It is important for you to know the difference between a "media" and a "mode".
What is meant by "creating a new media"?
Creating a new media, the first step on the pyramid of the profiling process, defines the specifications for a new media within the application. Imagine you are an artist - you would not begin a new painting on a canvas which already had a painting on it as it would be very difficult to determine where your old work of art ended and your new creation began. Just as an artist begins with a fresh canvas on which to paint a picture, creating a new media allows you to begin the profiling process.
Why would I create a new media?
To better understand creating a new media, we must first define the difference between paper and media. "Paper" is the physical medium on which you print images; paper can be canvas, glossy, film, transparency, etc. A "media" is the combination of paper type, ink configuration, printer options, color setup, and ink restrictions for a specific paper on a specific printer. Creating a new media allows you to specify each of these components and begin the profiling process.
There are several possible reasons for creating a new media, such as profiling a third-party media. A third-party media is one that is not created by the printer manufacturer. When you purchase paper from a local dealer, you must profile the new media to ensure top quality consistency and color. In order to profile the media, you must first create a new media to begin the profiling process.
Note: Output may be unpredictable if you print using an unprofiled media.
Another reason you may create a new media is to vary from the average type of output. Because there are various needs within the printing industry (such as photo reproductions, outdoor advertising, and fine art) there are many types of output designed to meet these needs. Output types can best be represented on two scales. One scale weighs the importance between bright colors and gray balance and the other scale weighs the importance between speed and quality. By putting more importance on bright colors, you can achieve vibrant day-glow colors such as vivid lime green and flashy blaze orange, but you probably won't achieve realistic skin tones. This type of scenario may be used in the signage industry. Putting more importance on gray balance allows you to produce photographic quality prints.
On the other scale you have printing speed on one side and image quality on the other. By placing more importance on speed, you lower your output image quality. This type of scenario may be used in a production environment. However, placing more importance on quality lowers your output speed. Reproducers of Fine Art generally use settings of this nature.
The profiles provided with your application are representative of a balance of both scales and are designed to apply to the needs of most users. They equally balance bright colors with gray balance and print speed with quality. By creating your own media you can weigh which type of output is most important to you.
How do I create a new media?
Before you begin the Profiling Workflow, make sure you have the following information handy:
• Ink Configuration - The physical ink loaded on the printer (e.g. CMYK, CMYKcm) and type (UV, Dye, etc.).
• Media Type - The type of paper you are creating a media for (e.g. glossy, film)
• Printer Information - Many printers have multiple options which affect output. Some of these options may include: number of passes, print direction (bidirectional or unidirectional), quality mode, etc. Knowing which settings are optimal for your printer and paper type will be beneficial to ensuring you obtain the highest quality output. For information on the optimal settings for your printer, contact your local printer representative.
See What is meant by "creating a new mode"? before continuing.
Back to Profiling Fundamentals.
Back to Media Manager.
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