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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