Specifications

11. Managing Color
This chapter offers a brief introduction to color management and color basics. It explains how you
can use Enfocus PitStop Server to obtain an accurate, high-quality reproduction of the colors in
your PDF documents.
11.1 About Color Management
Color monitors and color printers reproduce color in completely different ways.
A color management system (CMS) is a collection of tools designed to reconcile the different color
capabilities of scanners, monitors, and printers to ensure consistent color throughout the creation,
display and print process. Ideally, this means that the colors displayed on your monitor accurately
represent the colors of the final output. It also means that different applications, monitors and
operating systems will display colors consistently.
11.2 Color models
The RGB color model
A monitor uses red, green, and blue (RGB) light to create colors. Combining the full intensities of
all three colors makes white. RGB colors are used for lighting, video, and monitors. Your computer
monitor creates color by emitting light through red, green, and blue phosphors.
Figure 4: RGB color model
The CMYK color model
A printing press uses a CMYK color model, in which three colors of transparent ink (cyan — C,
magenta — M, and yellow — Y) are combined along with black (noted as K, derived from “key
color”) in varying amounts to create different colors. CMYK inks filter the white light that reflects
back from the paper and subtract some of the red, green, and blue light from the spectrum. The
color we see is what’s left.
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