You can create colour files based on your monitor or printer profiles and specify the number of pages included, the layout the colour file adopts and the lightness levels required. These colour files are extremely useful because they provide you with a colour file which only contains colours your printer can achieve. 

 This prevents you from using colours which are not achievable on your printer, and works towards achieving a screen to print match*

1. In ColourSys, go to File Menu > New Multiview Colourfile… The following window will open:
   
2. Choose between traditional CIE La*b* and the more recent (2008) CIE CAM02 Colour Space models. A slight difference in hue shift will occur between each model when generating the colour file.
   
   As a general rule, CIE CAM02 generates a much smoother blend between colours where CIE La*b* tends to have colour shifts as colours get stronger (such as blue to purple).
   
   
3. Choose between three different colour file layout options.  Each view is described further later in the article.
4. Choose which colour gamut to use in the Multiview Colourfile.
   • Filter Gamut - choose to generate colours from the monitor gamut, printer gamut, or from a selected ICC profile such as one from your production. Colours generated will directly reflect any gamut boundaries selected using the chosen layout model
     
     
5. Select your dE tolerance.
   
   
   • dE - use the slider bar to determine your Delta E tolerance. The lower the tolerance, the fewer chips will appear in the colour file but they will be more accurate. The higher the tolerance, the more chips you will see in the resulting colour file, but they may be less accurate
     
     
6. Customise the blend and split of generated colour chips using pages, rows and columns:
   • Pages - will reflect how many pages will be generated against the rows and columns specified. For example if you only have 8 rows and 8 columns you would not want to spread the colours over 20 pages as this would leave only a few colours per page. Pages also reflect certain attributes depending on which layout is selected.
   • Rows - determines blend steps and number of horizontal chips. Smaller numbers will create less blend steps between chips
   • Columns - determines blend steps and number of vertical chips. Smaller numbers will create less blend steps between chips
     
     
7. Control the dark to light range across a given hue of the colour file to emphasise saturation:
   • Min Lightness - limits the bottom of the lightness scale with 0 being white
   • Max Lightness - limits the top of the lightness scale with 100 being black
   • Max Chroma - low numbers will desaturate the hue of the colour file, pushing shades towards pastels. The 100 value represents maximum saturation across the whole gamut
     
     
8. Click OK to generate the colour file using the settings selected, then scroll through the pages using the usual page navigator, at the top of the colour file.
   
9. Add a prefix to the colour chip names.
   
   

With the multiview colour file created, those wishing to print to a wide format printer and maximise substrate width will need to utilise ‘N-Up’ printing, which is described here. 

Colour file layout options

* Achieving a screen to print match

The ability to achieve a colour match between your computer screen and your printer is one AVA’s main strengths, however, there are some very important factors which need be considered before this will happen.  This range from environment to software setting.

---

The environment

Lighting

The ambient lighting in your studio will govern whether or not you can achieve a good colour match between your screen and your printer.

We recommend you have Osram Biolux 6500k lights installed. These are a daylight bulb. If your lighting is too warm (like the lights you have in your home), all of your prints will appear to have a warm tint to them, whereas your design on the screen will look much cooler, because computer screens generally have a cool/bluish backlight.

Environment

Stained glass windows and brightly coloured walls can cause havoc with your colour match, and therefore should be avoided if you are serious about colour. For the optimum environment, paint your walls a neutral grey colour, and use a similar, or neutral colour for your blinds or curtains.

In AVA

Firstly, ensure you are using the latest version of AVA, and that the AVA, ColourSys and CMS Controller icons in the dock are all for the latest version of the software.

AVA Menu > Settings > Overprinting…

• Set Averaging to : Best
• Production Ink Database : If you use a Tonal Database (ToneDB) it should be set in here.  Otherwise this option will be blank.
• Default layer transparency : Should reflect the transparency of the inks used in your production mill.
  
  

Note: Layer transparency can change and you should check with your colleagues what transparencies you should be using. But unless otherwise specified, this should be set to 100%. This will mean your layer order will not affect the appearance of the design.

---

Go to AVA Menu > Inspectors > Overprint…

• View Setting : Application
• Soft proof should be ticked.  This displays the colour on the screen as it will print out with your active printer profile
• Overprint Method : Reflectance 3.  This is AVA's standard overprinting method.
• Ink breakdown : Standard
• n: = 8.5 and c: = 0.5

---

In the View Menu, Use Dot Gain must be ticked.

In the Layers Palette, the substrate should be set to AVA Printing White, unless otherwise specified by your company.

It is also worth checking whether the Design Gamut Warnings are on, as these cast a tone over your design, and do print when they are on.

In Coloursys

In the Colour Menu, ensure Soft Proof is ticked

In the AVA CMS Controller

Profiles tab

Ensure you have your latest monitor profile set, and the relevant printer profile set.

Viewing Conditions tab

Ensure the Colour Balance values a and b are both set to 0.

The brightness slider bar, which is the one with the sun above it, should be set to 0.000 if you are using a glossy (iMac®) screen. For everything else, you should have it set to -0.030, which is the default setting and can be set by clicking Reset in the bottom left hand side of the window.

Rendering tab

Ensure the rendering is set to Best

Advanced tab

Generally, nothing should be ticked in this window unless otherwise specified by an AVA Technician, however, if you would like more information on these settings please refer to the CMS Controller article.

Proof tab

Generally nothing should be ticked in this window unless otherwise specified by an AVA Technician, but if you would like to read more about this setting, please click here.

If the settings on your computer match those above, and you are still experiencing a problem with your colour match, please consider the following;

Can one of the heads be blocked on your printer?

Do you need to change an ink cartridge?

Have you changed the batch of paper or ink since profiling? If so, maybe re-profiling will help.

If you feel you could improve the colour match within your studio, please do not hesitate to contact AVA Technical Support.