ICC colour profiles are the invisible instructions that tell a printer how to reproduce colours accurately. Using the wrong profile — or no profile — can produce results that look nothing like your design.
What is an ICC Profile?
An ICC (International Color Consortium) profile is a standardised file that describes the colour characteristics of a specific device or printing process. When embedded in a PDF, it tells the RIP (Raster Image Processor) at the print shop exactly how to interpret the colour values in your file.
Most Common Print ICC Profiles
- ISO Coated v2 (ECI) — the standard for European offset printing on coated paper. Use for flyers, brochures, magazines, business cards.
- ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI) — same as above but limits total ink coverage to 300%, preventing over-inking.
- ISO Uncoated — for uncoated paper: letterheads, some brochures, envelopes.
- FOGRA39 — characterisation data used as the basis for ISO Coated v2. Often used interchangeably.
- GRACoL 2006 — US commercial offset standard.
- SWOP — US publication printing standard.
How to Know Which Profile to Use
Ask your print shop — they will specify which profile their workflow uses. For most European print jobs on coated paper, ISO Coated v2 is the correct choice. For US jobs, use GRACoL or SWOP.
Embed a Profile Automatically
PrintConvert247 embeds the correct ICC profile during CMYK conversion. You can specify which profile to use, or use the default (ISO Coated v2 for European print).
Convert your PDF with the correct ICC profile
Upload your file and PrintConvert247 handles colour conversion and profile embedding automatically.
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