Faq About Color Printing - Lexmark CX310 Color Quality Manual

FAQ about color printing

What is RGB color?
Red, green, and blue light can be added together in various amounts to produce a large range of colors observed in nature.
For example, red and green can be combined to create yellow. Televisions and computer monitors create colors in this manner.
RGB color is a method of describing colors by indicating the amount of red, green, or blue needed to produce a certain color.
What is CMYK color?
Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks or toners can be printed in various amounts to produce a large range of colors observed
in nature. For example, cyan and yellow can be combined to create green. Printing presses, inkjet printers, and color laser
printers create colors in this manner. CMYK color is a method of describing colors by indicating the amount of cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black needed to reproduce a particular color.
How is color specified in a document to be printed?
Software programs typically specify the document color using RGB or CMYK color combinations. Additionally, they let users
modify the color of each object in a document. For more information, see the help information of your operating system.
How does the printer know what color to print?
When a user prints a document, information describing the type and color of each object is sent to the printer. The color
information is passed through color conversion tables that translate the color into the appropriate amounts of cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black toner needed to produce the color you want. The object information determines the application of color
conversion tables. For example, it is possible to apply one type of color conversion table to text while applying a different color
conversion table to photographic images.
What is manual color correction?
When manual color correction is enabled, the printer employs user‑selected color conversion tables to process objects.
However, Color Correction must be set to Manual, or no user‑defined color conversion will be implemented. Manual color
correction settings are specific to the type of object being printed (text, graphics, or images), and how the color of the object
is specified in the software program (RGB or CMYK combinations).
Notes:
•
Manual color correction is not useful if the software program does not specify colors with RGB or CMYK combinations.
It is also not effective in situations in which the software program or the computer operating system controls the
adjustment of colors.
•
When Auto Color Correction is selected, the color conversion tables will generate preferred colors used for the
majority of the documents.
To manually apply a different color conversion table, do the following:
1
From the Quality menu on the printer control panel, select Color Correction, and then select Manual.
2
From the Quality menu on the printer control panel, select Manual Color, and then select the appropriate color conversion
table for the affected object type.
Color quality guide
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