FAQ about color printing

Red, green, and blue light can be added together in various amounts to produce a large range of colors observed in nature. For example, red and green can be combined to create yellow. Televisions and computer monitors create colors in this manner. RGB color is a method of describing colors by indicating the amount of red, green, or blue needed to produce a certain color.

Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks or toners can be printed in various amounts to produce a large range of colors observed in nature. For example, cyan and yellow can be combined to create green. Printing presses, inkjet printers, and color laser printers create colors in this manner. CMYK color is a method of describing colors by indicating the amount of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black needed to reproduce a particular color.

Software programs typically specify the document color using RGB or CMYK color combinations. Additionally, they let users modify the color of each object in a document. For more information, see the help information of your operating system.

When a user prints a document, information describing the type and color of each object is sent to the printer. The color information is passed through color conversion tables that translate the color into the appropriate amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner needed to produce the color you want. The object information determines the application of color conversion tables. For example, it is possible to apply one type of color conversion table to text while applying a different color conversion table to photographic images.

When manual color correction is enabled, the printer employs user‑selected color conversion tables to process objects. However, Color Correction must be set to Manual, or no user‑defined color conversion will be implemented. Manual color correction settings are specific to the type of object being printed (text, graphics, or images), and how the color of the object is specified in the software program (RGB or CMYK combinations).

Notes:

• Manual color correction is not useful if the software program does not specify colors with RGB or CMYK combinations. It is also not effective in situations in which the software program or the computer operating system controls the adjustment of colors.
• When Auto Color Correction is selected, the color conversion tables will generate preferred colors used for the majority of the documents.

To manually apply a different color conversion table, do the following:



1. From the Quality menu on the printer control panel, select Color Correction, and then select Manual.



2. From the Quality menu on the printer control panel, select Manual Color, and then select the appropriate color conversion table for the affected object type.

   Object type	Color conversion tables
   RGB Image RGB Text RGB Graphics	Vivid—Produces brighter, more saturated colors and may be applied to all incoming color formats. sRGB Display—Produces an output that approximates the colors displayed on a computer monitor. Note:  Black toner usage is optimized for printing photographs. Display—True Black—Produces an output that approximates the colors displayed on a computer monitor. This uses only black toner to create all levels of neutral gray. sRGB Vivid—Provides an increased color saturation for the sRGB Display color correction. Note:  Black toner usage is optimized for printing business graphics. Off—No color correction is implemented.
   CMYK Image CMYK Text CMYK Graphics	US CMYK—Applies color correction to approximate the SWOP (Specifications for Web Offset Publishing) color output. Euro CMYK—Applies color correction to approximate Euroscale color output. Vivid CMYK—Increases the color saturation of the US CMYK color correction setting. Off—No color correction is implemented.

Nine types of Color Samples sets are available from the Quality menu on the printer control panel. These are also available from the Color Samples page of the Embedded Web Server. Selecting any sample set generates a multiple‑page printout consisting of hundreds of colored boxes. Either a CMYK or RGB combination is located on each box, depending on the table selected. The observed color of each box is obtained by passing the CMYK or RGB combination labeled on the box through the selected color conversion table.

By examining Color Samples sets, you can identify the box whose color is the closest to the color you want. The color combination labeled on the box can then be used for modifying the color of the object in a software program. For more information, see the help information of your operating system.

Note:  Manual color correction may be necessary to utilize the selected color conversion table for the particular object.

Selecting which Color Samples set to use for a particular color‑matching problem depends on the Color Correction setting being used , the type of object being printed, and how the color of the object is specified in the software program. When Color Correction is set to Off, the color is based on the print job information, and no color conversion is implemented.

Note:  The Color Samples pages are not useful if the software program does not specify colors with RGB or CMYK combinations. Additionally, certain situations exist in which the software program or the computer operating system adjusts the RGB or CMYK combinations specified in the program through color management. The resulting printed color may not be an exact match of the Color Samples pages.