Online Print Service and Correct Output?

[Madtoe]

I did a restoration for my client. It's in sepia tone. I have printed the restored photo on my Xerox 7700 laser printer on CMYK mode. The ouput is good. I’m going to burn a CD with the restored photos on it so my client can get more copies made. Now, my question is if she takes a CD to a shop that develops photo printouts, do they print the restored photo as RGB or CYMK? Will the colors be different than my printouts? I used the AdobeRGB as the ICC profile. I never print anything in RGB on my Xerox 7700 laser printer because of the muddy output.

Do all photo developers use the sRGB profile? If so, how much change will the colors be when shifting from AdobeRGB to sRGB profile? Should I convert the restored photo before sending to the online photo print service and prior to burning the restored photos on to CD?

Please advise.

[Vikki]

It really depends on which print service she will use, but.most labs I've dealt with use sRGB.
So really, you should be working with an sRGB profile, that way you will know how to adjust the image. Having your profile set to your printer, only works for you.
If I were you, I would convert the image to sRGB, and save that profile with the jpeg.

[john_opitz]

You can try to ask for a profile(output) for that printer from the vendor. Sometimes asking that right person, they will e-mail you one. If not, asking them which color space for sending files. Most of the time it's sRGB. Its safer to send them in the color space for which they request. *Drawback for using one of their profiles: If they have a process control problem or if they botch the profile, you will get a surprise.
I was using a lab where they were changing the profiles for their printers "often". Sounds like a process control problem...? But that lab does turn out great prints. Remembering, that profiles just records how that printer was processing the color at the time the profile was made. If something happens to the calibration of that printer(drifts). It has to be reprofiled. Or recalibrated the way it was before.

[Doug Nelson]

Many confuse monitor, colorspace, and printer profiles. I blame the OS authors (both of them) since all the profiles get stuffed into the same place and all types are displayed when you only want one type.

Printer profiles are for (wait for it...) printers. There's not even a place for the printer profile in the file. Printer profiles are output profiles, and so do not belong in the file. The only embedded profile that should be used is the colorspace. Using the printer profile for your colorspace profile can lead to many problems.

However, they (the printer profile) can be very handy for soft proofing, but even then you need to ask your service for it, and using them successfully is an art into itself. View>Proof Setup>Custom...

[john_opitz]

<<I blame the OS authors (both of them) Printer profiles are for (wait for it...) printers.>>

Hello Mr. Nelson, Yes I know what you mean by this. A lot to be said about it........... ICC standards is a good way to go. To exchange profiles amoung CMMs'. Adobe has done the most in this dept.

<<The only embedded profile that should be used is the colorspace. Using the printer profile for your colorspace profile can lead to many problems.>>

Yes, I take it ( you mean) to work in a device-independent color space(workspace). sRGB or ARGB.
That's how I do it. Instead of a closed loop/early binding system. This way you can output to several devices instead of just one. And each of the several outputs matching, close to each other.

<<However, they (the printer profile) can be very handy for soft proofing, but even then you need to ask your service for it, and using them successfully is an art into itself. View>Proof Setup>Custom>>

Myself.........I also like to use the profile (output) as a hard_proof. From an inkjet to see how close it prints to a Lamda, lets say. It's not going to be an exact match (you know that). While the wet process is different than an inkjet. For cmyk.........That's a different route.......

[john_opitz]

You know one other thing is..........You can ask for a target print from that lab your using for prints. And calibrate your monitor with it (using monitor controls). It might not be the best way. "I" don't do it that way,but you can do it. The drawback is you can only use the monitor as a referrence for that lab only. Btw,some labs used this method in the past.

[slipchuck]

output

most mid to high end labs accept adobe RGB 1998 for printing

slipchuck