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: List of all Profiling Projects

3. In the Add Profiling Project dialog, the following settings are available:
   • 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, enter a comment for the profiling project. This comment is for descriptive purposes of the profiling project only and is not used for labeling printed output.
   • Printer [5] – select the printer for which the profiling project is to be created.
   • Print Configuration [6] – select the desired print configuration for the previously 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 provides the widest possible color gamut while ensuring the highest print quality.
   • Measurement Device [8] – select the measurement device to be used for measuring multiple pages of color patches.
   • Parameter Set [9] – after selecting the measurement device, choose the desired parameter set for the device. Note that selecting a smaller measurement aperture requires smaller color patches on the measurement chart, which can significantly reduce the number of chart pages to be measured.
   • Additional Colors – if the selected printing system supports Spot Colors such as White, Varnish, or Primer, this field is displayed as the last selection option. Select the Spot Colors that should be used for all printouts generated during the subsequent processing steps.

Figure 2: The Add Profiling Project dialog

4. Click Save [10] to add the project to the list of profiling projects. During the saving process, the profiling project is created, and the first measurement charts are generated for the selected color and print configuration according to the selected parameter set of the measurement device.
5. Open the created profiling project using the Go to Detail View [11] button or by clicking the name of the profiling project.

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

6. The overview opens and displays all information related to the profiling project in a consolidated view.

Figure 4: The Overview tab of 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, Ink Limit, Additional Colors, and creation date.
• Color Policies [15] – once a profiling project has been fully created, the generated color policies are displayed here. A profiling project can contain multiple color policies.
• Printer [12] – this section displays all information about the printing system, including Name, Printer Type, Serial Number, Software Version, and IP address, provided that this information was stored when the selected printer was created.
• Print Configuration [14] – this section displays all 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 Name and Supplier, provided that this information was stored when the substrate was created.
• Additional Substrates [17] – this section displays all substrates for which the created color policy can be applied. Substrates can be added or removed using the Edit [18] command.
• Measurement Device [19] – this section displays all information about the selected measurement device, including Name and the selected Parameter Set.

In the Add Profiling Project dialog, Expert Mode [23] can additionally be activated. When enabled, additional configuration options and an additional tab are displayed in the dialog. As the name suggests, this option is intended for experts who require more control over the configuration. 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 when Expert Mode is enabled:

• 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 when creating a characterization profile. A new print ICC profile can be added using Add [24].
• Working Color Space RGB [21] – select the desired RGB working color space to be used as the basis for creating the substrate DeviceLink profiles as well as RGB DeviceLink profiles. This can be selected when creating the project or when creating a characterization profile. A new RGB ICC profile can be added using Add [25].
• Color Configuration [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 specific profiling project for a particular color configuration that differs significantly from normal production conditions for a specific 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 when Expert Mode is enabled:

• Ink Limit [26] – enter the desired ink limit value as a percentage. This value is automatically used as the basis for creating the ink limit profile. The value entered here is preselected in the Ink Limit process step and can be overwritten there. Use this option if you know that a total ink coverage above a specific percentage is not suitable for the printing system in combination with the selected substrate.
• Pre-Linearization [27] – enable this option to activate the Pre-Linearization process step for the profiling project. This process step is not available if the print system performs linearization independently. Please note that it is not possible to add this sub-step at a later stage.
• Linearization [28] – enable this option to activate the Linearization process step. In Standard Mode, linearization is always enabled. This process step is not available if the printing system performs linearization independently. Please note that it is not possible to add this sub-step at a later stage.
• G7 Linearization [29] – enable this option to create a G7 linearization for the profiling project based on a linearized printing system. This process step is not available if the printing system performs linearization independently. Please note that it is not possible to add this sub-step at a later stage.
• Assign to all Substrates [30] – enable this option if the color policies created in this project should be applied to all substrates. The substrate list can be restricted or extended at any time afterwards.
• Assign to selected Substrate [31] – select all substrates from the selection menu to which the color policies created here should additionally be assigned. This option is only available if the Assign to all Substrates option is not enabled.

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

Linearization is always the first step in Standard Mode, unless it has been manually deactivated when creating a profiling project or is not available due to the use of a contone printing system. The linearization step consists of the following sub-steps: 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 limits 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 process step that can be manually enabled in Expert Mode when creating a profiling project in the Advanced tab. This process 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 process step, the ink limit profile is created in standard mode based on the percentage value entered when creating the profiling project. The default value is 400%.

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

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

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

Multiple profile variations can be created in the characterization step – each variation generates its own color policy.

For more information, refer to the Characterization chapter.