PDF Colorserver is a very powerful tool for the optimization and color conversion of printing data.
Typical optimization issues are:
– limiting the maxim amount of ink (TAC) without changing the color appeareance
– increasing the amount of black and decreasing the amount of CMY without changing the color appeareance
High End Colorconversion adresses both images and vectors by preserving pure colors with controlled smooth color transformations. Colorconversions should have the option to preserve the orginal separation in combination with limiting the TAC.
Both targets can only be reached if the PDF colorserver supports devicelink profiles. Some PDF colorservers are using pre-calculated static devicelink profiles other are calculating dynamicly devicelink-profiles on the fly based on source profiles in the pdf-file and the target profile.
Agency / pre-press shop
A typical configuration in an agency / prepress shop is the conversion of PDF/X-1a files from a master colorspave like e.g. FOGRA39/ISOcoated_v2 or GRACoL2006ccoated1 to other target colorspaces like e.g. ISOnewspaper26 or SNAP2007 for newspaper.
This allows an highly automated production with conversions of complete documents including flattened transparencies and other complex PDF/X-1a constructs.
A variant of this workflow also allows ICCbased colorspaces for individual images in the Master PDF-file.
Both workflow variants allow to work with only one colorsetting in the Layout application and one setting for PDF creation.
Printer
Typical task for the printer is the optimization of printing data for the ideal TAC or more black instead of CMY for more stable print production. Also the conversion of PDF-data for coated paper (standard setting in photoshop and layout programs) to the correct standard for the actual production is pretty easy.
If agencies / pre-press shops or printers are working according standards, it is possible to configure color servers with standard devicelink-profiles or standard settings for the dynamic creation of devicelink profiles for the needed tasks.