Maintaining Printer Consistency - Xerox Fiery color server User Manual

xiii Basics of color management

Maintaining printer consistency

The factors described in the following sections affect printer consistency, as well
as color fidelity and overall output quality.
Paper stock and toner
The paper and toner used by your printer can affect printed color. For best results,
use the supplies recommended by the manufacturer of the printer.
Maintenance
Problems such as streaking and insufficient or excessive amounts of one or more toners
arise when a printer does not receive periodic maintenance or needs major repairs.
In addition to having it serviced regularly, monitor the condition of your printer by
making standard test prints at regular intervals. You can do this easily by printing the
Color Server Test Page. Save the prints and show them to the service technician
whenever output densities vary from the norm or other problems appear.
Calibration
Output from color printers is subject to changes in temperature and humidity, and is
prone to drift over time, with a resulting loss in color predictability. For this reason,
regular service visits alone do not guarantee consistent results from a printer. Where
color accuracy and consistency are crucial, regular calibration of the Color Server and
printer is necessary.
Calibration generates transfer curves that adjust for the difference between the actual
toner densities (measurements) of the print device and the response expected by the
output profile. These transfer curves are stored on the Color Server and used in
association with output profiles to produce color output that accounts for the unique
toner characteristics of the printer.
For information on performing calibration of the Color Server, see the Color Guide.