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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: Color separation ?
From:       Thomas <zander () xs4all ! nl>
Date:       2000-12-28 13:58:32
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> does anyone know more about patent issues concerning color separation ?
> I think it's about Pantone (tm) and CMYK, but i cant find anything.
> Does this affect Krayon, KIllu and if how ?

Lenny, to convert between CMYK and another colorspace is not something that is
patented. Pantone has nothing to do with CMYK (legally that is). 

The problem is that the color spaces only partly overlap. You can't convert deep-blue to
CMYK, it just does not exist there.
So you need a way to convert that with the least loss. And that is where your problems
lie.
Photoshop does indeed do that with tables. And these tables are probably copyrighted (or
patented)

Then you also have things like paper-type and dot-gain etc. That is also relevant 
when converting (and printing)

Pantone has a color-table which are basically inkts that are standardized. All these 
colors have a cmyk value (if that color can be reproduced in CMYK that is..)
The reason that these books are costly is that the colors have to be perfect and that
there are lots of colors in there (each is a different inkt, and you pay per ink)

Another aspact is color-profiles. 
Basically color profiles work like this;
- when reading a image from 'a' device the color-profile of that device is used to
  correct the deviation of the device. So when you use a scanner you need a color-
  profile of the scanner to color correct the scan.
- when writing to a device you color correct the image to write correctly to that device.
  when you print to apply the color profile of the printer to correct the image
  before it is printed and your image is printed with the corect color.

These profiles have to be created specifically for a device. don't know about patents
there..

-- 
Thomas Zander                                            zander@earthling.net
The only thing worse than failure is the fear of trying something new
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