Color Management

A properly calibrated monitor and printer profile are essential to the color correction process. It is your responsibility to ensure all images used in the design have been color corrected and that you soft proof with our printer profile for an approximate color rendition of the final printed product.

Calibrate Monitor
Printer Profile
Soft Proof
Tutorial
FAQs

Calibrate your monitor following the manufacturer's instructions. To double-check your monitor's calibration visually, follow the steps below:

Request an AsukaBook pre-designed paper sample and continue to the next step once you have received the sample.
Download our calibration JPEG file.
Open the JPEG file in Photoshop®.
Visually check the colors of the calibration JPEG file against the printed sample.

Download and move the ICC printer profile to install it into Adobe Photoshop. 1. /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/Recommended folder. 2. /Users/username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder. PC: 1. Right-click the profile and select Install Profile. 2. WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color folder (for Windows XP) or the WINNT\system32\spool\drivers\color folder (for Windows 2000)

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Installation Options

Select an option below relative to your operating system:

Mac:

Copy or move ask_fvo_a.icc to the /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/Recommended folder.
Copy or move ask_fvo_a.icc to the /Users/username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder.

PC:

Right-click the profile and select 'Install Profile'.
Copy or move ask_fvo_a.icc to the WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color folder (Windows XP).
Copy or move ask_fvo_a.icc to the WINNT\system32\spool\drivers\color folder (Windows 2000).

Once the printer profile has been installed, follow the steps below to soft proof your files to view a close approximation of the final printed product.

Open Photoshop and go to View > Proof Setup
Select Custom
In the Proof Setup window, Choose “ask_fvo_a.icc” from the Profile menu
Choose “Perceptual” from the Intent menu
Turn “Use Black Point Compensation” on and leave the other options off

Go to View > Proof Colors to turn the option on and off. You may see slight color changes as your monitor is now simulating what our printing device is capable of reproducing.

Typically, this change is very slight and acceptable. If the change is unacceptable, make necessary color adjustments to your images with the Proof Colors still on. DO NOT SAVE YOUR FILES WITH THE SOFT PROOF SETTING APPLIED as we only accept sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces.

You can save this setup so that each spread you design may be soft proofed using AsukaBook's color profile. In addition, this process is for soft proofing your images on screen only.

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What type of printing press is used at AsukaBook?: We use a digital on-demand printing process. AsukaBook products are printed on a HP Indigo digital 6-color press with electronic inks, halftone dot, and 175 dpi. Download the color profile that has been specially developed for the AsukaBook press.
What is the print quality of a digital on demand press?: Digital on-demand printing produces color and texture like an offset press. Our quality is similar to a high-quality coffee table photography book you would find at a large bookstore such as Barnes & Noble.
Do you have a printer profile available?: Yes. Click on the 'Printer Profile' link above.
How and why should I use 'Perceptual' as the rendering intent when soft proofing my design?: To access 'Perceptual' in Photoshop go to File - Print with Preview - More Options - Color Management – Rendering Intent. Selecting 'Perceptual' will give you a "natural" view of how colors should look. This setting must be selected to obtain correct/desired color in your layouts.
How can I be sure that the color AsukaBook prints matches what I see on my monitor?: To ensure that the colors you see on your monitor will closely match your printed book it is essential a properly calibrated monitor and to soft proof your design with AsukaBook printer profile and a properly calibrated monitor.
Does the color shift during production?: Color consistency and accuracy is our first priority. Our 6-color printing press is calibrated every 100 printed pages. This type of control is very rare in the printing industry. Slight shifts in color can occur from batch to batch, but it is very minimal. Keep in mind that we are printing with a CMYK color space, which requires a conversion process from your RGB files. Slight shifts may occur consequently, which is normal for any CMYK print process. Again, it is highly recommended to view your images and design with the AsukaBook printer profile and proper monitor calibration so you may adjust any possible color shifting before sending your files to us.
What about discoloration and color fading?: We use special inks that outlast the life of widely used press inks. A surface varnish coating or laminate is also applied, increasing durability and quality. Expect your book to last at least as long as any standard high-quality printed book.