IT8 Target Scanner ICC Profile Generator

Epson Scan 2

1. Set Mode to Photo Mode.
2. Set Document Type to Reflective — use the film setting for transparent targets.
3. Set Image Type to Color.
4. Open Color Management and set it to ICM. ICM is the Windows component that loads ICC profiles; this is where the profile is actually applied.
5. Set Source (Scanner) to the profile you just created.
6. Click OK, then scan.

Canon ScanGear

1. In the main window, click Preferences...
2. Open the Color Settings tab.
3. Turn on Color Matching.
4. Set Source (Scanner) to the profile you just created.
5. Set Target to sRGB IEC61966-2.1.
6. Tick Monitor, so the preview is compensated for your display.

A note about your monitor

Scanner calibration is independent of the monitor — but if the monitor's color is off, a correctly calibrated scan still cannot be displayed accurately. Hardware calibration of the monitor is therefore recommended: load the monitor profile at step 5 and compensate the display at step 6. If that is not an option, view the image on a phone or tablet instead; their screens are usually accurate enough to judge color.

One trap worth knowing: Embed ICC in Epson's file-save options embeds the monitor ICC, not the scanner ICC. Do not confuse the two.

Here the profile is applied after scanning: turn off color management and any color correction in the scanner software, scan the target, then load the profile in Photoshop, check the result, and save. The core principle is consistency — apart from loading the profile, every scanning setting (including which software you use) must stay the same before and after calibration.

Method 1 — assign the profile and keep it in the file

1. In Photoshop, open the scanned TIFF via File > Open; or pull it straight from the scanner with File > Import > WIA Support or TWAIN Support.
2. Choose Edit > Assign Profile.
3. Set Profile to the ICC you just created. Tick Preview and click OK — this lets you watch the color change with and without the profile.

1. When saving, tick ICC Profile under Color in the Save As dialog, so the file carries the profile along with it.

A file saved this way is "original image + ICC". Only viewing software that supports color management can show the calibrated color; software that does not will simply display the original, uncalibrated image.

Method 2 (recommended) — assign and convert to the working space

Set up Photoshop once:

1. Choose Edit > Color Settings.
2. Under Working Spaces, set RGB to sRGB IEC61966-2.1.
3. Under Missing Profiles, tick Ask When Opening.

Then, for each scan:

1. Open the scanned, unadjusted, uncompressed raw TIFF.
2. In the dialog that appears, choose Assign profile and select the scanner ICC you just created.
3. Tick and then convert document to working RGB.
4. Save.

This method stores a color-corrected image with no scanner ICC attached — it is already in sRGB. On any standard-gamut device you will see the same image, whether or not the viewing software manages color. Wide-gamut devices still need conversion.

The goal is accurate color, not a prettier picture

Scanner calibration restores the true color of the target as closely as the hardware allows. It does not conflict with Photoshop's adjustment tools — you still edit after it.

What the IT8 target can and cannot do

It is an internationally established calibration solution, and it maximizes accuracy within the scanner's color range. It cannot extend that range: colors outside the hardware gamut stay unreachable. How much you gain depends on the machine — a brand-new scanner is usually already good, and a heavily aged one stays limited by its failing light source, but most scanners improve noticeably.

Re-profile periodically

A scanner is a light-source product. Its color characteristics drift as the lamp ages, so there is no one-time fix — professional users should remake the profile on a regular schedule.