Stage 1 of the LMAL 5-stage Colour Management System is to calibrate your scanner. Tha LMAL system includes an IT8 target which is an industry standard colour swatch printed on photographic paper.

The MonacoEZcolor 2 software regulates how this swatch should appear when scanned and builds a profile for your scanner by comparing the data your scanner produces with what is expected.

It's critical to have a properly calibrated scanner even if you don't use your scanner very often - you'll use your scanner to read in the output from your printer so if the scanner wasn't calibrated in advance you wouldn't get good results from calibrating your printer.

Stage 2 of the LMAL system is to calibrate your monitor.

A piece of hardware, the Monaco Sensor, attaches to the front of your monitor screen and then plugs into your computer's USB port.

The Sensor is a special colour detector which can measure the amount of each type of light being emitted from your screen. The MonacoEZcolor 2 software displays a sequence of colours on your screen and then measures what colours you monitor actually emits. By comparing what was intended to be displayed with what was actually displayed, Monaco builds a complete colour profile for your monitor.

Stage 3 of the LMAL system is to calibrate your printer - this is the printer you will use for printing proofs of your designs.

The MonacoEZcolor 2 software includes a special file which you load into your graphics program and print.

Once this printout has been produced you scan it back in using your scanner and Monaco will use the scan to analyse what was printed. Monaco will compare the values scanned with what it expected to find and can then build a colour profile for your printer.

Stage 4 of the LMAL system is to use a special light source to view and compare your proofs.

Lighting makes a significant difference to how colour appears in printed media.

You'll find different results when looking at media in natural daylight, office light (fluorescent lamps) and domestic lighting.

LMAL can supply Portable Desktop Viewers which emulate any or all of these lighting conditions and can therefore ensure you see your media in exactly the same light as your client and end user.

Stage 5 of the LMAL process is to use the amazing X-Rite Digital Swatchbook to read in the colour values actually printed at the press.

By also reading in the colour values at your proofing stage you can accurately measure how well your printer managed to match the colour to proofs. it can then identify corrective action for this or future print jobs.