Some claimed their digital C-print profiles were as good or better than any commercial inkjet pigment printer profile available (not possible). Most photo labs stated that their profiles for various chromogenic printers on Fuji Crystal Archive papers cover most of the Adobe RGB color space – certainly more than sRGB – but scientific analysis proves this wrong as we will see. As we know when it comes to making prints, the largest possible gamut is preferable to capture all the colors in your images or artwork. I asked which RGB color working space best approximated the gamut of their profiles on a wide variety of printers (chromogenic or inkjet) and papers. In doing research over the last six months, I’ve personally phoned technical support at more than 35 different commercial photo labs/print studios (some well-known, some custom), inquiring about ICC printer/paper profiles for soft proofing images. This holds true whether these print businesses produce C-prints or inkjet pigment prints. Just like print longevity claims, exaggerated assertions run wild when it comes to color gamut coverage professed by OEM printer/paper manufacturers, photo labs and custom print establishments alike. In order to make the best printer/paper choice for your particular image’s colors and subject matter, output color gamut needs to be taken into consideration. How the Colors Stack Up: Gamut Comparisons of ICC Printer Profiles Now, let’s take a look at differences in color output between these two popular printing technologies. In part one of this series on digital printing, we defined what a chromogenic print is, set straight some of the misinformation and confusing terminology surrounding lab prints, and covered the pros and cons of inkjet prints and c-prints including differences in cost, quality, production speed, museum acceptance and more. “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas
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