Should ICC Profiles Be Made per Media or per Device?
Make one ICC profile for each combination of printer, ink set, media and print mode that you run in production. A media-only profile fails when that media moves to another ink system, and a device-only profile fails when the media changes. To organize a profile library, group profiles by printer and ink, then by media. Identical printers can share a file only if measurements show that they match.
What an ICC Output Profile Records
An ICC output profile is a measured translation table between a printer's device values and device-independent colour. A value such as C60 M20 Y0 K0 has no colour of its own. It only tells the printer how much ink to place.
The colour forms through a physical chain. Ink lands, spreads and settles in or on the coating, then dries or cures. Light passes through the ink layer, reflects from the base and leaves the surface. The printer and ink determine what is deposited, while the media affects how it sits and what light returns. Print mode can affect both.
A profile stores only the combined result of that chain. It cannot separate the contribution of the media from that of the printer, so it describes the conditions under which the test chart was printed. Change one condition and the original measurements may no longer apply. Verification shows how large the error is.
When to Rebuild an ICC Profile
Rebuild the profile when the ink system, media surface or coating changes. Smaller changes can be checked first, and the profile only needs replacing if it fails verification.
| What changed | What may shift | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Ink system, such as eco-solvent to UV | Colourants, ink laydown, gamut | Build a new profile |
| Dye ink to pigment ink | Colourants, ink behaviour on the coating | Build a new profile |
| Media surface or coating | Paper white, ink spread, surface reflection | Build a new profile |
| Resolution, passes, drying or curing | Ink laydown and final density | Build a new profile, or verify if the change is minor |
| Same media and surface, different weight | Possible change in white point or ink behaviour | Verify, then decide |
| Second printer, same model and ink | Unit-to-unit variation | Calibrate to the same target, then verify before sharing |
| New media batch, ink lot or printhead | Drift from the original condition | Verify, then recalibrate or rebuild if needed |
| Custom width slit from the same coated stock | No change to the coating | Keep the profile and check the first roll |
Build profiles for conditions you actually use. For example, two printers with different ink systems, four media and two print modes on each create 16 possible conditions (2 × 4 × 2). If job records show that only six are used, build those six. With a 1,617-patch ISO 12642-2 chart, that means measuring 9,702 patches (6 × 1,617) before verification.
Media Examples That Need Separate Profiles
The same media needs a separate profile for each print process, because compatibility does not mean colour transfers between processes. Scitop's eco-solvent photo paper MEW shows this clearly. Its coating is designed for eco-solvent, UV-cured and latex inks, and the product guidance recommends printing test strips on your own equipment and creating colour curves before production.
Compatibility must be checked by model, even within a series. The examples below show how documented specifications affect profile planning for Wall Lizard™, Octopus™ and RC photo paper.
| Model | Family | Surface | Thickness or weight | Documented print methods | Profiling implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WL-PET115EW9-EZ | Wall Lizard™ | White PET, matt white | 165±10 μm total | Toner, eco-solvent, UV digital, offset, latex | Characterize each process used separately |
| OT-PP250EW | Octopus™ | White PP, matt white | 255±15 μm total | Eco-solvent, UV roll, latex, UV offset | Build one profile per printer, ink and mode |
| OT-PP250EWB | Octopus™ | White PP, matt white, grey adhesive layer, 100% blockout | 255±15 μm total | Eco-solvent, UV roll, latex, UV offset | Measure before sharing a profile with OT-PP250EW |
| WL-PET140EC9 | Wall Lizard™ | Clear PET, clear gloss | 190±12 μm total | Eco-solvent, latex, UV roll, UV offset, laser toner | Fix the backing and any white-ink setup before measuring |
| R-Glossy | RC photo paper | Glossy | 200/220/240/260 gsm | Digital inkjet and UV workflows (RC series) | Test whether different weights can share a profile |
| R3-Silk | RC photo paper | Silk | 260 gsm | Digital inkjet and UV workflows (RC series) | Do not reuse an R-Glossy profile |
OT-PP250EW and OT-PP250EWB show why similar specifications are not enough. They have the same white matt PP film, total thickness and print methods, but the construction differs. Measurements should decide whether one profile can serve both.
Clear films need another control. Colour measured on WL-PET140EC9 depends on what sits behind the film, so the white layer and measurement backing should match the real application. A profile made over one backing may not predict the result over another.
Profile stability also matters for retail campaigns. FreePost® films are easy to install, easy to remove and leave no residue, so store staff can replace poster-grade graphics without a specialist installation crew. A replacement printed weeks later may hang beside an earlier panel, so a controlled print condition helps keep the two visually consistent.
How to Build and Verify a Production Profile
Set up the printing condition first, because a profile can only describe the behaviour it measures.
1. Set the condition. Select the media setting, resolution, passes, and drying or curing settings. For SE6 glossy photo paper, the guidance calls for the highest print quality and a media setting that matches the paper's weight and surface. 2. Calibrate the printer. Set ink limits and linearization for that media before printing the profiling chart. 3. Print and stabilize the chart. The product data does not specify a waiting time before measurement, so test the media until repeated readings stop changing. 4. Measure consistently. Use the same instrument, measurement mode and backing each time, and record them. ISO 13655 provides a common framework for spectral measurement. 5. Verify with independent patches. Use patches that were not part of the profiling chart. Agree on a CIEDE2000 tolerance for the work.
Use filenames that record the whole condition, such as printer, ink, media, mode and date. A name like "PET White" says too little and invites accidental reuse.
Keep media batch numbers with the verification record as well. Scitop Ltd coats and slits on its own lines in Dongguan and provides batch traceability, so that number can help narrow down the cause if colour shifts after a new roll is loaded.
If verification fails, recheck the media setting, ink limits and printer calibration before building a new file. A new profile cannot correct a printer that is unstable from one day to the next. Calibration and maintenance have to bring it back to a repeatable state first.
ICC Profile Action Checklist
1. List every printer, ink, media and print mode combination used in the last production period. 2. Remove unused combinations and rank the rest by job volume or colour risk. 3. Confirm print-method compatibility for each exact media model. 4. Calibrate each printing condition, then build and name its profile. 5. Check whether identical printers can share a profile by verifying each one separately. 6. Reverify after any change in media batch, ink lot or printhead. 7. Contact Scitop Ltd before committing a new media to production. Visit https://www.scitop.net to request samples for testing on your own printer, and guidance on ink and media matching or colour curves. For custom widths, sheet sizes or OEM/ODM projects, ask the application engineering team about a custom solution.
References
1. International Color Consortium. Specification ICC.1: Image Technology Colour Management — Architecture, Profile Format, and Data Structure. https://www.color.org 2. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 15076-1: Image Technology Colour Management — Architecture, Profile Format and Data Structure — Part 1: Based on ICC.1. 3. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 13655: Graphic Technology — Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Images. 4. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 12642-2: Graphic Technology — Input Data for Characterization of Four-Colour Process Printing — Part 2: Expanded Data Set. 5. International Organization for Standardization and International Commission on Illumination. ISO/CIE 11664-6: Colorimetry — Part 6: CIEDE2000 Colour-Difference Formula. 6. Fraser, B., Murphy, C., and Bunting, F. Real World Color Management. Peachpit Press. 7. Scitop Ltd. Product data sheets for WL-PET115EW9-EZ, WL-PET140EC9, OT-PP250EW, OT-PP250EWB, MEW, SE6, R-Glossy and R3-Silk. https://www.scitop.net
