ISO/FDIS 15339-1
(Main)Graphic technology -- Printing from digital data across multiple technologies
Graphic technology -- Printing from digital data across multiple technologies
Technologie graphique -- Impression à partir de données numériques via des technologies multiples
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INTERNATIONAL ISO/FDIS
DRAFT
STANDARD 15339-1
ISO/TC 130
Graphic technology — Printing
Secretariat: SAC
from digital data across multiple
Voting begins on:
2014-06-23 technologies —
Voting terminates on:
Part 1:
2014-08-23
Principles
Technologie graphique — Impression à partir de données numériques
via des technologies multiples —
Partie 1: Principes
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. ISO 2014
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
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© ISO 2014
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
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ii © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved
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ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
Contents Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
4 Requirements .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
4.1 Principles and assumptions ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
4.2 Data encoding .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
4.3 Data preparation ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data ............................ 3
4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition ............................ 3
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differences ............................................................................................. 4
4.7 Alternate printing reference........................................................................................................................................................ 4
4.8 Colour profiles ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
5 Process control ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
5.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
5.2 Printing to intended gamut .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
5.3 Determine colour characterization ....................................................................................................................................... 6
5.4 Maintain running characteristics of the printing device .................................................................................... 6
5.5 Job content specific adjustments ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Annex A (normative) Correction of colourimetric data for variation in substrate colour ...........................8
Annex B (informative) Tolerancing schema ...............................................................................................................................................10
Annex C (informative) Process independent workflow .................................................................................................................14
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................15
© ISO 2014 – All rights reserved iii---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any
patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on
the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary informationThe committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.
ISO 15339 consists of the following parts, under the general title Graphic technology — Printing from
digital data across multiple technologies:— Part 1: Principles
— Part 2: Characterized reference printing conditions, CRPC1- CRPC7
iv © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved
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ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
Introduction
ISO 15339 series is based on the premise that in the printing and publishing industries, electronic data is
the intermediary for content storage and exchange throughout production, including copy preparation,
job assembly, proofing, and process colour printing. It further assumes that data preparation can be
largely process independent and that choice of the printing process or processes to be used for final
production will be based primarily on run length requirements and substrates to be used. There
are various tools in place to both define the relationship of digital data to printed colour for specific
instances of printing and to manipulate data such that similar results can be obtained between and
among different printing processes (ISO/TS 10128). These specific instances of printing are typically
described by colour characterization data, which is the relationship between CMYK input data and
colour measured on the printed sheet. Where such a set of colour characterization data is used as a
reference, it is referred to as a characterized reference printing condition (CRPC).
When producing printed colour reproductions, it is important that the organizations responsible for
material preparation, colour separation, proofing, and printing are all working to a common set of
parameters that uniquely define the intended visual characteristics of the final printed product. Such
an agreement enables the correct production of suitable input data and subsequent production of proofs
from these data. The purpose of a proof is to simulate the visual characteristics of the finished print
product as closely as possible prior to production printing.There is a unique relationship between ink, substrate, and printing process that limits the maximum
chroma of the solids of the printing colourants and therefore limits the range of colours (colour gamut)
that can be achieved for particular combinations. While special inks can be used, the commonly
available ink pigments are used across all traditional ink processes. While toner and ink-jet systems
have different colourant constraints than traditional ink processes, they tend to mimic traditional
ink process aims and they will be treated as a variation of traditional ink processes. The achievable
chroma range (gamut) of ink-on-paper characterized reference printing conditions can generally be
bracketed between cold-set printing on newsprint on the small end and by printing on gloss coated
stocks (by a variety of processes) on the large end. Between these limits, there is significant overlap
of process/substrate combinations. The number of intermediate characterized reference printing
conditions that are logical to define between smallest and largest is in part a function of the tolerances
to which printing is expected to conform to the intended characterized reference printing condition.
However, the intermediate characterized reference printing conditions also need to represent common
widely used printing and that was the determining factor for the selection of the characterized reference
printing conditions listed in ISO 15339-2. In addition, a characterized reference printing condition 7 is
included to represent a possible exchange space for large gamut processes that exceed the colour gamut
of characterized reference printing condition 6 and therefore need a larger reference gamut.
The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 are those associated with the initial publication of ISO 15339 series.
It is the intent of ISO TC 130 that if changes in, or additions to, these data sets are needed in the future,
they will be documented in added parts of ISO 15339 series so that changes in the data sets, or addition
of data sets, are possible without losing traceability to earlier data sets.A colour characterization data set is required for each characterized reference printing condition
specified. Because the intent of ISO 15339 series is that the data sets provided can be used as the reference
for any printing process, they might not be aligned with the typical TVI and trapping associated with
any specific printing process. The values selected need to represent a compromise between all potential
processes to be used — in effect virtual printing on a virtual printing system.It is important to realize that digital data can be encoded as already separated CMYK or can consist
of un-separated data (typically in an RGB colour space) with supplementary information (ICC colour
profiles, etc) defining the colour intended on the printed sheet. Such unseparated data plus the associated
supplementary data is sometimes referred to as “virtual CMYK” data. All data is to be encoded according
to one of the PDF/X specifications (parts of ISO 15930) to allow the necessary metadata which identifies
the intended characterized reference printing condition to be included.The colour of the printing substrate is a critical component of the colour appearance of a printed image
(it behaves like a fifth colour). With the current widespread use of optical brightening agents (OBA),
© ISO 2014 – All rights reserved v---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
substrate colour is defined in terms of its apparent reflectance under D50 illumination (see ISO 3664).
For halftone images, the colour of the substrate contributes mostly in the area not covered by ink.
ISO 13655 provides a reasonably effective method to adjust tristimulus data of measured halftone
areas for moderate changes in substrate colour. ISO 15339 is based on the assumption that the colour
characterization data can be adjusted (fine-tuned) for the range of normal substrate colours expected
and that different characterized reference printing conditions are not required for moderate differences
in substrate colour.Although density, tone value increase, grey balance, etc. are individually important tools for the printing
and publishing industry, in this part of ISO 15339, they are assumed to be part of process control and
not printing definition. They need to be considered in developing reference colour characterization data
sets and need to be used where applicable as part of local site ongoing process control.
Modern characterization data and profile evaluation tools allow identification of the colour of the solids,
the colour and tone values of the single colour scales, and the CMY values associated with the neutral
(achromatic) tone scale. Using the values derived from the colour characterization data, rather than any
a priori values, is the recommended input for process control aims used to control a printing process
intended to conform to a particular characterized reference printing condition.Annex C provides a description of the process independent workflow that is the basis for the concepts
embodied in ISO 15339 series.vi © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved
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FINAL DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across
multiple technologies —
Part 1:
Principles
1 Scope
This part of ISO 15339 establishes principles for the use of colour characterization data as the definition
of the intended relationship between input data and printed colour for copy preparation, job assembly,
proofing, and graphic arts production printing. Additional parts of ISO 15339 specify a limited number
of characterized reference printing conditions that span the expected range of colour gamut used for the
production of printed material from digital data, regardless of the printing process used. The procedure
to be used to adjust colour characterization data for the normally expected range of substrate colour is
specified.2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/TS 10128, Graphic technology — Methods of adjustment of the colour reproduction of a printing system
to match a set of characterization dataISO 12642-2, Graphic technology — Input data for characterization of 4-colour process printing — Part 2:
Expanded data setISO 13655, Graphic technology — Spectral measurement and colourimetric computation for graphic arts
imagesISO 15930 (all parts), Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange using PDF
ISO 15076-1, Image technology colour management — Architecture, profile format and data structure —
Part 1: Based on ICC.1:20103 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
characterized reference printing condition
CRPC
identified printing condition and its colour characterization data used as the aim for a particular printing
task (job)3.2
colour characterization data
tabulation of data that represents the relationship between device code values (e.g. CMYK) and the
colour (CIELAB) produced on the printed sheet by those values in a specific printing process
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ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
3.3
colour profile
set of transforms, encoded according to the rules of ISO 15076-1, that convert data between (to and
from) device space and profile connection spaceNote 1 to entry: Transforms contained within a colour profile can include manipulation of gamut
compression/expansion, tone reproduction, colour separation, black printer creation, printing limitations (e.g.
total area coverage), etc.3.4
gamut
region of CIELAB colour space containing all printable colours
Note 1 to entry: For comparison purposes, the CIELAB values of the primaries and secondaries, along with the
substrate, are often an adequate, if sparse, definition of a colour gamut. The surface values of the measurements
of a target, such as that included in ISO 12642-2, can provide a more complete definition.
3.5process independent
condition of being independent of the printing process (offset, flexography, gravure, etc.) to be used for
production of printed material3.6
identified printing condition
printing condition documented in a national or International Standard or industry publication in a way
that allows it to be replicated by an industry practitioner4 Requirements
4.1 Principles and assumptions
One of the key principles upon which this part of ISO 15339 is based is that colour content data can be
adjusted such that any printing processes, capable of achieving a specified colour gamut, can produce
the within-gamut image colours specified by the appropriate reference colour characterization data.
This allows printing aims to be process independent.A second principle is that process control aims and tools should be based on (extracted from) the
reference colour characterization data selected and not based on a priori assumptions. Many of the
parameters used in process control such as tone value increase, grey balance, etc. are contained within,
or can be derived from, the colour characterization data chosen as reference. Local site tools can also be
used for initial setup processes, but these need to be based on the known differences between the colour
characterization data aims and the colour characterization of the actual printing system being used.
Where similar characteristics, such as tone reproduction, are desired between different characterized
reference printing conditions (different colour gamut), these need to be built into the colour
characterization data associated with these characterized reference printing conditions. Characterized
reference printing conditions, and their associated colour characterization data, can be thought of as a
virtual printing system (press) and as such, the characterization data can be manipulated mathematically
to fine tune results to achieve smoothness, uniformity, and/or other characteristics.
The key requirement for successful application of these principals is that the reference colour
characterization data and the characterization data for the printing system being used shall have
the same gamut and be sufficient to allow the necessary data adjustment. (See ISO/TS 10128 for
recommended procedures to implement such data adjustment.)4.2 Data encoding
In the absence of other prior agreement, electronic colour content data to be used as the intermediate
storage and exchange media between copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and printing shall be
2 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
encoded in accordance with a part of ISO 15930. Any deviation from this, such as encoding in ISO 12639 or
in some other format, shall be according to prior agreement by all parties and shall include communication
of the reference characterization data of the intended printing condition and, as necessary, a colour
profile to transform any data not supplied in the process colour model of the reference.
4.3 Data preparationAll print elements shall be prepared either as device code values or as colourimetrically-defined data.
However, both types of data, if present in print elements, shall be prepared for a single characterized
reference printing condition. This condition shall be provided in the PDF/X output intent in the case of
an ISO 15930 exchange or shall be communicated by mutually agreed upon methods in other situations.
Unless otherwise agreed between sender and receiver, the characterized reference printing condition
shall be one of the data sets defined in a part of ISO 15339.4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data
The characterized reference printing conditions associated with ISO 15339 are contained in additional
parts of ISO 15339. This approach was taken to allow ISO TC 130 to change or update characterized
reference printing conditions without revising or invalidating characterized reference printing
conditions that might have been used as the basis for existing printing work.The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 (CRPC 1-7) are those associated with the initial publication of
ISO 15339 series.NOTE If changes in, or additions to these data sets are needed in the future, they can be documented in
added parts of ISO 15339 and carry new CRPC designations. When additional CRPCs are published in subsequent
parts of ISO 15339, it is expected that they will follow the same sequential naming scheme to avoid confusion, i.e.
15339-CRPC-8 would be the next named data set.For alternate printing processes that do not use colourants that align with the hue angles of a
characterization data set, the colour values may be simulated by the appropriate combination of the
colourants available, assuming the colour gamut of those colourants encompasses the gamut of the
characterized reference printing condition selected. For convenience, this part of ISO 15339 will continue
to refer to single-colour solids, two-colour overprints, etc recognizing that alternate printing systems
might simulate these values using appropriate combinations of available colourants.
All colourimetry should be measured according to ISO 13655 M1 with white backing. Where the
substrate is non-fluorescent, M1 data are identical to M0 data and M0 data may be used as M1 data. If
M1 data is not available, M0 data converted to M1 is sufficient (see Annex A).The measurement conditions and intended interpretation of all colourimetric data provided as part of
ISO 15339 CRPCs (ISO 15339-2 and future parts) shall be defined in the part of ISO 15339 in which the
data appears.The characterized reference printing conditions shown in ISO 15339-2 have been selected to be near the
middle of both the general class of printing that is expected to make use of each characterized reference
printing condition and the colour of the substrates used. It is expected that adjustments for substrate
colour (see 4.6) will allow each characterized reference printing condition to meet a wide variety of
needs and be independent of the printing process to be used.4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition
It is anticipated that the printing industry (with support from the ink and paper organizations) will
begin to develop tables of substrate types and printing processes that will support and/or be most
appropriate for each of the characterized reference printing conditions. Where the same content is to be
reproduced by more than one process or on more than one substrate, a gamut common to the multiple
needs should be selected. Where only a single substrate and printing system is to be used, the typical
choice should be the largest gamut that choice will support.© ISO 2014 – All rights reserved 3
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ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
The chosen characterized reference printing condition shall be used as the basis for design and content
creation.Communication of the intended printing condition between all parties (preparation, proofing, and
printing) only needs to identify ISO 15339 and the gamut to be used along with information relating to
any limitations of the intended printing process that need to be considered during preparation, proofing,
or printing.Not all printing processes that can achieve the same colour gamut are subject to the same limitations.
Offset, gravure, flexography, electrophotographic, ink-jet, etc., each have limitations that might have to
be considered in the final data preparation for printing. These typically include limitations of total ink
coverage, minimum and maximum printable dot sizes, etc.NOTE If general guidance is needed, additional parts of ISO 15339 can be prepared to assist in the
communication or standardization of the handling of such limitations.4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differences
The characterization data contained in ISO 15339-2 are all based on the CMYK characterization target
defined in ISO 12642-2. The substrate colour is therefore given in data element 1 of each data set.
Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from that of the reference printing
condition selected for data preparation and data exchange, correction of the data for such differences
can be beneficial. The use of a single method to accomplish correction enhances the ability of different
users to achieve similar results. Annex A provides one conversion method that produces reasonable
results for halftone type images. Where substrate adjustment is done this fact, the method used (if other
than Annex A) and the values of the intended substrate shall be communicated to all involved.
Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from that of the reference printing
condition selected for data preparation and data exchange by less than 2 CIEDE2000, the user can elect
to use the data without modification.Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from the characterized reference
printing condition selected for data preparation and data exchange by more than 2 but less than 5
CIEDE2000, the method defined in Annex A (see also ISO 13655) should be used to adjust the data before
proofing and printing.Where the difference in substrate colour is greater than 5 CIEDE2000, this correction may be used but
the user is cautioned that special colour characterization data might be required which is beyond the
scope of ISO 15339 series.NOTE When data adjustment is done using the tristimulus correction technique defined in Annex A, the
colour values of all data points in the colour characterization data set are changed — including the aim values for
the single-colour solids.Where characterization data is exchanged that has been modified for changes in substrate colour, it
can no longer be simply referenced as ISO 15339-CRPCx. Where the exchange between participants is
not a blind exchange, agreements concerning the substrate to be used and the substrate correction can
be exchanged and included in private metadata. For blind exchange, it can be treated as an alternate
printing reference (see 4.7).4.7 Alternate printing reference
Where one of the sets of reference colour characterization data defined in the additional parts of
ISO 15339 are not appropriate for the intended printing because of the inks, paper, or printing process
to be used, prior agreement should be obtained between all parties involved before copy preparation
work is started and the colour characterization data to be used and any colour management profiles
shall be communicated with the job content files.4 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved
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ISO/FDIS 15339-1:2014(E)
4.8 Colour profiles
The use of colour profiles is an important part of the data preparation process and colour profiles with
specific characteristics are often specified by industry trade associations to restrict an
...DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
ISO/TC 130 Secretariat: SAC
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2013-09-26 2013-12-26
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across
multiple technologies —
Part 1:
Principles
Technologie graphique — Impression à partir de données numériques via des technologies multiples —
Partie 1: PrincipesICS: 37.100.99;35.240.30
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2:2013(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2013
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2:2013(E)
Copyright notice
This ISO document is a Draft International Standard and is copyright-protected by ISO. Except as
permitted under the applicable laws of the user’s country, neither this ISO draft nor any extract
from it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission being secured.
Requests for permission to reproduce should be addressed to either ISO at the address below or ISO’s
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Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
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Reproduction may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.
Violators may be prosecuted.
ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Contents Page
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope......................................................................................................................................................1
2 Normative references............................................................................................................................1
3 Terms and definitions ...........................................................................................................................1
4 Requirements.........................................................................................................................................2
4.1 Principles and assumptions.................................................................................................................2
4.2 Data encoding........................................................................................................................................3
4.3 Data preparation....................................................................................................................................3
4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data.............................3
4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition ............................3
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differences ........................................................................4
4.7 Alternate printing reference .................................................................................................................4
4.8 Colour profiles .......................................................................................................................................4
5 Process control .....................................................................................................................................5
5.1 General ...................................................................................................................................................5
5.2 Printing to intended gamut...................................................................................................................5
5.3 Determine colour characterization ......................................................................................................6
5.4 Maintain running characteristics of the printing device ...................................................................6
5.5 Job content specific adjustments .......................................................................................................7
Annex A (normative) Correction of colorimetric data for variation in substrate colour .............................8
Annex B (informative) Tolerancing schema.....................................................................................................9
Annex C (informative) Process independent workflow.................................................................................13
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................................14
© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved iii---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 15339-1 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.ISO 15339 consists of the following parts, under the general title Graphic technology — Printing from digital
data across multiple technologies:⎯ Part 1: Principles
⎯ Part 2: Characterized reference printing conditions - 2013
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Introduction
ISO 15339 is based on the premise that in the printing and publishing industry, electronic data is the
intermediary for content storage and exchange throughout production including copy preparation, job
assembly, proofing, and process colour printing. It further assumes that data preparation can be largely
process independent and that choice of the printing process or processes to be used for final production will
be based primarily on run length requirements and substrates to be used. There are a variety of tools in place
to both define the relationship of digital data to printed colour for specific instances of printing and to
manipulate data such that similar results can be obtained between and among different printing processes
(ISO/TS 10128). These specific instances of printing are typically described by colour characterization data,
which is the relationship between CMYK input data and colour measured on the printed sheet. Where such a
set of colour characterization data is used as a reference, it is referred to as a characterized reference printing
condition (CRPC).When producing printed colour reproductions it is important that the organizations responsible for material
preparation, colour separation, proofing, and printing are all working to a common set of parameters that
uniquely define the intended visual characteristics of the final printed product. Such an agreement enables the
correct production of suitable input data and subsequent production of proofs from these data. The purpose of
a proof is to simulate the visual characteristics of the finished print product as closely as possible prior to
production printing.There is a unique relationship between ink, substrate, and printing process that limits the maximum chroma of
the solids of the printing colorants and therefore limits the range of colours (colour gamut) that can be
achieved for particular combinations. While special inks can be used, the commonly available ink pigments
seem to be used across all traditional ink processes. While toner and ink-jet systems have different colorant
constraints than traditional ink processes, they tend to mimic traditional ink processes aims and they will be
treated as a variation of traditional ink processes. The achievable chroma range (gamuts) of ink-on-paper
characterized reference printing conditions can generally be bracketed between cold-set printing on newsprint
on the small end and by printing on gloss coated stocks (on a variety of processes) on the large end.
Between these limits there is significant overlap of process/substrate combinations. The number of
intermediate characterized reference printing conditions that are logical to define between smallest and largest
is in part a function of the tolerances to which printing is expected to conform to the intended characterized
reference printing condition. However, the intermediate characterized reference printing conditions also need
to represent common widely used printing conditions and that was the determining factor for the selection of
printing conditions listed in Part 2 of ISO 15339. In addition a characterized reference printing condition 7 is
included to represent a possible exchange space for large gamut processes that exceed the colour gamut of
characterized reference printing condition 6 and therefore need a larger reference gamut.
The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 are those associated with the initial publication of ISO 15339. It is the
intent of ISO TC130 that if changes in, or additions to. these data sets are needed in the future they will be
documented in added parts of ISO 15339 so that changes in the data sets are possible without loosing
traceability to earlier data sets.A colour characterization data set is required for each characterized reference printing condition specified.
Because these data sets can be used as the reference for any printing process, they will not be aligned with
the typical TVI and trapping associated with any specific process. The values selected represent a
compromise between all processes – in effect virtual printing on a virtual printing system.
It is important to realize that digital data can be encoded as already separated CMYK or can consist of un-
separated data (typically in an RGB colour space) with supplementary information (ICC colour profiles, etc)
defining the colour it is intended to be on the printed sheet. Such un-separated data plus the associated
supplementary data is sometimes referred to as "virtual CMYK" data. All data is to be encoded according to
one of the PDF/X specifications (Parts of ISO 15930) or to allow the necessary metadata which identifies the
intended characterized reference printing condition to be included.© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved v
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
The colour of the printing substrate is a critical component of the colour appearance of a printed image (it
behaves like a 5th colour). With the current widespread use of optical brightening agents (OBA) substrate
colour is defined in terms of its apparent reflectance under D50 illumination (see ISO 3664). For halftone
images the colour of the substrate contributes mostly in the area not covered by ink. ISO 13655 provides a
reasonably effective method to adjust tristimulus data of measured halftone areas for moderate changes in
substrate colour. ISO 15339 is based on the assumption that the colour characterization data can be adjusted
(fine tuned) for the range of normal substrate colours expected and that different characterized reference
printing conditions are not required for moderate differences in substrate colour.
Although density, tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are individually important tools for the printing and
publishing industry, in this International Standard they are assumed to be part of process control and not
printing definition. They need to be considered in developing reference colour characterization data sets and
need to be used where applicable as part of local site ongoing process control.Gray balance in particular is a useful tool for the control of a running press. Modern characterization data and
profile evaluation tools allow identification of the CMY values associated with the neutral (achromatic) tone
scale and the single colour tone value scales for that colour characterization data set. Using the values
derived from the colour characterization data, rather than any a priori values, is the recommended input for
process control aims used to control a printing process intended to conform to a particular characterized
reference printing condition.Annex C provides a description of the process independent workflow that is the basis for the concepts
embodied in ISO 15339.vi © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across multiple
technologies — Part 1: Principles
1 Scope
This part of ISO 15339 establishes principles for the use of colour characterization data as the definition of the
intended relationship between input data and printed colour for copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and
graphic arts production printing. Additional Parts of ISO 15339 specify a limited number of characterized
reference printing conditions that span the expected range of colour gamuts used for the production of printed
material from digital data, regardless of printing process used. The procedure to be used to adjust colour
characterization data for the normally expected range of substrate colour Is specified.
2 Normative referencesThe following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.ISO/TS 10128, Graphic technology — Methods of adjustment of the colour reproduction of a printing system
to match a set of characterization dataISO 12642-2, Graphic technology — Input data for characterization of 4-colour process printing — Part 2:
Expanded data setISO 13655, Graphic technology — Spectral measurement and colorimetric computation for graphic arts
imagesISO 15930 (all parts), Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange using PDF
ISO 15076-1, Image technology colour management — Architecture, profile format and data structure — Part
1: Based on ICC.1:2010CGATS/IDEAlliance TR 015, Graphic technology — Graphic technology — Methodology for Establishing
Printing Aims Based on a Shared Near-neutral Gray-scale3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply
3.1
colour characterization data
tabulation of data that represents the relationship between device code values (eg:CMYK) and the colour
(CIELAB) produced on the printed sheet by those values in a specific printing process
3.2colour profile
set of transforms, encoded according the rules of ISO 15076-1, that convert data between (to and from)
device space and profile connection space© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved 1
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Note 1 to entry: The transforms contained within a colour profile can include manipulation of gamut
compression/expansion, tone reproduction, colour separation, black printer creation, printing limitations (e.g. total data
area), etc.3.3
gamut
the (mostly convex) hull in CIELAB space which contains all printable colours (and no others) for a substrate
and printing process.Note 1 to entry: For comparison purposes the CIELAB values of the primaries and secondaries along with the
substrate are often an adequate (sparse) definition of a colour gamut, although a more complete definition can be given by
the surface values of the measurements of a target like the one contained in ISO 12642-2.
3.4characterized reference printing condition (CRPC)
identified printing condition and its colour characterization data that is used as the aim for a particular printing
task (job)3.5
process independent
independent of the printing process (offset, flexography, gravure, etc.) to be used for production of printed
material3.6
identified printing condition
printing condition documented in a national or international standard or industry publication in a way that
allows it to be replicated by an industry practitioner4 Requirements
4.1 Principles and assumptions
One of the key principles upon which this International Standard is based is that colour content data can be
adjusted such that any printing processes, that can achieve a specified colour gamut, can produce the within-
gamut image colours specified by the appropriate reference colour characterization data. This allows printing
aims to be process independent.A second principle is that process control aims and tools should be based (extracted from) on the reference
colour characterization data selected and not based on a priori assumptions. Many of the parameters used in
process control such as tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are contained within, or can be derived from,
the colour characterization data chosen as reference. Local site tools can also be used for initial setup
processes, but these need to be based on the known differences between the colour characterization data
aims and the colour characterization of the actual printing system being used.Where similar characteristics, such as tone reproduction, are desired between different characterized
reference printing conditions (different colour gamuts) these need to be built into the colour characterization
data associated with these characterized reference printing conditions. Characterized reference printing
conditions, and their associated colour characterization data, can be thought of as a virtual printing system
(press) and as such the characterization data can be manipulated mathematically to fine tune results to
achieve smoothness, uniformity and/or other characteristics.The key requirement for successful application of these principals is that the reference colour characterization
data and the characterization data for the printing system being used shall have the same gamut and be
sufficient to allow the necessary data adjustment. (see ISO/TS 10128 for recommended procedures to
implement such data adjustment)2 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
4.2 Data encoding
In the absence of other prior agreement, electronic colour content data to be used as the intermediate storage
and exchange media between copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and printing shall be encoded in
accordance with a part of ISO 15930. Any deviation from this, such as encoding in ISO 12639 or in some
other format, shall be according to prior agreement by all parties, and shall include communication of the
reference characterization data of the intended printing condition and, as necessary, a colour profile to
transform any data not supplied in the process colour model of the reference.4.3 Data preparation
All print elements shall be prepared either as device code values or as colorimetrically defined data. However,
both types of data if present in print elements shall be prepared for a single characterized reference printing
condition. This condition shall be provided in the PDF/X output intent in the case of an ISO 15930 exchange,
or shall be communicated by mutually agreed upon methods in other situations. Unless otherwise agreed
between sender and receiver, the characterized reference printing condition shall be one of the data sets
defined in a part of ISO 15339.4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data
The characterized reference printing conditions associated with ISO 15339 are contained in additional Parts of
ISO 15339. This approach was taken to allow ISO TC130 to change or update characterized reference
printing conditions without revising or invalidating characterized reference printing conditions that might have
been used as the basis for existing printing work.The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 are those associated with the initial publication of ISO 15339. If
changes in, or additions to these data sets are needed in the future, they will be documented in added parts of
ISO 15339.It is important to note that these characterized reference printing conditions are based on the ink colours and
2-colour overprints defined in the various parts of ISO 12647 with corrections for substrate colour differences.
However, for alternate printing processes that do not use colorants that align with the hue angles of these
characterization data sets, these colour values may be simulated by the appropriate combination of the
colorants available, assuming the colour gamut of those colorants encompasses the gamut of the
characterized reference printing condition selected. For convenience this part of ISO 15339 will continue to
refer to single-colour solids, two-colour overprints, etc recognizing that alternate printing systems may
simulate these values using appropriate combinations of available colorants.All colorimetry should be measured, according to ISO 13655 M1 with white backing. Where the substrate is
non-fluorescent M1 data are identical to M0 data and M0 data may be used as M1 data. If M1 data is not
available, M0 data converted to M1 is sufficient (see Annex A). M1 data over white backing shall be provided.
The characterized reference printing conditions shown in ISO 15339-2 have been selected to be near the
middle of both the general class of printing that is expected to make use of each characterized reference
printing condition and the colour of the substrates used. It is expected that adjustments for substrate colour
(see 4.6) will allow each characterized reference printing condition to meet a wide variety of needs and be
independent of the "printing" process to be used.4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition
It is anticipated that the printing industry (with support from the ink and paper organizations) will begin to
develop tables of substrate types and printing processes that will support and/or be most appropriate for each
of the characterized reference printing conditions. Where the same content is to be reproduced by more than
one process or on more than one substrate a gamut common to the multiple needs should be selected.
Where only a single substrate and printing system is to be used, the typical choice should be the largest
gamut that choice will support.© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved 3
---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
The chosen characterized reference printing condition shall be used as the basis for design and content
creation.Communication of the intended printing condition between all parties (preparation, proofing, and printing) only
needs to identify ISO 15339 and the gamut to be used along with information relating to any limitations of the
intended printing process that need to be considered during preparation, proofing, or printing.
Not all printing processes that can achieve the same colour gamut are subject to the same limitations. Offset,
gravure, flexography, electrophotographic, ink-jet, etc., each have limitations that may have to be considered
in the final data preparation for printing. These typically include limitations of total ink coverage, minimum and
maximum printable dot sizes, etc. Should general guidance be needed, additional parts of ISO 15339 can be
prepared to assist in the communication or standardization of the handling of such limitations.
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differencesThe characterization data contained in ISO 15339-2 are all based on the CMYK characterization target
defined in ISO 12642-2. The substrate colour is therefore given in data element 1 of each data set.
Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from that of the reference printing condition
selected for data preparation and data exchange by less than 2 CIEDE2000 the data may be used without
modification.Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from the characterized reference printing
condition selected for data preparation and data exchange by more than 2 but less than 5 CIEDE2000 the
method defined in Annex A (see also ISO 13655) shall be used to adjust the data before proofing and printing.
Where substrate adjustment is done this fact and the CIELAB values of the intended substrate shall be
communicated to all involved.Where the difference in substrate colour is greater than 5 CIEDE2000, this correction may be used but the
user is cautioned that special colour characterization data might be required which is beyond the scope of
ISO 15339..NOTE When data adjustment is done using the tristimulus correction technique defined in Annex A, the "colour" of all
data points in the colour characterization data set are changed ─ including the aim values for the single colour solids.
Where characterization data is exchanged that has been modified for changes in substrate colour, that
information shall be communicated with the color reference printing condition data.
4.7 Alternate printing referenceWhere one of the sets of reference colour characterization data defined in the additional parts of ISO 15339
are not appropriate for the intended printing because of the inks, paper, or printing process to be used, prior
agreement should be obtained between all parties involved before copy preparation work is started and the
colour characterization data to be used and any colour management profiles shall be communicated with the
job content files.4.8 Colour profiles
The use of colour profiles is an important part of the data preparation process and colour profiles with specific
characteristics are often specified by industry trade associations to restrict and provide more commonality in
user input. It is important that colour characterization data and colour management profiles are not confused.
While profiles are based on characterization data they also contain additional data processing information.
Profiles are required when data is transformed into, or from, CMYK and other working colour spaces.
According to ISO 15076-1, an output device profile is required to contain tags that define the transforms
between profile connection space and the device values (and reverse) for perceptual, saturation, and
colorimetric intents. In addition the transforms include gamut mapping, colour separation methodologies, tone
reproduction, and process limits such as tone value sum. These determine the device-space values that will
be created from input data linked through profile connection space. Therefore many profiles can be created for
4 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
the same characterized reference printing condition, and all are equally valid. Profiles also typically contain
proprietary transforms and/or computational procedures. Therefore, profiles are not generally appropriate for
standardization.5 Process control
5.1 General
Although process control is considered to be the responsibility of the local facility, some basic principles are
important and represent a change from traditional (before the widespread availability and use of electronic
data for content interchange) practices.In general the major steps in process control are:
a) Optimize the printing system performance to be as close as possible to the gamut of the characterized
reference printing condition.NOTE The goal is that apexes of the outer gamut of the printing system to be used match the apexes of the
characterized reference printing condition. Where hue differences of the colorants make this impossible, the usual
procedure is to adjust the printing system so that the apexes of the characterized reference printing condition are
contained within the outer gamut of the printing system. In...
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
ISO/TC 130 Secretariat: SAC
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2013-09-26 2013-12-26
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across
multiple technologies —
Part 1:
Principles
Technologie graphique — Impression à partir de données numériques via des technologies multiples —
Partie 1: PrincipesICS: 37.100.99;35.240.30
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2:2013(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2013
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2:2013(E)
Copyright notice
This ISO document is a Draft International Standard and is copyright-protected by ISO. Except as
permitted under the applicable laws of the user’s country, neither this ISO draft nor any extract
from it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Reproduction may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.
Violators may be prosecuted.
ii © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Contents Page
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope......................................................................................................................................................1
2 Normative references............................................................................................................................1
3 Terms and definitions ...........................................................................................................................1
4 Requirements.........................................................................................................................................2
4.1 Principles and assumptions.................................................................................................................2
4.2 Data encoding........................................................................................................................................3
4.3 Data preparation....................................................................................................................................3
4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data.............................3
4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition ............................3
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differences ........................................................................4
4.7 Alternate printing reference .................................................................................................................4
4.8 Colour profiles .......................................................................................................................................4
5 Process control .....................................................................................................................................5
5.1 General ...................................................................................................................................................5
5.2 Printing to intended gamut...................................................................................................................5
5.3 Determine colour characterization ......................................................................................................6
5.4 Maintain running characteristics of the printing device ...................................................................6
5.5 Job content specific adjustments .......................................................................................................7
Annex A (normative) Correction of colorimetric data for variation in substrate colour .............................8
Annex B (informative) Tolerancing schema.....................................................................................................9
Annex C (informative) Process independent workflow.................................................................................13
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................................14
© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved iii---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 15339-1 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.ISO 15339 consists of the following parts, under the general title Graphic technology — Printing from digital
data across multiple technologies:⎯ Part 1: Principles
⎯ Part 2: Characterized reference printing conditions - 2013
iv © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Introduction
ISO 15339 is based on the premise that in the printing and publishing industry, electronic data is the
intermediary for content storage and exchange throughout production including copy preparation, job
assembly, proofing, and process colour printing. It further assumes that data preparation can be largely
process independent and that choice of the printing process or processes to be used for final production will
be based primarily on run length requirements and substrates to be used. There are a variety of tools in place
to both define the relationship of digital data to printed colour for specific instances of printing and to
manipulate data such that similar results can be obtained between and among different printing processes
(ISO/TS 10128). These specific instances of printing are typically described by colour characterization data,
which is the relationship between CMYK input data and colour measured on the printed sheet. Where such a
set of colour characterization data is used as a reference, it is referred to as a characterized reference printing
condition (CRPC).When producing printed colour reproductions it is important that the organizations responsible for material
preparation, colour separation, proofing, and printing are all working to a common set of parameters that
uniquely define the intended visual characteristics of the final printed product. Such an agreement enables the
correct production of suitable input data and subsequent production of proofs from these data. The purpose of
a proof is to simulate the visual characteristics of the finished print product as closely as possible prior to
production printing.There is a unique relationship between ink, substrate, and printing process that limits the maximum chroma of
the solids of the printing colorants and therefore limits the range of colours (colour gamut) that can be
achieved for particular combinations. While special inks can be used, the commonly available ink pigments
seem to be used across all traditional ink processes. While toner and ink-jet systems have different colorant
constraints than traditional ink processes, they tend to mimic traditional ink processes aims and they will be
treated as a variation of traditional ink processes. The achievable chroma range (gamuts) of ink-on-paper
characterized reference printing conditions can generally be bracketed between cold-set printing on newsprint
on the small end and by printing on gloss coated stocks (on a variety of processes) on the large end.
Between these limits there is significant overlap of process/substrate combinations. The number of
intermediate characterized reference printing conditions that are logical to define between smallest and largest
is in part a function of the tolerances to which printing is expected to conform to the intended characterized
reference printing condition. However, the intermediate characterized reference printing conditions also need
to represent common widely used printing conditions and that was the determining factor for the selection of
printing conditions listed in Part 2 of ISO 15339. In addition a characterized reference printing condition 7 is
included to represent a possible exchange space for large gamut processes that exceed the colour gamut of
characterized reference printing condition 6 and therefore need a larger reference gamut.
The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 are those associated with the initial publication of ISO 15339. It is the
intent of ISO TC130 that if changes in, or additions to. these data sets are needed in the future they will be
documented in added parts of ISO 15339 so that changes in the data sets are possible without loosing
traceability to earlier data sets.A colour characterization data set is required for each characterized reference printing condition specified.
Because these data sets can be used as the reference for any printing process, they will not be aligned with
the typical TVI and trapping associated with any specific process. The values selected represent a
compromise between all processes – in effect virtual printing on a virtual printing system.
It is important to realize that digital data can be encoded as already separated CMYK or can consist of un-
separated data (typically in an RGB colour space) with supplementary information (ICC colour profiles, etc)
defining the colour it is intended to be on the printed sheet. Such un-separated data plus the associated
supplementary data is sometimes referred to as "virtual CMYK" data. All data is to be encoded according to
one of the PDF/X specifications (Parts of ISO 15930) or to allow the necessary metadata which identifies the
intended characterized reference printing condition to be included.© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved v
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
The colour of the printing substrate is a critical component of the colour appearance of a printed image (it
behaves like a 5th colour). With the current widespread use of optical brightening agents (OBA) substrate
colour is defined in terms of its apparent reflectance under D50 illumination (see ISO 3664). For halftone
images the colour of the substrate contributes mostly in the area not covered by ink. ISO 13655 provides a
reasonably effective method to adjust tristimulus data of measured halftone areas for moderate changes in
substrate colour. ISO 15339 is based on the assumption that the colour characterization data can be adjusted
(fine tuned) for the range of normal substrate colours expected and that different characterized reference
printing conditions are not required for moderate differences in substrate colour.
Although density, tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are individually important tools for the printing and
publishing industry, in this International Standard they are assumed to be part of process control and not
printing definition. They need to be considered in developing reference colour characterization data sets and
need to be used where applicable as part of local site ongoing process control.Gray balance in particular is a useful tool for the control of a running press. Modern characterization data and
profile evaluation tools allow identification of the CMY values associated with the neutral (achromatic) tone
scale and the single colour tone value scales for that colour characterization data set. Using the values
derived from the colour characterization data, rather than any a priori values, is the recommended input for
process control aims used to control a printing process intended to conform to a particular characterized
reference printing condition.Annex C provides a description of the process independent workflow that is the basis for the concepts
embodied in ISO 15339.vi © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across multiple
technologies — Part 1: Principles
1 Scope
This part of ISO 15339 establishes principles for the use of colour characterization data as the definition of the
intended relationship between input data and printed colour for copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and
graphic arts production printing. Additional Parts of ISO 15339 specify a limited number of characterized
reference printing conditions that span the expected range of colour gamuts used for the production of printed
material from digital data, regardless of printing process used. The procedure to be used to adjust colour
characterization data for the normally expected range of substrate colour Is specified.
2 Normative referencesThe following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.ISO/TS 10128, Graphic technology — Methods of adjustment of the colour reproduction of a printing system
to match a set of characterization dataISO 12642-2, Graphic technology — Input data for characterization of 4-colour process printing — Part 2:
Expanded data setISO 13655, Graphic technology — Spectral measurement and colorimetric computation for graphic arts
imagesISO 15930 (all parts), Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange using PDF
ISO 15076-1, Image technology colour management — Architecture, profile format and data structure — Part
1: Based on ICC.1:2010CGATS/IDEAlliance TR 015, Graphic technology — Graphic technology — Methodology for Establishing
Printing Aims Based on a Shared Near-neutral Gray-scale3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply
3.1
colour characterization data
tabulation of data that represents the relationship between device code values (eg:CMYK) and the colour
(CIELAB) produced on the printed sheet by those values in a specific printing process
3.2colour profile
set of transforms, encoded according the rules of ISO 15076-1, that convert data between (to and from)
device space and profile connection space© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved 1
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
Note 1 to entry: The transforms contained within a colour profile can include manipulation of gamut
compression/expansion, tone reproduction, colour separation, black printer creation, printing limitations (e.g. total data
area), etc.3.3
gamut
the (mostly convex) hull in CIELAB space which contains all printable colours (and no others) for a substrate
and printing process.Note 1 to entry: For comparison purposes the CIELAB values of the primaries and secondaries along with the
substrate are often an adequate (sparse) definition of a colour gamut, although a more complete definition can be given by
the surface values of the measurements of a target like the one contained in ISO 12642-2.
3.4characterized reference printing condition (CRPC)
identified printing condition and its colour characterization data that is used as the aim for a particular printing
task (job)3.5
process independent
independent of the printing process (offset, flexography, gravure, etc.) to be used for production of printed
material3.6
identified printing condition
printing condition documented in a national or international standard or industry publication in a way that
allows it to be replicated by an industry practitioner4 Requirements
4.1 Principles and assumptions
One of the key principles upon which this International Standard is based is that colour content data can be
adjusted such that any printing processes, that can achieve a specified colour gamut, can produce the within-
gamut image colours specified by the appropriate reference colour characterization data. This allows printing
aims to be process independent.A second principle is that process control aims and tools should be based (extracted from) on the reference
colour characterization data selected and not based on a priori assumptions. Many of the parameters used in
process control such as tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are contained within, or can be derived from,
the colour characterization data chosen as reference. Local site tools can also be used for initial setup
processes, but these need to be based on the known differences between the colour characterization data
aims and the colour characterization of the actual printing system being used.Where similar characteristics, such as tone reproduction, are desired between different characterized
reference printing conditions (different colour gamuts) these need to be built into the colour characterization
data associated with these characterized reference printing conditions. Characterized reference printing
conditions, and their associated colour characterization data, can be thought of as a virtual printing system
(press) and as such the characterization data can be manipulated mathematically to fine tune results to
achieve smoothness, uniformity and/or other characteristics.The key requirement for successful application of these principals is that the reference colour characterization
data and the characterization data for the printing system being used shall have the same gamut and be
sufficient to allow the necessary data adjustment. (see ISO/TS 10128 for recommended procedures to
implement such data adjustment)2 © ISO 2013 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
4.2 Data encoding
In the absence of other prior agreement, electronic colour content data to be used as the intermediate storage
and exchange media between copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and printing shall be encoded in
accordance with a part of ISO 15930. Any deviation from this, such as encoding in ISO 12639 or in some
other format, shall be according to prior agreement by all parties, and shall include communication of the
reference characterization data of the intended printing condition and, as necessary, a colour profile to
transform any data not supplied in the process colour model of the reference.4.3 Data preparation
All print elements shall be prepared either as device code values or as colorimetrically defined data. However,
both types of data if present in print elements shall be prepared for a single characterized reference printing
condition. This condition shall be provided in the PDF/X output intent in the case of an ISO 15930 exchange,
or shall be communicated by mutually agreed upon methods in other situations. Unless otherwise agreed
between sender and receiver, the characterized reference printing condition shall be one of the data sets
defined in a part of ISO 15339.4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data
The characterized reference printing conditions associated with ISO 15339 are contained in additional Parts of
ISO 15339. This approach was taken to allow ISO TC130 to change or update characterized reference
printing conditions without revising or invalidating characterized reference printing conditions that might have
been used as the basis for existing printing work.The data sets defined in ISO 15339-2 are those associated with the initial publication of ISO 15339. If
changes in, or additions to these data sets are needed in the future, they will be documented in added parts of
ISO 15339.It is important to note that these characterized reference printing conditions are based on the ink colours and
2-colour overprints defined in the various parts of ISO 12647 with corrections for substrate colour differences.
However, for alternate printing processes that do not use colorants that align with the hue angles of these
characterization data sets, these colour values may be simulated by the appropriate combination of the
colorants available, assuming the colour gamut of those colorants encompasses the gamut of the
characterized reference printing condition selected. For convenience this part of ISO 15339 will continue to
refer to single-colour solids, two-colour overprints, etc recognizing that alternate printing systems may
simulate these values using appropriate combinations of available colorants.All colorimetry should be measured, according to ISO 13655 M1 with white backing. Where the substrate is
non-fluorescent M1 data are identical to M0 data and M0 data may be used as M1 data. If M1 data is not
available, M0 data converted to M1 is sufficient (see Annex A). M1 data over white backing shall be provided.
The characterized reference printing conditions shown in ISO 15339-2 have been selected to be near the
middle of both the general class of printing that is expected to make use of each characterized reference
printing condition and the colour of the substrates used. It is expected that adjustments for substrate colour
(see 4.6) will allow each characterized reference printing condition to meet a wide variety of needs and be
independent of the "printing" process to be used.4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition
It is anticipated that the printing industry (with support from the ink and paper organizations) will begin to
develop tables of substrate types and printing processes that will support and/or be most appropriate for each
of the characterized reference printing conditions. Where the same content is to be reproduced by more than
one process or on more than one substrate a gamut common to the multiple needs should be selected.
Where only a single substrate and printing system is to be used, the typical choice should be the largest
gamut that choice will support.© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved 3
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ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
The chosen characterized reference printing condition shall be used as the basis for design and content
creation.Communication of the intended printing condition between all parties (preparation, proofing, and printing) only
needs to identify ISO 15339 and the gamut to be used along with information relating to any limitations of the
intended printing process that need to be considered during preparation, proofing, or printing.
Not all printing processes that can achieve the same colour gamut are subject to the same limitations. Offset,
gravure, flexography, electrophotographic, ink-jet, etc., each have limitations that may have to be considered
in the final data preparation for printing. These typically include limitations of total ink coverage, minimum and
maximum printable dot sizes, etc. Should general guidance be needed, additional parts of ISO 15339 can be
prepared to assist in the communication or standardization of the handling of such limitations.
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differencesThe characterization data contained in ISO 15339-2 are all based on the CMYK characterization target
defined in ISO 12642-2. The substrate colour is therefore given in data element 1 of each data set.
Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from that of the reference printing condition
selected for data preparation and data exchange by less than 2 CIEDE2000 the data may be used without
modification.Where the printing substrate to be used has a colour that differs from the characterized reference printing
condition selected for data preparation and data exchange by more than 2 but less than 5 CIEDE2000 the
method defined in Annex A (see also ISO 13655) shall be used to adjust the data before proofing and printing.
Where substrate adjustment is done this fact and the CIELAB values of the intended substrate shall be
communicated to all involved.Where the difference in substrate colour is greater than 5 CIEDE2000, this correction may be used but the
user is cautioned that special colour characterization data might be required which is beyond the scope of
ISO 15339..NOTE When data adjustment is done using the tristimulus correction technique defined in Annex A, the "colour" of all
data points in the colour characterization data set are changed ─ including the aim values for the single colour solids.
Where characterization data is exchanged that has been modified for changes in substrate colour, that
information shall be communicated with the color reference printing condition data.
4.7 Alternate printing referenceWhere one of the sets of reference colour characterization data defined in the additional parts of ISO 15339
are not appropriate for the intended printing because of the inks, paper, or printing process to be used, prior
agreement should be obtained between all parties involved before copy preparation work is started and the
colour characterization data to be used and any colour management profiles shall be communicated with the
job content files.4.8 Colour profiles
The use of colour profiles is an important part of the data preparation process and colour profiles with specific
characteristics are often specified by industry trade associations to restrict and provide more commonality in
user input. It is important that colour characterization data and colour management profiles are not confused.
While profiles are based on characterization data they also contain additional data processing information.
Profiles are required when data is transformed into, or from, CMYK and other working colour spaces.
According to ISO 15076-1, an output device profile is required to contain tags that define the transforms
between profile connection space and the device values (and reverse) for perceptual, saturation, and
colorimetric intents. In addition the transforms include gamut mapping, colour separation methodologies, tone
reproduction, and process limits such as tone value sum. These determine the device-space values that will
be created from input data linked through profile connection space. Therefore many profiles can be created for
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ISO/DIS 15339-1.2
the same characterized reference printing condition, and all are equally valid. Profiles also typically contain
proprietary transforms and/or computational procedures. Therefore, profiles are not generally appropriate for
standardization.5 Process control
5.1 General
Although process control is considered to be the responsibility of the local facility, some basic principles are
important and represent a change from traditional (before the widespread availability and use of electronic
data for content interchange) practices.In general the major steps in process control are:
a) Optimize the printing system performance to be as close as possible to the gamut of the characterized
reference printing condition.NOTE The goal is that apexes of the outer gamut of the printing system to be used match the apexes of the
characterized reference printing condition. Where hue differences of the colorants make this impossible, the usual
procedure is to adjust the printing system so that the apexes of the characterized reference printing condition are
contained within the outer gamut of the printing system. In...
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 15339-1
ISO/TC 130 Secretariat: DIN
Voting begins on Voting terminates on
2011-08-04 2012-01-04
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ПО СТАНДАРТИЗАЦИИ ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE NORMALISATION
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across multipletechnologies —
Part 1:
Principles and characterized reference printing conditions
Technologie graphique — Impression à partir de données numériques via des technologies multiples —
Partie 1: Principes et conditions d'impression de référence caractériséesICS 35.240.30; 37.100.99
In accordance with the provisions of Council Resolution 15/1993 this document is circulated in
the English language only.Conformément aux dispositions de la Résolution du Conseil 15/1993, ce document est distribué
en version anglaise seulement.To expedite distribution, this document is circulated as received from the committee
secretariat. ISO Central Secretariat work of editing and text composition will be undertaken at
publication stage.Pour accélérer la distribution, le présent document est distribué tel qu'il est parvenu du
secrétariat du comité. Le travail de rédaction et de composition de texte sera effectué au
Secrétariat central de l'ISO au stade de publication.THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY NOT BE
REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME
STANDARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.© International Organization for Standardization, 2011
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Copyright notice
This ISO document is a Draft International Standard and is copyright-protected by ISO. Except as permitted
under the applicable laws of the user’s country, neither this ISO draft nor any extract from it may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
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Reproduction may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.
Violators may be prosecuted.
ii © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Contents Page
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope......................................................................................................................................................1
2 Normative references............................................................................................................................1
3 Terms and definitions ...........................................................................................................................1
4 Requirements.........................................................................................................................................2
4.1 Principles and assumptions.................................................................................................................2
4.2 Data encoding........................................................................................................................................3
4.3 Data preparation ....................................................................................................................................3
4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data.............................3
4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition ............................6
4.6 Adjustment of data for substrate colour differences ........................................................................6
4.7 Alternate printing reference .................................................................................................................7
4.8 Colour profiles .......................................................................................................................................7
5 Process control .....................................................................................................................................7
5.1 General ...................................................................................................................................................7
5.2 Conform to the intended gamut...........................................................................................................8
5.3 Determine colour characterization ......................................................................................................8
5.4 Maintain running characteristics of the printing device ...................................................................9
5.5 Job content specific adjustments .....................................................................................................10
Annex A (normative) Correction of colorimetric data for variation of substrate colour ...........................11
Annex B (informative) Process independent workflow.................................................................................12
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................................13
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 15339-1 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.ISO 15339 consists of the following parts, under the general title Graphic technology — Printing from digital
data across multiple technologies⎯ Part 1: Principles and characterized reference printing conditions
iv © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Introduction
ISO 15339 is based on the premise that in the printing and publishing industry, electronic data is the
intermediary for content storage and exchange throughout production including copy preparation, job
assembly, proofing, and printing. It further assumes that data preparation can be largely process independent
and that choice of the printing process or processes to be used for final production will be based primarily on
run length requirements and substrates to be used. Each of the major printing processes has unique
limitations that are covered in additional parts of ISO 15339. There are a variety of tools in place to both
define the relationship of digital data to printed colour for specific instances of printing and to manipulate data
such that common results can be obtained between and among different printing processes (ISO/TS 10128).
These specific instances of printing are typically described by colour characterization data, which is the
relationship between CMYK input data and colour measured on the printed sheet. Where such a set of colour
characterization data is used as a reference (such as in this part of ISO 15339) it is referred to as a
characterized reference printing condition.When producing printed colour reproductions it is important that the organizations responsible for material
preparation, colour separation, proofing, and printing are all working to a common set of parameters that
uniquely define the intended visual characteristics of the final printed product. Such an agreement enables the
correct production of suitable input data and subsequent production of proofs from these data. The purpose of
a proof is to simulate the visual characteristics of the finished print product as closely as possible prior to
production printing.There is a unique relationship between ink, substrate, and printing process that limits the maximum chroma of
the solids of the printing colorants and therefore limits the range of colours (colour gamut) that can be
achieved for particular combinations. While special inks can be used, the commonly available ink pigments
seem to be used across all wet ink processes. While toner and ink-jet systems have different colorant
constraints than wet ink processes, they tend to mimic wet ink processes aims and they will be treated as a
variation of wet ink processes. The achievable chroma range (gamuts) of ink-on-paper characterized
reference printing conditions can generally be bracketed between cold-set printing on newsprint on the small
end and by sheet-fed printing on gloss coated stock on the large end. Between these limits there is significant
overlap of process/substrate combinations. The number of intermediate characterized reference printing
conditions that are logical to define between smallest and largest is in part a function of the tolerances to
which printing is expected to conform to the intended characterized reference printing condition. However, the
intermediate characterized reference printing conditions also need to represent common widely used printing
conditions and that was the determining factor for the selection of printing conditions listed in this part of ISO
15339. In addition a characterized reference printing condition 7 is included to represent a possible exchange
space for digital printing data and/or other large gamut processes that exceed the colour gamut of
characterized reference printing condition 6 and therefore need a larger exchange gamut.
The references that were used to create the various data sets are shown in Table 1.
A colour characterization data set is required for each characterized reference printing condition specified.
Because these data sets can be used as the reference for any printing process, they will not be aligned with
the typical TVI and trapping associated with any specific process. The values selected represent a
compromise between all processes – in effect virtual printing on a virtual printing system.
It is important to realize that digital data can be encoded as already separated CMYK or can consist of un-
separated data (typically in an RGB colour space) with supplementary information (ICC colour profiles, etc)
defining the colour it is intended to be on the printed sheet. Such un-separated data plus the associated
supplementary data is sometimes referred to as "virtual CMYK" data. All data is to be encoded according to
one of the PDF/X specifications (Parts of ISO 15930) or TIFF/IT (ISO 12639) to allow the necessary metadata
which identifies the intended characterized reference printing condition to be included.
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Table 1 ─ Reference data sets used
CRPC Name US reference European reference
1 Universal ColdsetNews SNAP2009 IFRA 26
2 Universal HeatsetNews BetaHeatsetNews Fogra 42
3 Universal PremUncoated BetaOffsetUncoated Fogra 47
4 Universal SuperCal BetaSupercal Fogra 40
5 Universal PubCoated SWOP2006_Coated 3,5 Fogra 45,46
6 Universal PremCoated GRAColL2006_Coated 1 Fogra 39
7 Universal Extra Large Average of digital printers
The colour of the printing substrate is a critical component of the colour appearance of a printed image (the
5th colour). With the current widespread use of optical brightening agents (OBA) substrate colour is defined in
terms of its apparent reflectance under D50 illumination (see ISO 3664). For halftone images the colour of the
substrate contributes mostly in the area not covered by ink. ISO 13655 provides a reasonably effective
method to adjust tristimulus data of measured halftone areas for moderate changes in substrate colour. This
part of ISO 15339 is based on the assumption that the colour characterization data can be adjusted (fine
tuned) for the range of normal substrate colours expected and that different characterized reference printing
conditions are not required for moderate differences in substrate colour.Although density, tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are individually important tools for the printing and
publishing industry, in this International Standard they are assumed to be part of process control and not
printing definition. They need to be considered in developing reference colour characterization data sets and
are indispensable as part of local site ongoing process control.Gray balance in particular is a useful tool for the control of a running press. Modern characterization data and
profile evaluation tools allow identification of the CMY values associated with the neutral (achromatic) tone
scale and the single colour tone value scales for that colour characterization data set. Using the values
derived from the colour characterization data, rather than any a priori values, is the recommended input for
process control aims used to control a printing process intended to conform to a particular characterized
reference printing condition.Annex B provides a description of the process independent workflow that is the basis for the concepts
embodied in this part of ISO 15339.vi © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved
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DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 15339-1
Graphic technology — Printing from digital data across multiple
technologies —
Part 1:
Principles and characterized reference printing conditions
1 Scope
This part of ISO 15339 establishes principles for use of electronic colour content data as the intermediate
storage and exchange media between copy preparation, job assembly, proofing, and graphic arts production
printing. It specifies a limited number of characterized reference printing conditions that span the expected
range of colour gamuts used for the production of printed material from digital data, regardless of printing
process used. It also specifies the procedure to be used to adjust colour characterization data for the
normally expected range of substrate colour.2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.ISO/TS 10128, Graphic technology — Methods of adjustment of the colour reproduction of a printing system
to match a set of characterization dataISO 12639, Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange — Tag image file format for image
technology (TIFF/IT)ISO 12642-2, Graphic technology — Input data for characterization of 4-colour process printing — Part 2:
Expanded data setISO 13655, Graphic technology — Spectral measurement and colorimetric computation for graphic arts
imagesISO 15930 (all parts), Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange using PDF
ISO 15076-1, Image technology colour management — Architecture, profile format and data structure — Part
1: Based on ICC.1:20103 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
colour characterization data
a tabulation of data that represents the relationship between device code values (eg:CMYK) and the colour
(CIELAB) produced on the printed sheet by those values in a specific printing process
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
3.2
colour profile
a set of transforms, encoded according the rules of ISO 15076-1, that convert data between (to and from)
device space and profile connection spaceNote 1 to entry: The transforms contained within a colour profile can include manipulation of gamut
compression/expansion, tone reproduction, colour separation, black printer creation, printing limitations (e.g. total data
area), etc.3.3
gamut
the (mostly convex) hull of the colour space defined by the CIELAB values of the primaries and secondaries
along with the substrate in a printing processNote 1 to entry: For comparison purposes the CIELAB values of the primaries and secondaries along with the
substrate are often an adequate (sparse) definition of a colour gamut, although a more complete definition can be given by
the surface values of the measurements of a target like the one contained in ISO 12642-2.
3.4characterized reference printing condition (CRPC)
an identified printing condition and its colour characterization data that is used as the aim for a particular
printing task (job)3.5
process independent
independent of the printing process (offset, flexography, gravure, etc.) to be used for production of printed
material4 Requirements
4.1 Principles and assumptions
One of the key principles upon which this International Standard is based is that electronic tools exist that
allow colour electronic content data to be adjusted such that any printing processes, that can achieve a
specified colour gamut, can produce the within-gamut image colours specified by the appropriate reference
colour characterization data. This allows printing aims to be process independent.
A second principle is that process control aims and tools should be based on the reference colour
characterization data selected and not based on a priori assumptions. Many of the parameters used in
process control such as tone value increase, gray balance, etc. are contained within, or can be derived from,
the colour characterization data chosen as reference. Local site tools can also be used for initial setup
processes, but these need to be based on the known differences between the colour characterization data
aims and the colour characterization of the actual printing system being used.Where similar characteristics, such as tone reproduction, are desired between different characterized
reference printing conditions (different colour gamuts) these need to be built into the colour characterization
data associated with these characterized reference printing conditions. Characterized reference printing
conditions, and their associated colour characterization data, can be thought of as a virtual printing system
(press) and as such the characterization data can be manipulated mathematically to fine tune results to
achieve smoothness, uniformity and/or other characteristics.The key requirement for successful application of these principals is that the reference colour characterization
data and the characterization data for the printing system being used shall have the same gamut and the data
steps shall have sufficient tonal steps that the data can be adjusted as necessary. (see ISO/TS 10128)
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
4.2 Data encoding
All electronic colour content data to be used as the intermediate storage and exchange media between copy
preparation, job assembly, proofing, and printing shall be encoded in accordance with a part of ISO 15930 or
as specified in ISO 12639.Where colour content data is encoded in accordance with ISO 12639 it shall have the selected colour
characterization data, or the appropriate pointers to the registry containing the colour characterization data,
included in TIFF/IT TAG 34029. If some or all of the colour content data is not supplied in the process colour
model of the characterized reference printing condition, a colour profile shall be included using TIFF/IT TAG
34675 which shall be used to transform the colour content data provided into the process colour model of the
characterized printing condition.4.3 Data preparation
All print elements shall be prepared as either output device code values or as colorimetrically defined data.
However, both types of data, if present in print elements, shall be prepared for a single characterized
reference printing condition identified in the PDF/X output intent. Unless otherwise agreed between sender
and receiver, the characterized reference printing condition identified shall be one of the data sets defined in
4.4.4.4 Characterized reference printing conditions and colour characterization data
4.4.1 General
Colour characterization data is the relationship between CMYK data and printed colour (intended or
measured). Many profiles (all equally valid) can be based on a single set of characterization data. Therefore
characterization data is used to define the expected printing parameters and the relationship between the
device values provided (real or virtual) and the colour expected on the printed substrate.
The use of colour profiles is an important part of the data preparation process and colour profiles with specific
characteristics are often specified by industry trade associations to restrict and provide more commonality in
user input. However, they are not appropriate for standardization.4.4.2 Characterized reference printing conditions
The characterization data sets associated with the characterized reference printing conditions identified in this
part of ISO 15339 are included as data files ISO15339-RPC-1.csv through ISO15339-RPC-7.csv. The
CIELAB a*-b* projection of the colour characterization data of each of these characterized reference printing
conditions is shown in Figure 1.It is important to note that these characterized reference printing conditions are based on the ink colours and
2-colour overprints defined in the various parts of ISO 12647 with corrections for substrate colour differences.
However, for alternate printing processes that do not use colorants that align with the hue angles of these
characterization data sets, these colour values may be simulated by the appropriate combination of the
colorants available, assuming the colour gamut of those colorants encompasses the gamut of the
characterized reference printing condition selected. For convenience this part of ISO 15339 will continue to
refer to single-colour solids, two-colour overprints, etc recognizing that alternate printing systems may
simulate these values using appropriate combinations of available colourants.All colorimetry should be measured, according to ISO 13655 M1 with white backing. If M1 measured data is
not available, M0, data converted to M1 is sufficient. M1 data over white backing shall be provided..
The substrate, single colour solids, and two-colour overprints that are the aims for the characterization data
set shall be as shown in Table 2 and Table 3.The colorimetrically computed TVI for each of the single colour scales of each of the characterized reference
printing conditions is listed in Table 4 for information.© ISO 2011 – All rights reserved 3
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Table 5 lists typical use conditions, and a convenient name, for each of these characterized reference printing
conditions. These characterized reference printing conditions have been selected to be near the middle of
both the general class of printing that is expected to make use of each characterized reference printing
condition and the colour of the substrates used. It is expected that adjustments for substrate colour (see 4.6)
will allow each characterized reference printing condition to meet a wide variety of needs and be independent
of the "printing" process to be used.Additional parts of ISO 15339 will detail both limitations and adjustments associated with specific "printing"
processes (including ink-jet and electrophotographic printing) that will facilitate their acceptance of content
data exchanged based on these characterized reference printing conditions.Table 2 — Characterized reference printing conditions – Primary colour aims
CRPC Substrate Printed solid colours
colour
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
L* a* b* L* a* b* L* a* b* L* a* b* L* a* b*
1 83 0 4 58 -24 -28 54 46 -1 78 -2 59 36 1 4
2 86 0 2 55 -29 -35 50 57 -3 80 -3 72 28 1 1
3 95 1 -3 60 -26 -44 56 62 -2 89 -3 77 31 1 1
4 89 0 3 55 -35 -37 47 65 -3 83 -5 79 23 1 1
5 92 0 0 56 -37 -44 48 71 -4 86 -5 87 18 0 0
6 95 1 -3 55 -36 -51 48 75 -4 89 -4 93 15 0 0
7 97 1 -4 54 -41 -54 48 77 -11 89 -3 103 14 0 0
Table 3 — Characterized reference printing conditions –Two-colour overprint aims
Red Green BlueCRPC
L* a* b* L* a* b* L* a* b*
53 43 25 53 -35 16 41 6 -24
49 53 32 49 -46 20 33 11 -33
54 56 30 54 -43 17 38 11 -31
46 61 38 48 -55 24 27 14 -38
47 65 44 51 -61 25 26 19 -43
47 69 48 50 -65 26 24 20 -47
47 75 53 49 -71 29 19 27 -53
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Table 4 — Colorimetric TVI
Colorimetric TVI @ 50% input TV
CRPC
C M Y K
20.4 22.6 22.6 24.2
17.3 19.6 19.6 21.2
15.8 19.2 19.1 21.5
12.1 16.0 16.0 19.6
15.1 17.4 17.5 19.7
12.9 16.0 16.0 19.6
10.2 14.5 14.6 19.2
a) When the equivalent densitometric TVI is calculated using the method of ISO TS
10128, in all cases the Cyan TVI equals the Magenta TVI.120
100
CRPC 7
CRPC 6
CRPC 5
CRPC 4
CRPC 3
CRPC 2
CRPC 1
-80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
-20
-40
-60
Figure 1 — Characterized reference printing condition a*-b* plots
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ISO/DIS 15339-1
Table 5 — Characterized reference printing conditions, typical uses
CRPC Name Typical use
Newsprint, small gamut, printing using coldset offset, flexography, letterpress,
1 Universal ColdsetNews
etc.
Improved newsprint, moderate gamut printing using heatset or similar
2 Universal HeatsetNews
technology
3 Universal PremUncoated Utility printing on a matt uncoated paper
4 Universal SuperCal General printing on super-calendared paper
5 Universal PubCoated Magazine publication
6 Universal PremCoated Large gamut, printing using sheet-fed offset, gravure
7 Universal Extra Large Digital printing and potentially other large gamut printing processes
4.5 Use selection criteria for choice of characterized reference printing condition
It is anticipated that the printing industry (with support from the ink and paper organizations) will begin to
develop tables of substrate types and printing processes that will support and/or be most appropriate for each
of the characterized reference printing conditions of Table 5. Where the same content is to be reproduced by
more than one process or on more than one substrate a gamut common to the multiple needs should be
selected. Where only a single substrate and printing system is to be used, the typical choice should be the
largest gamut that choice will support.The chosen characterized reference printing condition shall be used as the basis for design and content
creation.Communication of the intended printing condition between all parties (preparation, proofing, and printing) only
needs to identify this part of ISO 15339 and the gamut to be used along with information relating to any
limitations of the intended printing process that need to be considered during preparation, proofing, or printing.
Unfortunately, all printing processes that can achieve the same colour gamut are not subject to the same
limitations. Offset, gravure, flexography, electrophotographic, ink-jet, etc., each have limitations that may have
to be considered in the final data preparation for printing. These typically include limitations of total ink
coverage, minimum and maximum printable dot sizes, etc. Part 2 of ISO 15339 includes guidance on each of
the commonly used printing processes to assist in the communication of any su...
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