from neutral axis, hue, use type of equation, this is related to ellipsoids and many others).

Simplified Delta E
<1 is unobservable for standard people
1>3< small badly visible
>3<5 visible
>5 disturbing

I suppose you have a photoshop.
The simply way is Profile Maker from X-rite and tool "ColorPicker". Demo version is free and for your needs is sufficient.
https://www.xrite.com/service-support/downloads/p/profilemaker_v5_0_10

1. Open Photoshop, double click to "color picker"
2. Click to your interested color
3. Now you know Lab values



4. Open "ColorPicker" and open output ICC profile yours printer (or other standard profiles which characterize the printer and the material - gamut)
5/6. Insert measured Lab value from photoshop
7. This is entered color
8. This is simulated color which the printer should print
9. This is deviation between color in your data and assumed color at output from you printer
This is OK, Delta E is low and colors are very similar. Color is in output gamut



Next picture. Big deviation in delta E and very difference between entered color and assumed color at output from printer. This color is out of output gamut.



I hope will be helpful.


Regards
Vi

 

[bteifeld]

Colorthink Pro from Chromix helps you see how an image's unique colors fit within the posssible gamut of an icc profile

 

[Pauly]

Is there a way to tell if a certain color is within a printers color gamut? I have seen illustrations of CMYK color gamuts but don't know how to tell what colors fall inside or outside of it.

Trying to come up with a way to decide when we have come as close to a color as the printer can.

Thanks in advance.

Soft proofing in photoshop helps!

If you install your printers ICC profile (just by double clicking the icc profile)
Then go View - Proof Setup - Custom. From there you just click the drop down box at "device to simulate" and find your printer icc profile.
You can click preview on and off to see the difference.

Colorthink Pro from Chromix helps you see how an image's unique colors fit within the posssible gamut of an icc profile

That's another way, Works well too.
Great program for reviewing profiles.