The first step in using profiles is setting up your color managment settings. In Photoshop this is under "Edit:Settings:Color Settings" (Command+Shift+K)

By default most installs of Photoshop are using sRGB as the working color space, we suggest selecting the "US Prepress" or "North American Prepress" from the settings menu, if that is not available, select Adobe RGB as the working RGB color space, "preserve embedded profiles" from the Color Management Policies section and check the three "ask when opening" boxes.

Now let's open the first profile target file and get started.

Because you selected "ask when opening" you will get the box on the right. You need to select "Leave as is (don't color manage)" If you select either of the two other options it will change the colors of the target and render the profile useless.

Before we go any further, we need to head over to the printer setup utility (it's in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder) - select your printer and then hit the Utility button.

1. Do a nozzle check (if any of the heads are dirty do a cleaning cycle) Some printers like the Epson R1800 and 4800 have an automatic nozzle check option that will do cleanings for you if there is a clog, cool!
2. Do a print head alignment. In general you should be diong alignments every month or more. If the heads are not aligned properly you will have noise in smooth areas of your prints. This happens because the printer thinks it's laying down dots between eachother creating a nice, smooth tone - instead it's putting them on top of eachother so you have dark areas with overlapping dots surrounded by empty areas with the paper showing through (this is bad). Most printers that have an auto nozzle check also will do an auto head alignment, cool again!

After opening the first target file, you will need to pull up the "Print With Preview screen. It's in the "File" menu. On Photoshop 7 the default command keys are Control+P, though you can change it in Photoshop's Preferences to come up when you hit Control+P. Earlier versions the default command keys are Control+Shift+P

1. If it's not enabled, click "show more options"
2. select "Color Managment"
3. the document source space should be Untagged RGB. If it's not, then you didn't select "Leave as is (don't color manage)" when opening the file, close it and try again.
4. select "same as source" for the Print space - it should be at the top of the list
5. DO NOT change the print size
6. click "print"

Depending on the printer you are using you'll have different settings - especially if you're using an HP or Canon printer but ultimately you'll have the options to select the paper type and print quality.

1. Select the Media type you want to use for this profile. For most matte, watercolor and canvases, the Enhanced Matte setting works best. Luster papers will use a luster one, glossy uses glossy etc... The most important thing is to make sure you select the same setting when creating and when using the profile.
2. Next select the Print Quality. The decision is your as to what resolution to use. Many people use 1440, some use 2880. Also you should decide if you want to use High Speed or not. Be sure to turn off Finest Detail and Edge Smoothing.
3. DO NOT USE BORDERLESS this will change the size of the print by a few percent but make the patches unreadable. If you use borderless your prints will be rejected and you'll have to print and mail them again.

Selecting the right paper type

Use the "Density" files to help you decide which paper type to select if you are not sure which to use. If you know what setting to use, skip ahead and ignore the rest of this text. If you do need to use them, stop where you are, close out of the Printer configuration and download the Density file. There are two versions, one for Epson and one for HP, Canon and other printers (the Epson is 360ppi and the Other is 300ppi) - be sure you use the right one for your printer and do not change the resolution or size. When you print out the file using the instructions below (you print it just like you would one of the target files, without any color adjustment) you should be able to see all of the cross-hairs in the black area and some separation between the #5 and #10 in the greyscale ramp. If you cannot see both, you may want to try a different paper setting. You should be able to get 3 or 4 prints on a page so you can try a few different settings to get it right.

Once you have decided on the paper setting that you want, go back to the profile targets and print them (once again, following the instructions below, same as you did on the density page)

HP printer drivers will often automaticly sense that you are printing with No Color Management and will select "Application Managed Colors" which is what we want when creating and using profiles.