Re: [Gimp-user] gimp and prepress

[joel <jijoel@lava.net>]

Gimp is a fine editor for grayscale and RGB color images (used for computer 
displays, movies, and television). At the moment, though, it doesn't have the 
functionality needed for color prepress.

One problem is that Gimp can not yet handle a CMYK color model. I have read 
that's something currently being worked on for the next major release. It 
also doesn't have support for trapping yet, but I think that's tied in to the 
lack of a CMYK color model, because it hasn't really been used for 
professional print work, so far.

Another problem is handling other color spaces, such as Hexachrome, Pantone, 
and some others. These tend to be patented technologies that we may not see 
in the Gimp for the next ten to fifteen years or so. There has been some 
discussion about having a plug-in architecture for colorspaces, so that 
people outside the U.S. can implement the features, and people in the U.S. 
can pay patent fees to Adobe, Pantone, etc., for the right to use the 
software here. I don't know how well that will work, but I've got my fingers 
crossed.

--Joel

> The books all admit that Gimp is too weak to compete in the world of color
> prepress work with the likes of Photoshop. Is there a currrent effort to
> strengthen Gimp in this area? Or is it just to far a stretch?
>
> John Culleton
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> Gimp-user@lists.xcf.berkeley.edu
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