Gray balance is the first important step undertaken by the color separator, in determining the color content and contrast that the final printed piece will have. Gray balancing is a scanner calibration procedure, in which the operator programs specific dot percent ratios of YELLOW, MAGENTA and CYAN into the scanner output. When film is output to these percentages and is proofed or printed, it should reproduce a "neutral gray" color. Once the scanner is Gray Balanced all of the color contained in the separations is a default of these settings.