To create a new profiling project, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Color > Profiling Projects.
2. In the action bar, click Add [1]. The Add Profiling Project dialog opens.

Figure 1: The list of all Profiling Projects

3. The following setting options are available in the now-open Add Profiling Project dialog:
   • Name [2] – enter the desired name for the profiling project. The name can either be entered manually or generated using placeholders [3]. The placeholders are automatically replaced with the corresponding information.
   • Comment [4] – optionally, you can enter a comment for the profiling project. This comment is for descriptive purposes of the profiling project only and is not used to identify it on printouts.
   • Printer [5] – select the printer for which the profiling project is to be created.
   • Print Configuration [6] – select the desired print configuration for the selected printer. For reference profiling, select the print configuration that typically provides the best print quality in your production environment.
   • Reference Substrate [7] – select a reference substrate for the profiling project from the list of available substrates. The reference substrate should be the one that can provide the largest possible color gamut while maintaining the highest print quality.
   • Measurement Device [8] – select the desired measurement device from the list. The device must be suitable for measuring color patches across multiple pages.
   • Parameter Set [9] – after selecting the measurement device, select the desired parameter set for the device. Note that selecting a smaller measurement aperture requires smaller color patches on the measurement chart and can therefore significantly reduce the number of chart pages that need to be measured.
   • Additional Fluids [10] – if the selected printing system supports Additional Colors such as White, Varnish, or Primer, this field is displayed as the last selection option. Select the additional fluid that is to be used for all printouts in the subsequent steps.

Figure 2: The Add Profiling Project dialog in Standard Mode

4. Click Save to add the project to the list of profiling projects. During the saving process, the profiling project is created and the first measurement charts for the selected color and print configuration are generated based on the selected measurement device parameter set.
5. Open the newly created profiling project by clicking Go to Detail View [11] or by clicking the name of the profiling project.

Figure 3: The list of Profiling Projects with the newly created Profiling Project

6. The overview opens, displaying all information about the profiling project in a consolidated view.

Figure 4: The Overview tab for the created Profiling Project

The following information is displayed in the overview:

• Profiling Project [13] – this section displays information about the profiling project, including the Name, Comment, Working Color Space CMYK, Working Color Space RGB, Total Area Coverage, Additional Colors, and creation date.
• Color Policies [15] – once a profiling project has been completed, the resulting color policies are displayed here. A profiling project can contain multiple color policies.
• Printer [12] – this section displays information about the printing system, including Name, Printer Type, Serial Number, Software Version, and IP address, provided this information was entered when the selected printer was created.
• Print Configuration [14] – this section displays information about the selected print configuration, including Print Mode, Resolution, Channel Configuration Name, Type, Dither Mode, and DitherMix Array.
• Reference Substrate [16] – this section displays information about the selected reference substrate, including its Name and Supplier, provided this information was entered when the substrate was created.
• Additional Substrates [17] – this section displays all substrates to which the created color policy can be applied. Use Edit [18] to add or remove substrates.
• Measurement Device [19] – this section displays information about the selected measurement device, including the Name and the selected Parameter Set.

In the Add Profiling Project dialog, you can also enable Expert Mode [23]. This displays additional configuration options in the dialog as well as the "Advanced" tab. As the name suggests, this mode is intended for expert users who require greater control over the profiling project. However, all settings required to create a profiling project are already available in Standard Mode.

Figure 5: The General tab of the Add Profiling Project dialog with Expert Mode enabled

The following additional configuration options are available in the General tab in Expert Mode:

• Working Color Space CMYK [20] – select the desired CMYK working color space to be used as the basis for creating the substrate DeviceLink profiles. This can be selected when creating the project or later when creating a characterization profile. Click + [24] to add a new CMYK ICC profile.
• Working Color Space RGB [21] – select the desired RGB working color space to be used as the basis for creating the substrate DeviceLink profiles and the RGB DeviceLink profiles. This can be selected when creating the project or later when creating a characterization profile. Click + [25] to add a new RGB ICC profile.
• Channel Configuration Name [22] – select one of the color configurations available for the selected printer. In Standard Mode, the color configuration that includes all process colors of the inks available in the printer is selected automatically. The selection field becomes active once the corresponding printer has been selected. Use this option if you want to create a dedicated profiling project for a specific color configuration that differs significantly from normal production conditions for a particular substrate.

Figure 6: The Advanced tab of the Add Profiling Project dialog with Expert Mode enabled

The following additional configuration options are available in the Advanced tab in Expert Mode:

• Tolerance for Primary Colors [26] – enter the permissible color deviation in ΔE₀₀ for the process colors. This value is used as the default value for newly created correction cycles in the profiling project and determines whether the characterization verification passes. The default value is 2.5 ΔE₀₀.
• Tolerance for Paper White [32] – enter the permissible color deviation in ΔE₀₀ for the paper white. This value is used as the default value for newly created correction cycles in the profiling project and determines whether the paper white verification passes. The default value is 3 ΔE₀₀.
• Pre-Linearization [27] – enable this option to activate the Pre-Linearization step for the profiling project. This step is not available if the printing system performs linearization automatically. Note that adding this substep at a later stage is only possible under certain conditions.
• Linearization [28] – enable this option to activate the Linearization step. In Standard Mode, linearization is always enabled. This step is not available if the printing system performs linearization automatically. Note that adding this substep at a later stage is not possible.
• G7 Linearization [29] – enable this option to create a G7 linearization for the profiling project based on a linearized printing system. This step is not available if the printing system performs linearization automatically. Note that adding this substep at a later stage is only possible under certain conditions.
• Assign to all Substrates [30] – enable this option if the color policies created in this project are to be applied to all substrates. You can restrict or expand the list of substrates at any time later.
• Assign to selected Substrate [31] – select all substrates to which the color policies created here should additionally be assigned from the selection menu. This option is only available if the Assign to all Substrates option is not enabled.

Pre-Linearization is an optional preparatory step that can be performed before linearization if it has been enabled in Expert Mode. It manually brings the printing system into an initial state that is as linear as possible. For more information on pre-linearization and a step-by-step guide, refer to the Pre-Linearization chapter.

Linearization of additional colors is an optional step that is only available in the profiling project if at least one additional color was selected when the profiling project was created – for example, an additional fluid such as White or Varnish, a predefined color such as Primer, or an additional color such as a gamut-extending spot color. A separate step is created for each enabled additional color. The step is named after the respective additional color and is displayed in the step bar before the Linearization step.

The purpose of this step is to create a linearization profile that controls the tone value progression of the respective ink. Depending on the selected mode – Measure, Manual, or Linked to – the step comprises the substeps Print Measurement Template Chart, Measure Measurement Template Chart, Analyze Measurement Data, and Create Additional Color Profile, or exclusively the substep Create Linearization Profile for Additional Color.

For more information, see the chapter Linearization of Additional Colors or Additional Fluids.

In Standard Mode, linearization is always the first step unless it was manually disabled when the profiling project was created or is not available because the printing system is a contone printing system. The linearization step consists of the substeps: Print, Measure, Analyze, and Create Linearization Profile.

In Expert Mode, the following additional settings are available:

• Selection of the Measurement Template Chart
• Parameters for mounting the Measurement Template Charts
• Options for controlling ink limit for the individual color channels
• Options for controlling the transitions between light and dark inks
• Options for correcting measurement data

For more information, refer to the Linearization chapter.

G7 Linearization is an optional step that can be manually enabled in Expert Mode when creating a profiling project, in the Advanced tab. This step enables G7-compliant calibration of the printing system and is performed after linearization.

For more information, refer to the G7 Linearization chapter.

In this step, the Total Area Coverage Limit Profile is created in Standard Mode based on the percentage value specified when the profiling project was created. The default value is 400%.

In Expert Mode, Total Area Coverage assessment charts can be dynamically generated and printed within the defined range. For more information, refer to the Total Area Coverage Limit chapter.

Characterization is the final step of the profiling project and must always be completed. In this step, the substrate ICC profile and the associated DeviceLink profiles are created. These profiles describe the color gamut for the selected combination of printer, print configuration, color configuration, and substrate.

When switching to this step, the corresponding characterization chart is automatically generated in the background based on the parameters defined in the measurement template chart parameter set, the color configuration, and the measurement mode.

Multiple profile variations can be created in the characterization step, with each variation generating its own color policy.

For more information, refer to the Characterization chapter.

Re-Characterization is an optional step within a correction cycle. It first checks the existing substrate profile created during the characterization step against the current state of the printing system. If the check fails, corrections are then applied to attempt to restore the original state of the substrate profile for the current conditions.

If the original state cannot be restored after up to three iterations (corrections), a new characterization of the printing system is recommended.