September 11, 2003 -- The International Color Consortium, meeting recently in Vancouver, BC, took key steps toward having its color management specification adapted into an international standard and toward finalization of a revision to the specification. The Consortium has scheduled a meeting with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 130, Graphic Technology, for November 4, 2003 in Scottsdale, Arizona. ICC has been working to make its specification consistent with ISO format and other requirements as the basis for gaining ISO recognition of the specification as an international standard. The November meeting will pursue this subject further. ICC also decided at its meeting to submit the new Version 4.1 of the specification, incorporating a number of minor revisions, for public comment following a vote of the ICC Steering Committee. Version 4.1 specifically addresses ambiguities that had been noted in the specification’s definition of colorimetric renderings and uses of perceptual Rendering Intents. ICC’s Graphic Arts Special Interest Group reported at the meeting on its continuing review of specific problems users have identified in implementing color management using the specification. The latest ICC Annual Report has been completed and distributed to members and other industry constituents. The Report is also available in PDF format on the ICC website, www.color.org. ICC has also joined with TC130 in calling on vendors of ICC based profiles to eliminate licensing language that prohibits users from exchanging or embedding these profiles in job files. The International Color Consortium was established in 1993 to create, promote and encourage the standardization and evolution of an open, vendor-neutral, cross-platform color management system architecture and components. The outcome of this cooperation was development of the ICC profile specification, now in use by leading vendors of color management solutions. Sixty seven organizations are members of the consortium. NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies serves as administrative secretariat to ICC.