An ICC profile (International Color Consortium profile) is data that documents how colours should appear on a particular media.
The ICC file determines the way colour is rendered on various media such as:
- print and the wide variety of paper types available e.g. newsprint and art-paper, and the print method e.g. offset printing or digital
- an electronic device like a computer screen. The profile makes sure you won’t get any surprises regarding colour reproduction. For example, what looks like lime green on a computer screen needs to look like lime green on a printed page on a groundwood paper stock.
The ICC is uploaded into a design program like Adobe Indesign and converts what is seen on the screen to what is printed.
In short the ICC profile helps maintain consistent colour across screens and print.
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