Color Print Mode

[Ken]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and I have a question about color printers.
First, let me briefly describe the scenario:

I am working on writing a program that will print color graphics. The
main part of the program will print in either CMYK or RGB as
postscript. This will be good for most of my users.

However, I want to also support those users with non-postscript
printers. As far as I know, the most common non-postscript color
printers today are the various desktop inkjet printers. So, here are
my two questions:

1) Is it correct that the most common non-postscript color printers
are the desktop inkjet printers? If not, what are some of the others
that you know of.

2) It used to be true that most, if not all, of the desktop inkjet
printers would require an RGB file to be sent to the driver even
though the printer will print in CMYK (or CMYK-LC-LM, etc.). (I know
that the driver can convert a cmyk file to rgb and then back to cmyk
again, but that's not what I mean.) Is it still true that most of the
non-postscript desktop inkjet printers require RGB files instead of
CMYK?

To summarize, I am basically trying to find out if there are any
non-postscript color output devices today that accept CMYK files
instead of RGB files. I'm hoping the numbers are few!!!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Ken

 

[Bob Headrick]

2) It used to be true that most, if not all, of the desktop inkjet
printers would require an RGB file to be sent to the driver even
though the printer will print in CMYK (or CMYK-LC-LM, etc.). (I know
that the driver can convert a cmyk file to rgb and then back to cmyk
again, but that's not what I mean.) Is it still true that most of the
non-postscript desktop inkjet printers require RGB files instead of
CMYK?

To summarize, I am basically trying to find out if there are any
non-postscript color output devices today that accept CMYK files
instead of RGB files. I'm hoping the numbers are few!!!

There may be some, but they are relatively uncommon. All HP's DeskJet printers
expect RGB from the driver and HP accounts for more than half of the worldwide
desktop inkjet market. I believe that Epson, Canon and Lexmark inkjet printers
all expect RGB as well.

Regards,
Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP

 

[Hecate]

There may be some, but they are relatively uncommon. All HP's DeskJet printers
expect RGB from the driver and HP accounts for more than half of the worldwide
desktop inkjet market. I believe that Epson, Canon and Lexmark inkjet printers
all expect RGB as well.

Yes I think you're correct about non-HP too. Of course, printers will
also accept LAB if you're profiling and doing colour management from,
say, Photoshop.