RGB vs CMYK for Photo Albums: What Indian Labs Expect
Should an album file be RGB or CMYK? It is one of the most common questions from new album designers, and the wrong choice can make maroons, golds and skin tones look dull. The short answer: for most photo-printed albums in India, send sRGB files unless your lab tells you otherwise.
How albums are printed
Photo-printed albums, including Karizma and lay-flat albums, are usually printed on photographic paper with digital minilabs or wide-format photo printers. These machines take RGB input and convert it internally using profiles tuned for the paper. Sending them a CMYK file forces an extra conversion and often loses the brightest reds, greens and blues.
Offset and press-printed products, such as printed invitation cards and brochures, are different. Commercial presses do print with CMYK inks, and printers may ask for CMYK PDFs with a specific profile.
Why CMYK looks dull
The CMYK colour range is smaller than RGB. When you convert, colours outside that range are pulled in, so bright saturated tones become flatter. Wedding albums are full of saturated sarees, gold jewellery and red decor, so the difference is easy to see.
Which RGB profile?
sRGB is the safest choice: it is what most labs, screens and phones expect. Adobe RGB has a wider range, but if the lab's workflow ignores the embedded profile, Adobe RGB files print dull and slightly off. Use sRGB unless your lab confirms it handles Adobe RGB. In Photoshop, check with Edit > Convert to Profile and choose sRGB IEC61966-2.1.
Practical workflow
- Edit photos and album sheets in sRGB, or in Adobe RGB and convert to sRGB at export.
- Do not convert album sheets to CMYK unless the lab requests it in writing.
- Ask whether the lab applies automatic colour correction; some do, which can undo careful edits. Many labs offer a 'no correction' option.
- For printed invitation cards, ask the printer for its CMYK profile and file format, and soft-proof before converting.
Monitor brightness matters more
Most 'colour' complaints about albums are actually brightness problems: designers edit on a bright laptop screen and the print comes out dark. Lower your screen brightness when editing for print, use a calibrated monitor if you can, and order a test print of one sheet before printing a whole album.
Summary
Photo albums: sRGB JPG. Press-printed cards: CMYK as specified by the printer. When in doubt, ask the lab and keep your layered RGB master file.
A quick test print saves arguments
If you are starting with a new lab, send one test spread before the full album. Pick a sheet with skin tones, a saturated saree, gold ornaments and a dark area, export it as an sRGB JPG and ask for it to be printed without automatic correction. Compare the print to your screen in daylight, not under a yellow tube light. If the print is darker, lower your monitor brightness rather than brightening every photo. If the colours shift, ask the lab for its ICC profile and soft-proof with View > Proof Setup > Custom in Photoshop.
Keep that test print at your desk as a reference for every future album you send to the same lab. Related reading: the print-ready PSD checklist, album colour correction tips and how to send album files to the lab.
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