What RGB Color Space Does the Fuji Frontier 375 Use?

[steve williams]

Does anyone know what RGB color space the Fuji Frontier uses? sRGB,

AdobeRGB 1998, etc.? There is a Wolf Camera down the road from me

that is convenient for digital snapshot prints (when I need them

quick), but they don't know what RGB color space it uses.

 

I also looked up the Frontier 375 in Fuji's web site, but saw no

reference to it at all.

 

Thanks for any help,

Steve

[michael_young3]

Dry Creek Photo's web site has profiles for many Frontier 370 and 350 facilities, and directions on how to use them. I believe they use sRGB otherwise, but not certain of that.

[john_shriver]

I use a Dry Creek profile for a local Fuji Frontier, and it is very close to sRGB.

[marshall]

Andrew Rodney may jump in here with real expertise, but the bottom line is that no device uses a specific, well-behaved color space like sRGB. It's common for Frontier shops to suggest that users prepare images in sRGB because it is mostly contained within the capabilities of the printer. It's not a perfect match, and it may not take advantage of all of the colors that the printer can create, but it may meet your needs in the absence of a specific device profile. Good luck.

[steve williams]

So, if I give them files using the AdobeRGB 1998 color space, will the Frontier print them correctly, even though it will result in the sRGB space? Or, would it be a better print if I converted it to sRGB first and then gave it to them?

 

Thanks,

Steve

[john_shriver]

The results from Adobe RGB will depend on whether the operator enables color correction by the Frontier's software. By default this is on. So it would come up with a color balance that is the combination of the software's inclinations, and the operator's judgement (if any is applied).

 

On the other hand, if you tell them not to color correct an Adobe RGB image, the colors will be very muted, because Adobe RGB is a large color space, but they would interpret it as a small one. Note that the Frontier will IGNORE any ICC color profile within the file. It is not an ICC-managed system.

 

If you want to have the printer run without color correction, use sRGB, or use a proper ICC profile for that specific printer.

 

Of course, running the printer without color correction is only practical if you have your computer properly color managed, and the monitor calibrated.

[scott_eaton]

I have found it dramatically easier to submit files in standard sRGB to my local Frontier lab with all their color corrections turned *OFF*. My prints are more consistent, look closer to what I'm seeing on my system, and I'm not dealing with operator judgement. Even the lab admits my files look better than what they could manage.

[ethan hansen]

<p>sRGB is the closest standard color space to what a Frontier actually uses. That is not to say a Frontier actually prints in sRGB - none of them really do. If you have nothing else to go on, sRGB is as good a choice as any. The standard Frontier drivers are <i>not</i> color managed. If you submit an Adobe RGB file you will receive undersaturated prints because the Frontier color space is, overall, smaller than Adobe RGB.</p>

<p>The best course is to have (a) a well calibrated and profiled monitor to work on and (b) an ICC profile for the individual Frontier you are going to use. I can't recommend a generic Frontier profile, since individual printers vary widely. The plot below shows the mid-tone color range of two Fuji Frontier 370 printers, both running Fuji Crystal Archive Type 1 paper. These printers are both at pro labs, one of which advocated using sRGB until they saw the difference an accurate profile made. As you can see, neither printer has a color response that looks particularly like the sRGB gamut, nor are the printers that well matched to each other. For those who question 2-D plots of 3-D color spaces (and you should!), plots of the actual measured 3-D gamuts for these two printers are <a href="http://www.drycreekphoto.com/tools/printer_gamuts/">available here</a>.</p><div></div>