The moment in which the digital image is transformed from light to printing color code stands at the heart of this thesis. Since the era of digital image editing this is fully automated as a single mouse-click-action in Photoshop. Color synthesis has been totally delegated to the power of the software due to the economic advantages of industrial defaults. The aim of this project is to de-automate color separation and to develop alternatives to the CMYK-standard through a painterly based approach. Competences and performances are determinating this process.

The theoretical thesis is dedicated to theirs presettings und conditions. On the other hand, the magic of practice happens in the printshop: Risography is an ideal tool for quick and easy color proofing. “Maler Müller” as a staged character labels the project’s program. With the developed semantic color separation, the authority on color in the pixel-based printed picture is undertaking a shift back from technology to human’s artistic sensitivity.