# Introduction to calibration and characterization

<span>To establish the ICC profile of a printer, you must first choose the paper and ink for the printer and manage the quantity of ink on the support ( </span>**<span>Calibration</span>**<span> ).</span>  
<span>And in a second step to print in CMYK or RGB with the printer a test chart (for example an IT8.7 / 3 chart) and to measure with a spectrophotometer the colors in L \* a \* b \* of the test chart to generate a profile ICC ( </span>**<span>Characterization</span>**<span> ).</span>  
<span>The printer's ICC profile, calculated with appropriate software, therefore makes the link between CMYK or RGB and L \* a \* b \* spaces.</span>  
<span>The purpose of the ICC profile is to optimize the chroma of your prints.</span>

<span>For a large format printer or press profile, the method is the same.</span>  
<span>For professional results, the use of a spectrophotometer is still necessary.</span>

<p class="callout success"><span>For more information, see the website: </span>[<span>Wikipedia.org - ICC Profile</span>](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profil_ICC "Wikipedia.org - ICC Profile")</p>