- CcMmYK color model
CcMmYK is a six color printing process used in some
inkjet printer s optimized for photo printing. [cite book | title = The Art of Fine Art Printing: Using Today's Injet Printers for Quality Prints | author = Uwe Steinmueller and Juergen Gulbins | publisher = Uwe Steinmueller | year = 2006 | isbn = 0978749707 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=xInmHAAJroAC&pg=PT36&ots=uoTdJlWEth&dq=CcMmYK&ei=Kfm7Ro2YJaDeoALSidXvBQ&sig=4pr0Tp7f_YRmZRug3wM9FaVtICY ] It extends the customary four colorCMYK process, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black), by adding lightcyan (lower case c) and lightmagenta (lower case m). The light cyan and light magenta inks are essentially a washed out version of the cyan and magenta inks.Fact|date=August 2007Individually light cyan is often abbreviated to Lc and Light magenta is represented as Lm.Fact|date=August 2007
Advantages of CcMmYK over CMYK
The most noticeable result of using light cyan and light magenta inks is the removal of a distinct and harsh
halftoning dot appearance that appears in prints that use light shades of cyan or magenta on the pureCMYK ink configuration. Usually when printing a dark color the printer will saturate the area with colored ink dots, but will use fewer ink dots to create the effect of a light color. The result is hard to notice with Yellow since it is already very light, but individual cyan and magenta ink dots will stand out in a sparse pattern due to their darker color against a white background; the result is undesirable when it is noticed.By using light cyan or magenta, the printer can saturate areas that would typically use
halftoning with these inks to remove the look of sparse magenta and cyan dots. The downside however is the printer needs approximately twice as much light cyan/magenta ink in areas to achieve the same saturation as pure cyan/magenta which can lead to excess ink usage. The end result however is significantly better for some photos.Practical Application
Many
HP Designjet ,HP Photosmart ,Epson Stylus Photo , and Canon PIXMA printers use the CcMmYK printing process.Fact|date=August 2007 The printers in these families that use the CcMmYK printing process can be identified by their six separate ink cartridges.HP manufactures two integrated print-head photo CcMmYK cartridges: The C6658AN #58 and the C9369WN #99.Fact|date=August 2007 They replace the Black cartridge in some PhotoSmart printers. Essentially the same as the CMY cartridges, they have LC, LM, and K to be used in conjunction with the CMY cartridge.Many
Lexmark printers also use the CcMmYK printing process. These printers accept the Lexmark #31 photo ink print cartridge.Fact|date=August 2007 The Lexmark #31 cartridge contains light cyan, light magenta, and photo black ink. When this optional cartridge is not available, compatible printers fall back to the CMYK printing process.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.