Colour printing (Basics) > 40
Viewing conditions
A print can look very different under different lighting conditions.
For example, the colours in a print may look different when
viewed standing next to a sunlit window, compared to how they
look under standard office fluorescent lighting.
Printer driver colour settings
The driver settings for manual colour can change the appearance
of a print. There are several options available to help match the
printed colours with those displayed on screen.
Monitor settings
The brightness and contrast controls on your monitor can change
how your document looks on-screen. Additionally, your monitor’s
colour temperature influences how “warm” or “cool” the colours
look.
There are several settings found on a typical monitor:
> 5000k Warmest; yellowish lighting, typically used in
graphic art environments.
> 6500k Cooler; approximates daylight conditions.
> 9300k Cool; the default setting for many monitors and
television sets.
(k = degrees Kelvin, a measurement of temperature.)
How your software application displays colour
Some graphics applications such as Corel Draw or Adobe
Photoshop may display colour differently from “Office”
applications such as Microsoft Word. Please see your application’s
on-line help or user manual for more information.
Paper type
The type of paper used can also significantly affect the printed
colour. For example, a printout on recycled paper can look duller
than one on specially formulated glossy paper.