3 Click Show CSF Folder in Finder (Mac OS) or Explorer (Windows). The Color folder opens in the Mac OS X Finder or on the Windows desktop.
4 In the Color folder, locate the file name that matches the color settings you want to share. Color settings file names end in .csf.
5 Copy the desired color settings file to another location for sharing. (Do not remove the .csf file from the Color folder unless you don’t want it to be available on that machine.) If your shop maintains a website with a customer support area, you can upload it there for customer downloading, or you can e-mail the file to your customers by attaching it to an e-mail message.
To use a customized color settings file:
1 Locate the Settings folder for the Adobe Creative Suite 2:
• On Mac OS X, the folder is located at:
(username)/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Settings
If you don’t see the color settings file name you’re looking for, try looking in:
Computer/(hard drive name)/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Settings
• On Windows, the folder is located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Library\Application Support\Adobe\
Color\Settings
2 Copy the color settings file you want to use into the Settings folder. You may need to quit and restart Adobe applications before they will display the color settings file you added.
Using a safe CMYK workflow
New options and default color settings in Adobe Creative Suite 2 simplify the setup and implementation of a safe CMYK workflow. The most important step is to use a CMYK-safe color settings file. All color settings files that ship with Adobe Creative Suite 2 support a safe CMYK workflow. The following guidelines also contribute to preserving CMYK values throughout the workflow:
• A color settings file is CMYK-safe when its CMYK Color Management Policy is set to Off or
Preserve Numbers. If you make a customized color settings file and want to make sure it is still CMYK safe, be sure to select one of those two policies. Your customers don’t need to use exactly the same color settings file that you do, as long as they use a color settings file where the
CMYK Color Management Policy is set to Off or Preserve Numbers.
• If you want to prevent all CMYK files from being converted, you can set the CMYK Color
Management Policy to Off (in the Color Settings dialog box). RGB objects are still converted to CMYK. However, the Preserve Numbers policy does the same thing (ignoring profiles in linked images) while enabling you to assign CMYK profiles to specific images on the layout as appropriate. When you select the Preserve Numbers policy, you may want to make sure that the Ask When Opening warnings for Profile Mismatches and Missing Profiles are enabled; the warnings may indicate that a file was prepared for a different target profile or a different policy, which means you may need to confirm output expectations with the customer.
• When selecting options for CMYK color conversions in the Print or Export Adobe PDF dialog boxes, select Preserve Numbers or Preserve CMYK Numbers whenever possible. These options don’t alter the existing color values of a CMYK file that doesn’t contain an embedded profile.
The Output panel of the Print dialog box contains the Preserve CMYK Numbers option when you set the output to separations, and the Output panel of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box contains the Color Conversion option Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers). These settings are CMYK-safe by default.
• It’s a good idea to set the document profile to match the output profile, because when these profiles are identical, there is no need for conversion, so InDesign CS2 leaves CMYK values untouched. However, if you’ve set the color conversion to Preserve Numbers, it isn’t essential that the profiles match, because selecting Preserve Numbers prevents conversion of CMYK color even if the profiles differ.
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• It’s good practice to use the same color settings file at all points in the workflow, both at the customer site and at the prepress service provider. If the document is opened and saved on any workstation where the color settings or policies enable conversion of CMYK colors, the safe CMYK workflow will be defeated. If a policy warning dialog box appears when you open an Adobe InDesign CS2 document, click Cancel and consult with the customer to clarify the conditions under which the document was created. To help ensure the successful implementation of the safe CMYK workflow, provide workflow instructions and color settings files to customers in advance. Fortunately, proper setup involves only the few locations listed below, and if Adobe Creative Suite 2 is installed without altering the default color settings, the steps are already done for you. The steps below can be used as a checklist in case the settings of any workstation are uncertain.
To set up a safe CMYK workflow:
1 In Adobe Bridge, select a color settings file appropriate for your workflow. See “Synchronizing color settings across Adobe Creative Suite 2 components” on page 16.
2 In Adobe InDesign CS2, choose Edit > Color Settings.
3 In the Working Spaces area, for CMYK, make sure a profile is selected that accurately describes the CMYK output device at the prepress service provider.
4 When preparing RGB objects for use in Adobe InDesign CS2, make sure they are saved with embedded profiles. (In Adobe Creative Suite 2 components, profiles are embedded by default.)
5 When it’s time to print from Adobe InDesign CS2, choose File > Print, and click the Output pane, and make sure Separations or In-RIP Separations is selected in the Color menu.
6 Click the Color Management pane. In the Options area, make sure Preserve CMYK Numbers is selected. By default, it’s selected and unavailable but becomes available if you change the Color
Handling and Printer Profile options away from their default settings. If the job requires that
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