Color Management Settings in HP Next-Generation Inkjet Printing Products

Color management settings in the printer software

Color management options are listed in the Color management menu on the Color tab in the Print Properties dialog box. You can access these options by selecting File , Print , and then Properties , Color .

Color management options in the printer software allow you to select the specific color space that the printer will use to interpret image data.

ColorSmart/sRGB

The default setting is ColorSmart/sRGB , which is the standard color space for virtually all cameras, scanners and monitors, as well as web page and office documents.

Most users will use the default mode, ColorSmart/sRGB , for the majority of images. Since most images are sRGB, using the default setting automatically delivers high-quality color without user intervention. When ColorSmart/sRGB is selected, color management is done by the printer driver.

NOTE:Attempting to manage color with ICC profiles while the printer driver is set to ColorSmart/sRGB is not recommended. Doing so will usually result in lower color fidelity.

AdobeRGB

Another option, AdobeRGB , is commonly used in high-end digital photography. Selecting AdobeRGB will cause the printer to interpret all colors as being in the Adobe RGB color space.

The AdobeRGB mode is designed to provide compatibility with emerging camera functionality. This mode can be used for printing photos from digital cameras that support the Adobe RGB color space. For example, if you set your camera to Adobe RGB and capture photos, those photos can be printed from any application using the Adobe RGB color management selection.

If you are printing Adobe RGB images in Adobe Photoshop, set the Print Space Profile in the Print with Preview dialog box to Adobe RGB , set the Intent to Perceptual , and select Use Black Point Compensation .

NOTE:Attempting to manage color with ICC profiles while the printer driver is set to AdobeRGB mode is not recommended. Doing so will usually result in lower color fidelity.

Managed by application

Managed by application essentially turns off printer driver-based color management. Selecting this option tells the printer that incoming color is already color-managed, and the driver is not to do any color conversions to the image data.

The Managed by application mode should be selected when:

You desire to use or create ICC profiles to manage color, and

You are using an application, such as Adobe Photoshop, that supports the selection and use of ICC profiles.

ICC color profiles facilitate color communication between imaging and printing devices by allowing you to select from different color matching options. You can apply ICC profiles when using applications such as Adobe Photoshop. Simply select Managed by application to turn off the printer driver color management. The capability to disable color management in the printer software provides complete control over the color matching process, a feature which is particularly useful to photographers, designers, and other high-end users.

NOTE:If Managed by application is selected from an application that does not support ICC profiles or, if no profile is selected, photos will appear dark and overly vivid with unmatched printer colors.

Grayscale

A grayscale option is also available for printing black-and-white photos.

Grayscale printing allows you to print high quality black-and-white photos from virtually any application, even if the source image is a color image. To use grayscale, select Print in Grayscale from the Color tab in the Print Properties dialog box. Print in Grayscale includes two options:

High Quality : Uses the tri-color print cartridge to print in shades of gray; if the HP gray photo cartridge is installed, the printer uses a combination of inks from the gray and color cartridges.

Black Print Cartridge Only : Uses the black print cartridge to print in shades of gray; if the HP gray photo cartridge is installed, the printer uses inks from the gray photo cartridge only.

NOTE:If you desire greater control, you may wish to use an application such as Adobe Photoshop to control the image conversion from black to white and/or to more accurately convert the gamma of the source image to that of the printer.

Color management settings in the OS

Color management selections can be made in the Color Management screen used by the Windows operating system to help enable color management with ICC profiles.

However, HP advises users not to change settings on this screen. Profile selection should be left on Automatic .

For HP printers, changing these settings will not affect output. This is because the printer only supports ICC color management in Windows through the application (not the operating system) in order to reduce the possibility of over-processing images.