This post was prompted by a question which we just added to the brand new Frequently Asked Questions page.As an artist or photographer, there’s nothing more frustrating than the moment you receive a print of your work and the colours just aren’t right. That vibrant blue on your screen looks muted, the subtle shadow details are lost, or the skin tones feel slightly off. It’s a common problem, but the solution isn’t about finding one single “perfect” file.
The secret to achieving consistently stunning, gallery-quality giclée prints is to tailor your artwork file for each and every paper type you offer. It might sound like extra work, but it’s the single most important step you can take to gain complete control over the final result.
It’s All About the Translation
Think of a digital colour value—like an RGB code—as just a set of numbers. By itself, it has no fixed meaning. Is RGB(40, 50, 150) a deep navy or a bright royal blue? Without context, a screen or a printer is just guessing.
That context comes from an ICC Colour Profile. As we discussed in our article on our commitment to colour-managed workflows, a profile acts as a translator. It provides the essential information that allows your monitor and our printer to speak the same language, ensuring the colour you see is the colour we print.
As the renowned author Uwe Steinmueller explains, a profile “describes a device’s colour characteristics” and the range of colours it can reproduce, otherwise known as its gamut. By embedding a standard profile like Adobe RGB (1998) in your file, you provide a universal starting point for this translation.
From the Screen to the Substrate
But the translation doesn’t end there. Every paper—or “substrate”—is different. A high-gloss baryta paper like Canson Platine has a brilliant white point and reflects light, making colours appear punchy and vibrant. A 100% cotton matte paper like Hahnemühle Photo Rag has a warmer, natural white and absorbs ink differently, producing softer, more painterly results.
Each combination of our professional printers, inks, and a specific paper has its own unique ICC profile that describes its distinct gamut. This profile accounts for everything: the paper’s specific shade of white, its texture, and how the ink settles onto its surface.
This is why a single artwork file will never look identical across two different paper types. The paper itself is an active part of the final image.
You can download the specific ICC profiles for all the media we offer directly from our <a href=”[suspicious link removed]” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Media & Pricing page</a>.
Soft-Proofing: Your Digital Test Print
So, how do you use these profiles? The answer is soft-proofing.
Soft-proofing is a process within professional image-editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo where you use a printer’s ICC profile to simulate, on your screen, how your artwork will look when printed on a specific paper.
The workflow looks like this:
Download & Install: Get the correct ICC profile for the paper you want to use from our Media page and install it on your computer.
Enable Proofing: In your image editor, open your artwork and activate the soft-proofing view (e.g., in Photoshop, go to View > Proof Setup > Custom… and select the downloaded profile).
Analyse the Changes: Your screen will now adjust the image to simulate the final print. You might notice the colours become slightly less saturated or the contrast shifts. This is not an error! This is an accurate preview of how the paper and ink combination will render your original file.
Adjust and Save a New Version: Now, you can make targeted adjustments. You might add a Levels or Curves adjustment layer to bring back some contrast or gently boost saturation to compensate for the matte paper’s ink absorption. Once you’re happy with the preview, save this adjusted version of the file with a clear name, for example: My-Artwork-Hahnemuhle-Photo-Rag.tif.
Building Your Master Files
By following this process for each paper type you sell, you move from being a passive participant to being in complete control of the final output. You are no longer hoping for the best; you are dictating the result.
This is the standard for professional artists and printmakers. It’s the difference between a simple “print” and a true fine art reproduction. At Drop Print, we’ve built our service to support this professional workflow, giving you the tools and the quality your artwork deserves.
