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ERROR_TAG_NOT_PRESENT
A required color-profile tag is missing.
ERROR_TAG_NOT_PRESENT is Win32 error 2013 (0x7DD). The profile may be structurally valid, but the requested color operation cannot proceed because a tag required for that profile class, transform direction, rendering intent, or API path is absent. This is a semantic completeness problem rather than merely a failed arbitrary lookup.
Why required profile data is absent
- a profile generator produced a minimal profile unsuitable for the selected transform or rendering intent
- the wrong device class or profile direction is used, such as treating a display profile as an output profile
- an editing tool removed a tag without updating the workflows that depend on it
- software assumes an optional ICC feature is mandatory across all profile versions and classes
- a vendor profile is incomplete, damaged in a way not caught by basic structural validation, or paired with the wrong device mode
Completeness evidence
Capture profile hash, class, version, data/PCS spaces, rendering intent, transform direction, requested operation, required tag signature, all enumerated tag signatures, device mode, and validation result. Preserve the authoritative profile and calibration metadata. Avoid copying tag payloads into ordinary logs; signatures and lengths usually identify the missing prerequisite.
Diagnostic sequence
Determine which operation declared the tag mandatory and verify that requirement against the profile class and ICC/WCS path. Enumerate the tag table and compare with a known-good profile produced for the same device and mode. Check that the application did not select a proofing, device-link, or monitor profile for the wrong role.
Validate the complete transform tuple—source profile, destination profile, proof profile if any, rendering intent, and device mode. A tag can be present in another profile while absent in the one the API actually examines.
Recovery
Use or regenerate a profile whose class and tag set support the operation. If the operation permits a documented alternate path, choose it explicitly; otherwise stop rather than inventing missing measurement data.
Calibration and deployment pipelines should validate semantic requirements for every supported rendering mode before publishing profiles. Applications should explain which tag and profile role are missing so operators can choose the right asset.
Difference from an invalid profile
ERROR_INVALID_PROFILE reports malformed or unusable profile structure. Error 2013 can occur with a valid profile that simply lacks data required by this specific operation.
Example
A print workflow asks for a perceptual table from a profile generated only for a limited colorimetric path. Transform creation returns 2013. Regenerating the printer profile with the required measurement/table set enables the selected intent.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1700–3999)
- Microsoft: Win32 Error Codes in MS-ERREF
- Microsoft: Device calibration and characterization functions
- Microsoft: GetColorProfileElement
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