Emma Davis Print Production Specialist at 4OVER4.COM
Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
Question
What ICC profile should I use for CMYK conversion?
Answer
For standard commercial printing in North America, use the U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2 profile. It is the industry-standard CMYK space that most commercial presses are calibrated to.
- Set it as your working CMYK space in Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign
- Convert your file to CMYK using this profile before exporting
- It keeps your on-screen color values translating accurately to the press
If your printer specifies a different profile for a particular job or region, follow their guidance, but SWOP v2 is the safe default for coated commercial work.
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