Controlling Colour Output to Plotter

Anonymous · ‎2009-02-10

Has anyone successfully been able to calibrate their monitor with what is plotted from ArchiCAD?

We have the problem where the colours that are viewed on screen (of materials - flat shaded elevational renders) plot differently.

On plots from our plotter (HP Designjet 1050C) they come out much darker and 'browner'.

Prints from our A3 Canon iX4000 the colours are reasonably accurate.

In PDF the colours are reasonably accurate (and print correctly when sent to our plotter).

It would seem there is something in the conversion of the image from ArchiCAD to our plotter....

any suggestions?

(btw - have run calibrations on the plotter, which changed the pdf print, but not the archiCAD print. Have also changed the plotter colour management to match the A3 Canon printer and vice versa - but had no change to the ArchiCAD print...)

Dwight · ‎2009-02-10

You have my sympathy - this is difficult.

The printers most firms use for drawing output don't have the gamut necessary to accurately reproduce color.

Archicad doesn't make a file compatible with what are called "color spaces" in printing lingo. Once you convert to PDF, the process gives the file a color space understood by the printer.

Your best bet for accuracy is with a photographic quality printer - like the Epson 3800 or 4800 - and top quality paper.

I have been working with a firm that attempted to calibrate their system [for flat colors on Archicad analytical elevations] and the result was far from perfect.

I suggest continuing with the PDF approach.

Dwight Atkinson

Anonymous · ‎2009-02-10

ok - we seem to have had a small breakthrough....

When changing the publisher set properties to 'print' rather than 'plot' ArchiCAD enables the user to set the colour to 'user preference' and calibrate accordingly (for our HP Designjet Plotter).

We have now managed to get a print that displays like the pdf and like the A3 Canon print - which will be more than adequate for our needs.

Controlling Colour Output to Plotter

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