What an ICC Profile Can and Cannot Do for Printing

An ICC profile describes a color condition; it cannot repair unstable hardware or make unsuitable media printable. Use profiles with the setup they were created to characterize.

Identify the printing condition Record printer configuration, ink, material, print mode and relevant processing choices. Ask whether a supplied profile was built for that combination. A filename containing a familiar printer name is not sufficient evidence of a match.

Stabilize before profiling Confirm the printer produces repeatable output before assessing color differences. Keep the workflow responsible for color conversion clear so an extra conversion is not introduced accidentally. Use measured and visual checks to evaluate critical work.