The search for a colour photo image reproduction process begins when a photochemical process captures the image.
Many changes have taken place in the use of capture and printing technologies ever since the appearance of photography in 1827 to the present time. Many scientists, scholars and enthusiasts throughout history have tried to research these processes in many different ways, and have made extraordinary progress, from additive screen processes to the latest pigment-based inkjet printers.
The work of many artists has found a significant field of interest in the use of new technologies, and this is visible in the application of these processes to the artistic field.
This book covers the analyses from the appearance of the photographic image to the birth of electronic machines and devices to capture the numerical image and its colour print output. Colour management is discussed in the numerical image printing process.

OBJECTIVES

This publication tries to answer the following questions, among others: What was and is the path from the colour image to the paper?
How can one use colour management to achieve the desired results when switching from numerical image to paper?
What can it contribute to our artistic work?
What is it used for?
What are the problems and solutions found in the process?

The need for a study that updates the entire complex world of colour printing, as accurately as possible, is relevant and will in turn be useful to those interested in handling electronic devices for digital imaging and printing.

STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK

Firstly, we address the evolution of the colour image reproduction processes by focusing on the photographic image as a driver and binder of the technological changes that have taken place over the years in this process.
The second chapter covers colour characteristics and their management in the numerical image. Basic concepts of colour management are discussed to explain the phases, essential elements and how to perform it.
The third section of this book is devoted to researching the most used printing systems and the practical application of colour management in the artistic process by analysing the work of 115 authors. Also included are the results obtained through interviews with laboratories that print art in Spain.

Finally, an attempt is made to delve in-depth into the causes of terminological problems in order to describe artistic impression accurately. A relationship between colour management in photochemical processes and photonumeric processes is then established.
Similarities and differences between them are also analysed. Lastly, the possibilities of colour management in projects with photonumeric images are discussed and the contributions of colour management to artistic work for result optimisation are analysed.