Assign Profiles 

Overview

The Assign Profiles step operates within a workflow to attach specific color profiles to vector, image, and grayscale data in PDF documents. It can also define how embedded profiles are treated and what rendering intents are applied. This ensures all documents processed through the workflow conform to your desired color setup.

Opening the Tool

1. Open the Workflow Editor in PrintFactory.
2. Add or select a step named Assign Profiles.
3. Click Configure to open the Assign Profiles Setup dialog.

Assign Profiles Setup Dialog

The Assign Profiles Setup dialog provides a graphical interface for configuring how ICC profiles and intents are assigned.

Sections in the Setup Dialog

• Embedded Profiles – Defines how existing profiles in the document are used:
  • None: Ignore embedded profiles.
  • Use Embedded Profile: Use profiles embedded in the document.
  • Use Embedded Profile Intent: Use embedded profiles and their associated rendering intents.
• ICC Profiles – For each color type, select an ICC profile:
  • CMYK Vector
  • CMYK Image
  • RGB Vector
  • RGB Image
  • Gray Vector
  • Gray Image
  These dropdowns list available profiles from your system’s ICC directory.
• Rendering Intents – For each profile type, choose a rendering intent from:
  • Perceptual
  • Colorimetric
  • Saturation
  • Absolute

How It Works

When a workflow containing this step is executed, the Assign Profiles tool analyzes the document and applies the selected profiles and intents to relevant elements. It can replace or remove embedded profiles, convert color spaces, and ensure consistent handling of CMYK, RGB, and grayscale elements. It also processes patterns, shadings, and raster images where applicable.

Using Assign Profiles in Workflows

1. Add the Assign Profiles step to your workflow.
2. Double-click the step to open its configuration dialog.
3. Select the ICC profiles and rendering intents as required.
4. Set how embedded profiles should be handled.
5. Click OK to save your settings.
6. Run the workflow — PrintFactory will automatically apply the profiles to all pages and objects within the document.

Tips and Best Practices

• Always ensure your ICC profiles are valid and installed in your system’s color profile directory.
• Use consistent profiles across all workflows for predictable results.
• Choose rendering intents that best suit the type of content (e.g., Perceptual for photos, Colorimetric for logos).
• Test changes with sample files before applying them to production workflows.

Summary

The Assign Profiles tool is a powerful step in the PrintFactory Workflow that ensures color accuracy by assigning appropriate ICC profiles and intents to each element type in your PDF documents. It supports flexible management of embedded profiles and helps maintain consistent output across all workflows.