Creating custom grayscale and spot-color profiles

You can create a custom grayscale or spot-color profile based on the specific dot-gain or gamma characteristics of your output device. You can also load a CMYK profile into the Gray working space menu to generate a custom grayscale profile based on the CMYK space. (See Saving and loading working space profiles.)

To create a grayscale or spot-color profile based on a custom dot gain:

1. Print a hard proof with calibration bars included. (See Setting output options.)
2. Using a reflective densitometer, take a reading at one or more marks of the printed calibration bar.
3. Do one of the following:
• In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
• In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
4. Under Working Spaces, for Gray or Spot, choose Custom Dot Gain.
5. For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
6. Do one of the following:
• Using your densitometer readings, calculate the required adjustments, and enter the percentage values in the text boxes.

For example, if you have specified a 30% dot, and the densitometer reading is 36%, you have a 6% dot gain in your midtones. To compensate for this gain, enter 36% in the 30% text box.

• Click to add an adjustment point in the dot gain curve, and drag the point to change its value. The value then appears in the appropriate text box.
• Click OK.
7. Save the custom profile. (See Saving and loading working space profiles.)

To create a grayscale profile based on a custom gamma:

1. Do one of the following:
• In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
• In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
2. Select Advanced.
3. Under Working Spaces, for Gray, choose Custom Gamma.
4. For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
5. Specify the desired gamma value, and click OK.
6. Save the custom profile. (See Saving and loading working space profiles.)