The concepts and technology for an open loop color management system such as that specified by the International Color Consortium (ICC) have been around for a number of years. The adoption of this workflow by the graphic arts industry has been slow. A major contribution to the lack
of popularity is that the quality part of the ICC workflow is unregulated and the average user is unable to independently assess the quality of profiles and profile making software. This paper describes a number of test methods that can be used to evaluate the colorimetric accuracy of ICC
scanner, monitor, and printer profiles. ICC profiles are being used in a number of color proofing scenarios. In order to understand the color reproduction abilities of such proofing systems it is necessary to quantify the accuracy of the underlying ICC profiles used in the workflow. A quality
metric can be useful to provide feedback on how well a device has been characterized and therefore provide limits on the ability of a color managed system. Further, a universally defined merit figure will allow the comparison of results across manufacturers, allowing the user to make informed
choices appropriate for their workflow. If we are able to establish a benchmarking procedure akin to the miles per gallon fuel consumption quoted for motor vehicles this provides a universal quality metric that can help raise the quality of profiling software, assist user choice, and ultimately
lead to the greater acceptance of ICC color management in graphic arts and the printing industry. The quality of input profiles is described in terms of a Δ
Abhay Sharma, "Methodology for Evaluating the Quality of ICC Profiles–Scanner, Monitor, and Printer" in Journal of Imaging Science and Technology, 2006, pp 469 - 480, https://doi.org/10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.(2006)50:5(469)