When to use SRGB vs RGB

[rollsman44]

  When sending images to a lab what is the best one to use to get the Best IQ?  I know for the forum its ok to use sRGB.   Some labs will take Jpeg and NOT Tiff files
   When Exporting to a lab.  Thanks

[bjanes]

  When sending images to a lab what is the best one to use to get the Best IQ?  I know for the forum its ok to use sRGB.   Some labs will take Jpeg and NOT Tiff files
   When Exporting to a lab.  Thanks

If your lab publishes profiles for their printers, and most good ones do, you can convert to the printer profile using your preferred rendering intent and send that file to your lab, making sure that they send the file directly to the printer without any modifications. Since table based profiles for printers are rather large, it may be advisable not to embed the profile in the file. This is the approach recommended by Drycreek for thier profiles.

Regards,

Bill

[rollsman44]

Bill, Thank you. Is there a difference in IQ with sRGB vs Pro RGB ? 

[bjanes]

Bill, Thank you. Is there a difference in IQ with sRGB vs Pro RGB ?

There can be, depending on the gamut of the printer. Many printers hardly or do not exceed the gamut of sRGB, so there would be minimal difference in this situation. However, a printer with a larger gamut than sRGB will be able to print more colors with a larger gamut space. However, no current printer even comes close to the gamut of ProPhotoRGB. Nonetheless, it makes sense to use the native space of the printer with all rendering intents available in the printer profile. Sending a ProPhotoRGB file to the printer could be dangerous is the lab does not use proper color management.

Bill

[digitaldog]

  When sending images to a lab what is the best one to use to get the Best IQ?  I know for the forum its ok to use sRGB.   Some labs will take Jpeg and NOT Tiff files
   When Exporting to a lab.  Thanks

There's no such thing as an sRGB printer (or Adobe RGB for that matter). The labs simply want everyone to supply the same RGB working space so they can funnel it though their front end processor. So sRGB is about the worst RGB working space to send to a printer, ideal for posting images to the web and mobile devices. The lab's are less interested in you getting the max quality out of the printer as they are in getting a standard, common lowest denominator for output.


The benefits of wide gamut working spaces on printed output:


This three part, 32 minute video covers why a wide gamut RGB working space like ProPhoto RGB can produce superior quality output to print.


Part 1 discusses how the supplied Gamut Test File was created and shows two prints output to an Epson 3880 using ProPhoto RGB and sRGB, how the deficiencies of sRGB gamut affects final output quality. Part 1 discusses what to look for on your own prints in terms of better color output. It also covers Photoshop’s Assign Profile command and how wide gamut spaces mishandled produce dull or over saturated colors due to user error.


Part 2 goes into detail about how to print two versions of the properly converted Gamut Test File  file in Photoshop using Photoshop’s Print command to correctly setup the test files for output. It covers the Convert to Profile command for preparing test files for output to a lab.


Part 3 goes into color theory and illustrates why a wide gamut space produces not only move vibrant and saturated color but detail and color separation compared to a small gamut working space like sRGB.


High Resolution Video: http://digitaldog.net/files/WideGamutPrintVideo.mov
Low Resolution (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLlr7wpAZKs&feature=youtu.be

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

...Some labs will take Jpeg and NOT Tiff files...

There is not discernible quality difference between a 100% jpeg and tiff for this purpose (printing).