The demands of the graphic arts color refinement process are unique in the color imaging industry. Economic, creative, physiological, technical and behavioral factors combine to produce a lengthy and exacting color approval process. In addition to the common optimum color reproduction sub-objectives of compromise color reproduction, corrective color reproduction and preferred color reproduction, a creative color reproduction objective may be added during the iterative color approval process. In general, color appearance models and color management systems are incapable of more than a first approximation as far as graphic arts color quality requirements are concerned. Calibrated color monitors are an almost indispensable part of the color refinement process, but for approval purposes, a hard copy proof is required to fully capture the colorimetric, image structure, and surface characteristic aspects of the final printed result.
Gary G. Field, "Color Approval in the Graphic Arts" in Proc. IS&T 5th Color and Imaging Conf., 1997, pp 56 - 61, https://doi.org/10.2352/CIC.1997.5.1.art00011