[Openicc] [argyllcms] Re: Re: OT: PDF frustration

[Graeme Gill]

Leonard Rosenthol wrote:

>     If the PDF in question is compliant with any of the ISO PDF "subset 
> standards" (PDF/X, PDF/A or PDF/E), then a conforming reader (aka 
> rasterizer) is REQUIRED to process the embedded OutputIntent and you can 
> NOT do any substitution...
> 
>     If the PDF is just a "generic PDF", then according to ISO 32000 (ISO 
> PDF 1.7), the conforming reader may ignore the OutputIntent and/or 
> substitute...

I don't think there is any point in getting carried away with such
standards if it doesn't make sense in a particular situation,
or following with such slavishness that you end up not producing
what the user actually wants. In any case, I think we are
discussing every day printing here, not pre-press formats.

I haven't got a copy of the ISO standards, so it's a bit hard
to comment, but it makes no sense to me that something like
PDF/X, which is aimed at being a pre-press interchange format,
and therefore will probably be created remote from the point
it is RIPed, possibly weeks ahead of it being printed,
should have any knowledge of the actual output device characteristics,
*unless* it is being used in a manner in which it specifies the output
space (ie. it specifies a standard industry press condition that
the press is to be adjusted to).
I have my own thoughts as to how well this type of arrangement
works (ie. most standard industry press conditions are
fairly loose in a colorimetric sense), but this type
of usage is not really something that is going to be applicable
to printing to home or office printers, and even some of
the smart press operators don't operate this way - they
may RIP the document to the industry standard profile,
but then re-process it with a device link to match
it to their actual press colorspace.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a PDF/X capable proofing
device that uses (say) and inkjet printer is not going to
follow such a rule - it is going to emulate the printing
press it is setup to emulate, because that is what the
user wants it to do. To do anything else would defeat the
purposes of it being a proofer!

Graeme Gill.