ICC Profile

An ICC profile (synonym: colour profile) is a standardised data set which describes the colour space of a colour input or colour reproduction device such as a monitor, printer or scanner.

The goal of consistently applied colour management is to ensure that a document captured using any input device can be reproduced as closely as possible on any output device. Colour management devices can coordinate between devices such as scanners, digital cameras, monitors, printers, and image- and platesetters. Colours are then displayed as appropriate for e.g. the printing conditions.

In this context, ICC stands for the International Colour Consortium, an association of a range of graphical, image processing and layout software developers founded in 1993 to standardise colour management systems.

Colour management is often used in industries such as printing, photography and advertising. Demand for colour management solutions is constantly rising, not just among professionals but also among hobbyist photographers and ambitious amateurs.