Posted by Andy Shepherd on October 29, 2007 at 8:51 AM
Hi to all,
I've just bought a new PC and monitor and the results I'm getting from my printer aren't anything like what I'm seeing on screen , I never had this problem with my old LG monitor , so my question is do I need to calibrate both my printer and my new monitor.
Secondly , any recommendations on which calibration device to go for would be appreciated , I've got about a £150 to spend , I was looking at the Spyder2 Suite , but I'm not sure if there are better alternatives in that price range.
Kind regards
Andy...
Posted by Andy Astbury on October 29, 2007 at 9:18 AM
I can't say on the printer front Andy, but for monitor calibration you won't go far wrong with the Spyder2 Pro if that's what you meant.
Posted by Andy Shepherd on October 29, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Hi Andy,
Thanks for the info.
Regards
Andy...
Posted by Peter Barritt on October 29, 2007 at 10:39 AM
make sure your monitor is in a good environment...no direct light, white walls, preferably lightproof blinds and white light from something like a lightbox. once calibrated with the Spyder (very easy to use) any further discrepancy will be the printer. Often easier these days to send prints off for printing.
good luck, Peter
Posted by Paul Gibbs on October 29, 2007 at 11:15 AM
I'm thinking baout getting one of these too, so whats the big difference beterrn the express the suite and the pro? All have the puc and the software... except the pro one allows you to change your curves.
Eye One... the software is much better, to profile a printer costs money and can lead to poor relationships with the person who did it for you (the soft/hardware is very expensive, our full eye one system was over a grand) if you are using Ilford papers they have profiles on their web site...
When a monitor is properly calibrated and profiled you can usually tweak the printer output to match....
I've just bought a new PC and monitor and the results I'm getting from my printer aren't anything like what I'm seeing on screen , I never had this problem with my old LG monitor , so my question is do I need to calibrate both my printer and my new monitor.
Andy,
I'd say calibrating your monitor is essential if you're to have any hope of getting an accurate screen to print match and also to be sure that others are able to view your images as they appear to you.
I can also thoroughly recommend Phil's suggestion for the Gretag Macbeth Eyeone Display 2.
I personally wouldn't be over enthusiastic about the package you mention that claims to do both monitor and printer calibration for £109. Whilst the monitor calibration may be ok I'd have reservations of the accuracy to which printers can be calibrated with that device. As already mentioned, devices used to accurately build printer profiles cost in excess of £1000.
Printer calibration isn't essential from the outset as you can usually download very good generic icc profiles from the likes of Epson,Ilford,Permajet,etc,etc. You may find that these are plenty good enough for your needs and will give a very good screen to print match.
If you want even more critical accuracy at a later stage then you can have custim icc profiles made by a whole host of companies. Prices start from £20 upwards per profile.
I've recently been experimenting with a range of fine art papers from Permajet, and so far with very pleasing results. Two huge benefits of using their papers are, firstly they have a huge range of all sorts of media from standard matt,gloss type papers,through to an extensive range of fine art papers and canvases. Secondly, and of more relevence to your question, is they will provide free custom icc profiles for any of their paper types if you demand greater accuracy than what their free downloadable profiles provide.
Well worth a look IMO.
I would second Justin's advice above. Very well put.
The cheaper packages that do printer calibration usually do it via your scanner - so you end up with a printer profile that is limited to the gamut and variations of your scanner. It's not recommended by the experts.
Once you get your monitor calibrated, and are using the paper manufacturer's profiles, you should be pretty close. We have an article from one of our recent newsletters that goes over what things to try if the screen and printer still don't match.
Discussion
9 repliesI've just bought a new PC and monitor and the results I'm getting from my printer aren't anything like what I'm seeing on screen , I never had this problem with my old LG monitor , so my question is do I need to calibrate both my printer and my new monitor.
Secondly , any recommendations on which calibration device to go for would be appreciated , I've got about a £150 to spend , I was looking at the Spyder2 Suite , but I'm not sure if there are better alternatives in that price range.
Kind regards
Andy...
Thanks for the info.
Regards
Andy...
good luck, Peter
Eye One... the software is much better, to profile a printer costs money and can lead to poor relationships with the person who did it for you (the soft/hardware is very expensive, our full eye one system was over a grand) if you are using Ilford papers they have profiles on their web site...
When a monitor is properly calibrated and profiled you can usually tweak the printer output to match....
HTH
Phil
Phil
Andy,
I'd say calibrating your monitor is essential if you're to have any hope of getting an accurate screen to print match and also to be sure that others are able to view your images as they appear to you.
I can also thoroughly recommend Phil's suggestion for the Gretag Macbeth Eyeone Display 2.
I personally wouldn't be over enthusiastic about the package you mention that claims to do both monitor and printer calibration for £109. Whilst the monitor calibration may be ok I'd have reservations of the accuracy to which printers can be calibrated with that device. As already mentioned, devices used to accurately build printer profiles cost in excess of £1000.
Printer calibration isn't essential from the outset as you can usually download very good generic icc profiles from the likes of Epson,Ilford,Permajet,etc,etc. You may find that these are plenty good enough for your needs and will give a very good screen to print match.
If you want even more critical accuracy at a later stage then you can have custim icc profiles made by a whole host of companies. Prices start from £20 upwards per profile.
I've recently been experimenting with a range of fine art papers from Permajet, and so far with very pleasing results. Two huge benefits of using their papers are, firstly they have a huge range of all sorts of media from standard matt,gloss type papers,through to an extensive range of fine art papers and canvases. Secondly, and of more relevence to your question, is they will provide free custom icc profiles for any of their paper types if you demand greater accuracy than what their free downloadable profiles provide.
Well worth a look IMO.
The cheaper packages that do printer calibration usually do it via your scanner - so you end up with a printer profile that is limited to the gamut and variations of your scanner. It's not recommended by the experts.
Once you get your monitor calibrated, and are using the paper manufacturer's profiles, you should be pretty close. We have an article from one of our recent newsletters that goes over what things to try if the screen and printer still don't match.
http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/Printer_to_Match_my_Screen
-Pat Herold
CHROMiX tech support
Thank's for sharing it.
Thanks for the comments , they've been very helpful.
Regards
Andy...