[Openicc] Introduction / Gutenprint

[Bob Friesenhahn]

Beyond telling the printer driver which profile describes the existing 
image data, and which profile describes the printer, what additional 
functions are required of an open color management system in order to 
support printing?

>From what I see, the role of application software stops at producing 
RGB or CMYK output, after which the image (or document) is passed to 
the printer driver for any additional processing.  If this is true, 
then there should be no need to discuss the exotic color models used 
by some printers since that is a problem for the printer driver to 
take care of.  It is the whole point of having a driver.

It seems pretty clear that color management at the application 
"workflow" level is considerably different than color management of 
complicated output devices with more than four inks.

In the case of printers with many non-standard inks, processing which 
would normally have been done in the printer's firmware has been moved 
into the host computer in order to make the base printer cheaper so 
that more money may be made by selling consumables.  Often the ink 
cartridges for these printers costs more in total than the printer 
itself.  Many tricks may be used to obtain better operation from the 
printer, many of which are not capable of being described by a CMS 
profile.

Bob
======================================
Bob Friesenhahn
bfriesen at simple.dallas.tx.us, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/