How to pick color of paper?

[rich2005]

Quote: However, such images files would NOT look as desired when viewed on a display. Correct? Or NOT?..

I would say not, you might get an approximation, I thought my last sentence But this is a RGB image, once it gets translated by the printer to CMYK then expect some change. covered that.

Worth looking at this post: https://discuss.pixls.us/t/using-online-...gimp/12854 and maybe joining in the discussion. One comment
Calibration is about making known, measurable colors display correctly. After I calibrated, my screen looked “worse,” less saturated and sort of dull. But the colors matched my printer exactly.

Great if you have a dedicated computer only used for photo editing. I have to use mine for other purposes as well. However I do know the limitations, I know what I print will be darker than what I see on the monitor. I use linux and the gutenprint gimp plugin. I can make a 'judgment' correction there.

However, on one of those previous screenshots I used a fuji colour profile. You would use it with paper as described here: https://www.digitalab.co.uk/metallic-prints No way I will ever get an exact reproduction on a computer monitor.

Think back to roll film days, The photographer started with a tiny contact strip, might make a test print with varying exposures before making a final print. It was an art then. Even in the digital age, still an art.

Quote:Insofar as my interest had to do with things I'd be adding to the image, text and borders, I'm thinking this means that I could use an alpha channel to create these things as transparent which would then cause them to be whatever the color of the paper on which they are printed.

That was covered in a previous post. For a simulation in Gimp over a base layer. A better way for text / border is using a layer mask. see: https://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Layer_Masks/

For sending to a printer. back to: there is no white ink, white = transparency