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Solving the problem of printing with no color management

Several months ago I posted an article about the problem of trying to print without color management with Epson printers, Adobe  Photoshop and Apple computers. The original articlecan be found here.

Printing without color management is critical for anyone that needs to print targets for profiling.  In the article, I posted a workaround to the problem.  Most of us have had to live with this less than ideal situation for a while.

                                                                                                                           

Adobe to The Rescue

Since I wrote the article, I have been in touch with the three manufacturers mentioned above.  

It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the option of printing with no color management is blatantly absent from the print dialog in Photoshop CS5.  This was the first hint that something was afoot.

In the last few months, I have been testing the beta version of  the newAdobe Color Printer Utility.  The sole purpose of this new piece of software is to be able to print without color management.  The software is obviously very simple.  All you do is navigate to the file you want to print and then ask the application to print it.  No color management, no changes, it simply prints the file “as is”.

This is exactly, precisely what those who make their own profiles have been asking for.

I can attest to the fact tat the software works as advertised.  I have printed a number of targets and they measure as they should.

Adobe should be commended for finally solving this problem, and also for offering this application as a free download.

I was asked by Adobe to keep the existence of this application in strict confidence until the final version was released for download on their site.  The software was released earlier today.  Here is a link to the download.

December, 2010

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Mark Dubovoy is a well-known photographer, educator, writer and businessman. His images are a unique combination of impeccable aesthetics, a deep love for nature and flawless technique. His unique background, starting in the darkroom as a child, combined with a long-term career in science and technology, are clearly evident in his work. He is a master printer in many traditional and digital methods and considers printing an integral part of the creative process. Mark’s love of the technical aspects of photography is only exceeded by his passion to reveal and document the natural landscape, the hidden beauty in objects and the personalities of wild animals. While his main area of focus is landscape photography, he has also completed a number of projects photographing the animals of Africa, rare automobiles and images of flowers. His photographs are included in a number of private collections, as well as the permanent collections of major Museums, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Monterey Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in Nanao Japan and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City. His images have also been published in a number of magazines and books, including the Best of Photography Annual, International Edition. Mark is a highly regarded technical expert in many aspects of photography. As such, he has been and continues to be an advisor, consultant and early tester for a number of manufacturers of high quality photographic products. Mark has also been a major contributor to a number of print and online publications. He has been an instructor and a leader of photographic expeditions and workshops around the world, including places like Antarctica, Iceland, Africa, Mexico and others. Prior to founding Photo Aesthetics, Mark was a regular contributor to PHOTO Technique magazine and Editor-at-Large of The Luminous Landscape. Mark holds a BS degree in Physics from the National University of Mexico, and MA and Ph.D degrees in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to his involvement in photography, he has had a long and successful career in science, technology and early stage companies in Silicon Valley
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