BookSmart

Color cast when printing a PDF proof

After printing CutePDF proofs of my book, I noticed the prints were slightly darker and had a slight greenish color cast.  I then printed a second copy and got the same result.  My next step was to calibrate my monitor and to print the one of the original photos (uploaded to BookSmart) using Lightroom 2.3.  The result was a perfect copy of the image appearing on my monitor.  I then printed another proof, using CutePDF and got the same result as in the first and second printings- dark and greenish.

Will I get the same result (PDF proof) should I have the book printed by BookSmart?

Thanks for your help.

Replytopic_b_normal
Posted by
bjlosasso
Apr 23, 2009 12:41pm PDT
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bjlosasso
 

My colors are all getting too red. And now I understand Blurb just does not have a color management.
Posted by
ton
Apr 8, 2012 1:24pm PDT
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ton
 

Hi there ton,

A quick correction—Blurb does have a color managed workflow available, which you can find here:
http://www.blurb.com/resources/color_management

Note that some slight variation is always possible, as it’s not possible to use a “closed loop” system in our print on demand workflow. However, the steps above will help you anticipate any changes and get the best possible results.

Regards,
Michael
Blurb Customer Support
Posted by
mikewhy
Apr 9, 2012 7:47am PDT
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mikewhy Icon_staff
 

Dear Michael,

I really have big issues in the workflow. I am very experienced, so I basically know what I am doing. I create a book in Indesign. Have the photos insRGB. I export the book to PDF, according to the Blurb export setting. The PDF looks fine, in Acrobat. But then it starts. When I upload the file to the Blurb website, and I look in Preview, the book looks far too red. I complained about the several times, but always get the answer, Blurb does not have this fixed and it will in the future. Me is said it will like fine in print. Then it comes. The book arrives at home: far too red, exactly as is seen in the preview.
So that is why I say there is no color management. So I tried other options. Making the book with CMYK photos. The result was worse even more far too red! So now I am puzzled. Am I crazy? No, I know what I do, tried everything out. And worse, never got a good clue from the support.
Now I did the following. I tried to make a book in Booksmart. At the moment I enter a sRGB photo in the software, it right the way appears far too red!! But the same photo in Photoshop looks perfect. So what is going on here? It seems that Blurb does not at all read my sRGB space but convert everything in the monitor color space. Because when I open my own photo in Photoshop without amy color management it also turns red. So my conclusion is BLurb does not support color management. It does not read sRGB.
If you can give me a clue to why this happens, I send you an applepie. But for now I must stop using Blurb as it is unacceptable in color quality.
Greeting Ton
Posted by
ton
Apr 11, 2012 5:09am PDT
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ton
 

I don’t have a solution to your larger color management problems, but do not make any decisions about color when viewing your photos within the BookSmart application, since it does not read or use color profiles.

See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30752530@N02/4232563694/
and discussion below.
Posted by
jshook
Apr 11, 2012 7:09am PDT
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jshook
 

So I understand BLurb just is not able to give an answer at all? I tried to explain that I work in Indesign to PDF. The Booksmart I don’t use, I mentioned it only as an example in which you do admit that Blurb fails to have a color management as I put here above.
I want to have solved the problems as to why my PDF is correct and why Blurbs prints it far too red. Why is this? And why do Blurb not repair this problem?
Posted by
ton
Apr 11, 2012 11:23am PDT
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ton