Operation Manual

338 | Corel DESIGNER X7 User Guide
Managing colors for print
By default, Corel DESIGNER does not perform color conversions when a document is sent to the printer. The printer receives the color values
and interprets the colors. However, if there is a color profile associated with the printer in the operating system, Corel DESIGNER detects the
color profile and uses it to convert document colors to the color space of the printer.
If you have a PostScript printer, you can let Corel DESIGNER or the PostScript printer perform any necessary color conversion. When Corel
DESIGNER manages the color conversion, document colors are converted from the assigned color space to the color space of the PostScript
printer. Note that you must disable color management in the printer driver. Otherwise, both application and printer manage colors during
printing, and document colors are corrected twice, which causes unwanted color shifts.
When the PostScript printer converts document colors, the color management feature must be enabled in the printer driver. Only PostScript
printers and RIP engines that support printer color conversions can be used in this advanced method. Although it increases the file size, this
method has the advantage of ensuring consistent colors when you send the same print job to different print service providers.
For more information about reproducing colors for print, see “Printing colors accurately” on page 572.
You can also manage colors in PDF files that you create for commercial printing. For more information, see “Specifying color management
options for exporting PDF files” on page 614.
Using a safe CMYK workflow
Often, you may use specific CMYK color values in your projects. To ensure reliable color reproduction, you may obtain these CMYK color
values from a color swatch book. By preserving these CMYK color values throughout the printing process, you can help prevent unwanted
color conversions and ensure that colors are reproduced as they appeared in the original design. A workflow that preserves the CMYK color
values is known as a “safe” CMYK workflow.
Corel DESIGNER supports a safe CMYK workflow. By default, CMYK color values are preserved in any document that you open, import, or
paste. Also, CMYK color values are preserved by default when you print documents.
In some cases, you may want to bypass the safe CMYK workflow and preserve the appearance of CMYK colors when you open, import, or
paste documents. This option is useful when you want to see the original colors of a design on-screen, or view a copy that is printed to a
desktop printer. To preserve the appearance of CMYK colors, you can set color management policies that convert CMYK colors in documents
that you open, import, or paste. In addition, when printing to a PostScript printer, you can convert CMYK colors to the printer color profile
by disabling the Preserve CMYK numbers check box on the Color page of the Print dialog box.
Managing colors for online viewing
Managing colors for online viewing can be even more complex than managing colors for print. Documents and images on the web are
displayed on a great variety of monitors, which are often uncalibrated. In addition, most web browsers do not support color management
and ignore the color profiles that are embedded in files.
When you design documents for exclusive web use, it is recommended that you use the sRGB color profile as your document RGB color
profile and choose RGB colors. If a document contains a different color profile, you should convert document colors to sRGB before saving
the document for use on the web.
When you create a PDF file for online viewing, you can embed color profiles in the file to reproduce colors consistently in Adobe Reader and
Adobe Acrobat. For more information, see “To specify color management options for exporting PDF files” on page 614.
When you start a new document that is destined for online viewing, you can choose a preset that can help you achieve good color results. In
addition, Corel DESIGNER offers color management presets for web documents. For information about how to choose a color management
preset, see “To choose a color management preset for new documents” on page 334.