Photocal or Prove-it!

After bumbling along and wasting too many "off" inkjet prints

from my Epson 2200, I'm convinced I need to calibrate/profile my

Mac LCD monitor. I've read about Photocal/Optical as well as

Prove-it! software. Any suggestions re which is easier to use? (I

love short learning curves)

I used Photocal + Spyder to calibrate my Mac LCD monitor. Very easy to use and it also works with the Sony CRT that I have. I haven't used Optical or Prove-It, so I can't give you a comparison. But I doubt if anything gets any easier that using this combo.

 

Note: If you have one of Apple's expensive Cinema Displays don't expect a dramatic change. These things come pretty well calibrated. I saw a (very) small difference visually after calibration. After using the correct profiles for my Epson printer (from Cone), I started getting prints that match the screen. The Sony G400 on the other hand was a different story. Night and day difference after profiling with the Spyder.

Optical with the Spyder was easy for me, except that it didn't quite work correctly until I downloaded the latest software from their website. Does that qualify as a short learning curve?

 

I also was not happy with the neutrality of my Epson 1280 prints until I got custom profiles from Chromix. The monitor calibration was a big help, but the custom printer profiles were the last word.

 

Doug

Either should work for you. I've used ColorBlind Prove It! and found it very easy to use. AFAIK, Cone Editions still uses Prove It! in their Piezography workshops. They claim it is more accurate and easier to use, but I think that Cone's InkJetMall will sell you either one.

 

Me? I use a SpectraView hardware calibration monitor from NEC. Had to buy a new monitor anyway, so might as well adjust the hardware rather than limit the monitor driver card (which is what all the software calibrators have to do - think about it).

 

Also, don't forget the lights in the room - you should have 5000K lights to work with (and close the blinds!), or your monitor calibration will never match the print coming off the printer. Gotta compare apples to apples!

Get Photocal and the CRT/LCD Spyder colorimeter. I made the mistake of buying ProveIt from InkjetMall only to discover that:

 

1. It does not run under OS 10.x, only OS 9.x. They say they are working on an OS 10 version but it won't be available until spring if then.

 

2. Monitor profiles made with ProveIt under OS 9.2 will not work in OS 10.x unless you first run them through another utility first which adds a gamma tag to the profile.

 

3. The Sequel Chroma 4 colorimeter that is sold with ProveIt is not appropriate for calibrating many LCD monitors because is has too wide of an aperture. It certainly makes lousy profiles for my Apple Studio Display. I have confirmed this fact by speaking with: 1. Mark Aquilar (Mac tech support for ProveIt), 2. Sequel Imaging (who makes the Chroma 4) 3. Andrew Rodney (the Digital Dog, color management guru), 4. and others on the Apple ColorSync list. In my opinion, it is somewhat fraudulent that ITEC continues to recommend this instrument along with ProveIt for the calibration of LCD monitors. Their own tech guy told me that the engineering/technical people know the Chroma 4 won't work for many LCD monitors but the Marketing People won't listen.

 

ProveIt is a great program if you are running OS 9 and using a CRT monitor. Otherwise, get Photocal or Optical and the Spyder.

Thanks to all for the generous responses. Doug, your

mentioning of Chromix made me call them. A guy named Rick

was very helpful. I'm convinced now to buy the Photocal and

Spyder and purchase printer profiles for my Epson 2200 and

several of my favorite papers.Man, this hardware/software

acquisition thing never ends! I'm dreading the next upgrade of

current film scanners which I'm sure is in the offing.

Charles,

 

Consider buying the slightly more expensive Spyder OptiCal package in preference to PhotoCal. OptiCal allows using the Spyder to measure the white (not too important - usually ~100%) and black (critical) levels on your monitor. Use the Spyder in a darkened room, and you get more consistent and accurate results than by eyeballing the levels. You have to set OptiCal to "precision" mode to use this feature, but it is worth the bother.

You may also consider something like MonacoEZColor to create your own profiles instead of purchasing printer profiles. This will let you create pretty accurate profiles for whatever ink / paper combinations that you are using.

This is my other answer about the same issue:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004Ek9