Individual Ink Limit and Total Ink Limit

[jasonx]

Just going over my theory again.

For the individual ink limits do you set each color to the point where there is no change in colour within that particular colour? Example Yellow is around 60-70% usually?

With the total ink limit what am I looking for? The point just before the whole column is black? or is it

Look for issues such as bleeding, ink pooling, banding, excessive drying time or any other undesirable printing artifact to determine the maximum amount of ink that the media can accept at this print mode.

These two steps seem to be the only subjective steps in the process besides picking the right template to start with in Versaworks.

 

[Bly]

Setting the single ink limit/restriction is the single hardest/most important part of profiling.
It's hard to be exact by eye, but by using a spectro and using chroma levels it's easy to maximise gamut while using the least possible ink.

I don't use Versaworks so can't give you specific aadvice in but the theory is the same.

What profiling software and hardware are you using?

 

[astro8]

I don't use Versaworks with an i1...I use Ergosoft with a Spectroscan, but the procedure is fundamentally the same and this is what works for me and I'll also add that the profiles I have are far better than the one's from Ergosoft's own website for my GS6000. All my printing these days is point and click.
I don't worry about matching Pantone or spec'd colours...I like it.

What you want to achieve when setting your individual ink limits is a good solid colour. Then keep backing off until you get to the point where you want to add more ink to make it solid...then add 5%. You know it when you see it.
Any more you'll waste ink, any less you won't get what the printer is capable of. Yellow usually sets up at around 10% less than C,M sometimes K as well, depending on the ink.

You can push it up if you like more saturation but it will affect things like Pantone matching, soft graduations in skintones etc...your output won't be natural.

Same with the total ink limit...probably work out somewhere between 240%-260%...not 400% like some 'experts' suggest.

Print a real test image (not some picture of a chick in a bikini!) with the profile you generated..if it looks washed out, jack up the values in relation to each other, if too saturated back them down. Look into the colours and at different angles..if it has a magenta, yellow or cyan cast, you'll see it and you'll know you need to look at those values (Black you'll know instantly as it'll look like crap) If all looks good print out some Pantone and see what's happening there.
Let us know how you get on..

 

[astro8]

Setting the single ink limit/restriction is the single hardest/most important part of profiling.
It's hard to be exact by eye, but by using a spectro and using chroma levels it's easy to maximise gamut while using the least possible ink.

Yeah Bly...that's correct. I thought once Jasonx gets a decent profile and used to profiling he can get into that.

 

[Bly]

Fair enough there's a lot to get your head around when you dive into colour management, but setting your ink restrictions are the base for all the profiles you make. Once they are in place the rest is mostly point and click.

 

[schurms]

I can set all my ink limits in my rip all the time, thats a adjustment. But then again I have a ciberprint rip.
Bruce

 

[jasonx]

Hey guys,

I just got my i1 xtreme package. Also profile maker 5. I will be using versaworks to do the single and total ink limits and then printing the icc targets and scanning these into profile maker to build the actual icc profile.

I was going over the versaworks procedure and just wanted to clarify this. I will be building a profile over the next week or two if I get some downtime.

I know doing these two things affect the quality of the final profile.

 

[Typestries]

here's an interesting tip about limits and subjectivity. While recently reprofiling a machine, i printed the ink limit swatch.

I picked what I thought were the best
I had my designer (30 + years of commercial art exp) pick his
I had my prod. guy (20 years of commercial photography) pick his.

Then we scanned with the I1.

Mine were high, designer were in the middle, and the photographers eye was close or a little low.

POINT IS, there is a huge amount of subjectivity in the ink limit selection. Use your calibrator for best results. Take multiple measurements, and compare the results. As already stated, ink limits are like the foundation on your house. If its wrong, everything else will suffer.

 

[schurms]

There are density standards set up by the offset industry. That's what i try and follow. Magenta and reds in this industry are the tough ones.

Bruce

 

[jasonx]

I think I had a total misunderstanding. After you print the individual ink limit chart you actually scan this target and view the individual channels.

That's a little bit more reassuring then assuming I've selected the individual ink limits right and wasting my time creating a profile on the wrong foundation.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.