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CCM Custom Color Manager
CCM Custom Color Manager
SUMMARY
Edition 1, 1/2024
Table of contents
iii
1 Introduction to HP Custom Color Manager
(CCM)
Learn about the tasks that can be carried out by the HP CCM software.
● Describe the tasks that the HP CCM software can carry out.
● Understand in which situations the HP CCM software can be helpful, and which issues it cannot
solve.
By using this software, HP support engineers and channel partners can ensure that the printed output
of HP printers matches the customer's expectations.
● Load pre-defined color maps from the HP Cloud for HP printers and printers from other printer
vendors
● Print and scan target files from third-party (OEM) printers to create emulation color tables for HP
Enterprise printers
● Preview color and monochrome changes in a document with pan and zoom tools
● Print to a target printer to preview changes and view color changes on the actual document
● Export custom color maps and deploy them to a single printer or a fleet of printers in order to view
and use color changes on actual documents in the customer’s environment
● Matching a set of colors in the printed output of another vendor’s color laser or ink-based printer
NOTE: Differences in color output between vendors may be partially due to the color intent for a
specific printer. For color output, HP focuses on the general office environment with more saturated
colors in pie charts, graphs, and PowerPoint slides. Other vendors may focus more on photographs or
other areas.
● Firmware version
● Differences in drivers and driver settings such as print quality and color settings including HP
EasyColor, compression, etc.
● Customer perception
To reduce differences, use HP CCM in an environment as close as possible to the customer’s actual
environment. You may also need to install a custom color map on the customer’s printer, print from
the customer’s system and print driver, and then do additional modifications to custom color maps to
account for differences in the customer’s specific environment.
● A description of the customer's expectations, and the current level and type of mismatch. For
example: wrong colors or shades of colors; or a brightness or contrast mismatch.
● A clear definition of what you are trying to match: Another vendor’s printer output, a specific printer
model, a specific document, etc.
● The printer source document files, including documents showing current colors and target colors.
● Information on the OS, applications, and versions the customer is using, including paper type and
how the driver is configured (N-Up, Booklet, etc.).
● If possible, provide actual hard-copy printed output (not a scanned image). Colors may be modified
by the scanner when creating a PDF of the output.
● HP CCM cannot match a single, specific color without impacting other colors in a document
● Spot colors cannot be matched. A spot color is any color generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is
printed using a single run, versus being produced by printing a series of dots of different colors.
● Pantone colors cannot be matched. Pantone is a standardized color matching system, utilizing the
Pantone numbering system for identifying colors.
● HP CCM cannot match colors on a monitor or display. Colors on a monitor or display are only an
approximation. Get hardcopy printouts from an actual printer and compare them in order to match
the true colors.
● The color output of a printing press cannot be matched. Presses generate color by an ink (pure or
mixed) that is printed using a single run.
When opening the program from an application, only the RGB color adjustment tools are available.
HP CCM requirements
The following are the system requirements for installing the HP CCM software.
● Must be used with printers running FutureSmart 4 firmware version 4.11 or later and using genuine
HP supplies.
● Printers must be connected to a network over TCP/IP with the PC and the printer on the same
subnet. (USB is not supported.)
● Requires an Internet connection allowing FTP links to update the list of the Base Color maps and
pre-defined color maps for HP and other printer vendors from the HP Cloud.
2. When the installer screen appears, check the check box to agree to the License Agreement and
click Install.
3. After the install completes, close the installer and restart the computer in order to apply the
changes.
NOTE: Opening HP CCM through an application enables you to select an RGB workflow only.
4. Select Print.
NOTE: Using the desktop shortcut enables you to select either an RGB, CMYK, or Device Emulation
workflow.
Accessing HP CCM from the desktop shortcut enables you to select either an RGB or a CMYK workflow.
Preview panel
Use the Preview panel in HP CCM to view the color transformation.
Depending on the orientation (portrait or landscape), a user can select the Source or Output check box
to view a document. The color transformation can then be seen in the output document when directly
manipulating the colors in the source document.
Figure 2-1 HP CCM home screen after opening the solution from an application
After opening HP CCM manually using the desktop icon, the Preview panel also allows you to view the
CMYK color table creation.
1 - Source: Clear or select the check box for Source to view the original source document.
2 - Page navigation control: Use the arrow icons (First, Previous, Next, and Last) or input a page number in
the page text field to navigate across a document.
3 - Pan control: Use the hand icon to move the Source and Output document simultaneously to modify a
specific area of the document.
4 - Zoom: Use zoom controls to increase or decrease the size of the content in a page. The default view is
100% and the maximum value is 400%.
5 - Output: Clear or select the check box for Output check box to view the color-corrected output.
The Applicable Printers section of the user interface enables users to access compatible, discoverable
printers. There are two options available:
● Initiate Printer Discovery - click the Refresh button ( ) to initiate printer discovery. Then click the
down arrow in the Applicable Printers drop-down list to see the discovered list of printers.
● Enter IP Address- type the IP address of a specific printer in the text box and then click the Refresh
button. A red circle with an “X” is displayed if the printer is not found or not compatible A green circle
with a check mark is shown if the printer is found.
3. In the Printer drop down list, select the HP Custom Color Manager.
5. If a Disclaimer message appears, click the X in the upper right corner to close the message box.
NOTE: If you do not want to see the disclaimer each time you access the tool, click the Don’t show
this message again check box.
6. Locate the printer that will be used for the HP CCM printed output.
a. Click the Refresh button to the right of the Initiate Printer Discovery field to search for the
printer.
b. After the icon changes to a red stop icon ( ), click the down arrow and select the printer .
c. If the printer is not listed, select the radio button next to the IP Address field and enter the
printer's IP address.
d. Click the Refresh button to the right of the IP Address field. A green circle with a check mark is
shown if the printer is found and is compatible.
This may be a map that best matches the original printed image from an HP printer that did not
match the customer’s requested output, or it may be a map to use as a basis for comparing
modifications that are made to the output.
NOTE: Click the Refresh button to the right of the Source Base Color Map field to load the latest
vendor-specific color maps from the HP Cloud.
8. Select an Output Base Color Map for the output document that best matches the final color output
needed.
NOTE: Click the Refresh button to the right of the Output Base Color Map field to load the latest
vendor-specific color maps from the HP Cloud.
9. Use the HP CCM settings and sliders to adjust the base color map to match the output color map.
The following settings are available.
NOTE: For detailed instructions see the HP Custom Color Manager User Guide.
● Select a Preset to use one of the built-in preset color matching settings.
NOTE: You can also save a custom Preset by clicking the Save button next to the Preset field.
This will save all of your currently-selected color settings as a Preset so that you can use them
again in the future..
● Use the Basic Color Settings to select from the basic available colors (cyan, red, magenta,
green, yellow, and blue) using the slider, or by inputting a value from -12 to 12 to get a closer
color match. The Basic Color Settings can also be used to adjust brightness, contrast, and
saturation in order to modify the intensity of the colors. See the example below.
● Use the Special Effects options to transform the colors in order to improve the color matching
for the output document.
By using the sliders under the Basic Color Settings you can make fine adjustments to the color balance
and the intensity of the colors in the output color map. Slide the line to the left or the right to make
adjustments.
For example, here are some results of using the Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation sliders.
● You need access to both the OEM device and the HP device, and they must both be on the same
network.
● It is recommended that the OEM device support Postscript printing. If not, manual printing will be
required.
● An HP Enterprise MFP is required to scan the target sample, and that printer must have Web
Scanning enabled.
● EWS access must also be available to install new color tables through the Solution Installer.
NOTE: For HP Enterprise devices launched after January 2021, HP device security requires all add-on
solutions to be digitally signed before they can be installed. See the digital signing instructions later in
this training.
3. Select the Security tab, and in the left pane, select General Security.
5. Select the Networking tab, and in the left pane, select Other Settings.
6. On the Misc. Settings tab, select the WebScan and Secure WebScan check boxes, and then click
Apply.
1. Double-click the HP Custom Color Manager shortcut on the desktop to open the app.
2. Under the Workflows section, select the Device Emulation option to start the emulation.
NOTE: In the Device Emulation feature, there are instructions that display on the left side of the
screen to walk you through the device emulation creation process.
NOTE: RGB is recommended for printing from most office applications. But CMYK will need to be
used if printing from graphics programs such as Adobe Photoshop using a PostScript driver. CMYK
is only supported with a PostScript driver.
4. Under Print Samples, type the IP address of the third-party (OEM) printer for which you want to
create a device emulation table and click the refresh icon to discover and connect to the printer.
NOTE: If the OEM printer does not support PostScript, the connection status will display a red 'X',
and you will be prompted to click the Download link to download and print a PDF of the sample
pages(s).
5. Type the IP address of the HP printer and click the refresh icon to discover and connect to the HP
printer.
When both printer connections have been verified, each will display with a green check mark.
NOTE: If the printer is not detected (red 'X' by the OEM IP address), or if you try and print the
samples and the printer is not able to print them, click the Download link to save a copy of the PDF
file and send it to the printer manually.
HP CCM will first send a color swatch to the OEM printer (1 page for RGB emulation, or 2 pages for
CMYK emulation), and then it will send one to the HP printer.
After all the print jobs are sent, the Scan Samples section will be activated.
NOTE: The WebScan setting must be enabled on the MFP to use this feature.
1. Under the Scan Samples section, the IP address of the HP Enterprise MFP should auto-populate.
Click the refresh icon to verify the connection.
NOTE: If the IP address does not auto-populate, enter the IP address of a connected HP
Enterprise MFP.
2. When the device is detected, follow the onscreen prompts to load the printed color samples in the
automatic-document feeder (ADF).
4. Preview the scan and make sure the scanned pages display properly with no cropping or missing
content. If there are any issues, repeat the scan process.
NOTE: The colors in the scan previews do not indicate any color emulation applied to the display.
It is for preview purposes only.
1. Under Create Emulation, type a name for the emulation color table in the Emulation Table Name
field.
After HP CCM finishes creating the emulation color table, the table displays with the chosen name.
4. When prompted by the Do you want to exit the Device Emulation? dialog, click Yes.
5. On the home screen, select the Device Emulation color table you created from the Output Base
Color Map drop-down menu.
NOTE: The screen varies slightly depending on the Color Profile Settings selected. In the image
below, RGB is selected as the workflow.
1. Make sure the color table you just created is selected in the Output Base Color Map drop-down
menu.
2. To test the color map on a local printer, select Print at the bottom of the Color Profile Settings
window.
Compare the output with the customer’s sample to verify it meets their needs. Additional
modification may be needed to the custom color map to meet the customer’s specific output
requirements.
4. Select a folder location to which you want to save the color map file(s) (desktop, USB drive, etc.).
5. Under Select Base Color Map, select one of the following options:
● If the RGB workflow is being used: Choose Office (sRGB), Photo (sRGB), Photo (Adobe RGB
1998), Vivid, or Custom RGB.
● If the CMYK is being used: Choose SWOP, CMYK+, DIC, EURO, or Custom CMYK.
IMPORTANT: These options are the names of the available driver Color Themes. When the new
color map is installed, it will replace one of these themes so that it can then be selected in the
driver when printing. Depending on the customer's needs, you may want replace the default color
table, which will allow all jobs to be printed using the new color table. Or you may want to choose
one of the other themes, such as the "Custom" theme, which will require this theme to be selected
each time something is printed.
a. Edit the color map description to display on the Configuration Page, if desired.
7. Select OK.
NOTE: The export process exports a .bdl and Manifest.xml file. The .bdl file is used if installing the
color map on a single printer using a USB drive or the Embedded Web Server (EWS). The .bdl and
Manifest.xml files are used if deploying the color map to a fleet of printers using HP Web Jetadmin
(WJA).
After the files are saved, they can be installed on either a single printer or a fleet of printers. See the
following procedures.
If you are creating a color table for a printer released before January 2021, you can skip this step.
1. Create and export a custom color table with the HP Custom Color Manger v 2.1 application.
2. Send the following information and files via email to: sign-ccm@hp.com.
● The model of the HP printer(s) the Custom Color table .bdl file will be installed on.
● The firmware version of the HP printer(s) the color table will be installed on.
3. Wait for the digitally signed custom color table to be sent back via email.
NOTE: If the email is sent during regular business hours, the reply should be received within 24
hours.
4. Use one of the install options to install the new digitally signed custom color table, as described in
the next tasks.
5. If listed, make sure to clear or uncheck the Enable extended signature verification check box under
the Solution Verification Settings section, and then click Save.
NOTE: Devices introduced after January 2021, can skip this step. The check box will not be listed
on newer products.
6. Under the Install New Solution section, click the Choose File button, locate the exported .bdl file, and
then click Install.
7. After the file is installed, ensure that the HPCCM_Custom_Color_Table is under the Installed
Solutions section.
NOTE: To change the default color map, click Copy/Print tab, select Customize Colors, and then
select the default color map.
NOTE: If the printer does not automatically reboot, manually power cycle the printer.
9. Print a Configuration Page and check to see if the new color table is listed.
1. If not already done, copy the exported .bdl file onto a USB drive.
3. From the Home screen of the printer, select the Settings menu, select the Copy/Print menu, and
then select Print Quality.
5. Choose Administrator Access Code as the Access Type, and then type in your Access Code.
6. Under Import Color Table, select the color map to load from the USB.
7. Select the color map slot to install the color map, and then select Import.
NOTE: This is the name of the color theme that will be selected in the driver when printing.
Depending on how the color map is being used, this may be the default color table, which will allow
all jobs to be printed using the new color table. Or it may be the Custom profile theme, which will
require this theme to be selected each time something is printed.
8. In the pop-up dialog box, select Yes if the color map will be the default color map.
NOTE: To delete a color map, press the Reset button, select the color map to remove, and then
press the Reset button again.
2. In the left pane of the Device Management screen, expand the Overview and Solutions menus, and
then select the Repository menu (Overview > Solutions > Repository).
3. On the right-side of the screen, click the Import solution link to open the Import Solutions wizard.
4. Click the Browse button to select the .bdl and manifest.xml file, and then click the Import button.
a. Select the Solution that you just created, and then in the right pane, select the Edit button.
NOTE: Make sure to replace the text $WJASERVER$ with your server IP or hostname.
d. Copy the URL and try to access it in a web browser on a device other than the server to
confirm it downloads the .bdl file.
If credentials are requested, be sure those credentials have been entered in the URL
Credential fields under the Application URL section.
7. After linking the files to the server, install the HP Custom Color Manager solution using the
manifest.xml file.
a. On the Repository page, click the Install button to open the Install Solutions wizard.
b. Under Manager options, make sure to check the Install Solution Manager (FutureSmart) and
Install Application Manager check boxes.