Color Calibration And Correction - Microtek ScanMaker IIG User Manual

Color calibration and correction

Color calibration is the process of ensuring the accurate reproduc-
tion of color for images. Full color calibration is usually a two-
step process: calibrating your input device, such as a scanner; and
calibrating your output device, such as a printer or monitor. By
calibrating your input and output devices correctly, color is
captured accurately by your scanner and is reproduced faithfully
on your monitor or printer as well.
To make sure that your scanner captures color accurately, Mi-
crotek developed DCR, or Dynamic Color Rendition.
DCR is a color calibration and correction system that compensates
for the color shifts that occur invariably in all scanners. Because
each scanner has its own unique "color signature," (one scanner
sees red as "red" and another sees it as "magenta"), it makes sense
to use DCR to ensure accurate reproduction of color.
Without DCR, the only way to correct color would be to do it in
your image-editing software after scanning the image, and post-
scanning color correction can be a lengthy and tedious process.
This does not mean that the colors will be correct once you print
them; you still need a color management system to calibrate your
printer as well. However, DCR eliminates the inaccuracies that
come from the first round of the color reproduction process and
saves you time from having to do post-scanning color correction.
A generic color profile ships with the ScanWizard for Windows
scanning software which allows you to use the color correction
feature, but in order to make the results even better, you should
calibrate your scanner by using DCR. DCR comes standard on the
ScanMaker III and is available as an option for all other color
scanners.
For examples of images with and without Color Correction, see
the color pages in this manual.
Basic Concepts 1-13