iMac (late 2010), an EyeOne Display and a print service...

<p>Am I doing this right? I calibrated my late model iMac with an EyeOne Display 2 in advance mode to 6500k, 2.2 gamma and 80 luminance (using the F1&F2 keys while holding shift/option keys to get close to 80 lum.). My prints are still dark and the color is OK but not perfect. I'm using Unique Photo here in northern NJ to do my printing (they request sRGB files which I provide). I'm pretty sure they're using a Fuji Frontier Printer. Is it an exercise in futility to rely on a calibration device such as the EyeOne when paired with a non-injet printing process.</p>

<p>Have you asked them if they can provide you w/ an appropriate color profile for their printing? <br>

Have you considered increasing the light level in your viewing area?</p>

<p>No it isn't an exercise in futility: With a high quality, and any LED backlit iMac that is well calibrated and profiled fits that description, you know how your photos look and it is the lab that is screwing things up. <br>

Howard brings up a good point: what kind of lighting are you using to judge prints in and how bright is it? </p>

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<p>My prints are still dark and the color is OK but not perfect. </p>

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<p>You do need an output profile for soft proofing, and you have to adjust either the display luminance and/or the print viewing conditions to produce a visual match as described here:<br>

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/why_are_my_prints_too_dark.shtml</p>

<p>you must work in a very very dim place, because if i put my monitor lower than 105 it is wayyyyyyyy too dark, even compare to a print. And im not even sure that at that such a low setting it is a good thing for the Imac.</p>

<p>Have you try different lab.. maybe the one you use is not good? Im using 110, 6500, 2.2 and i get a monitor vs print, from my inkjet or external lab a close to perfect match... everytime.</p>

<p>You need to calibrate your monitor AND your output device or the place you take your prints to. What I do is make a "ring around" print, where the "good" one is in the middle, and then there are six others around it with varying degrees of color shift (green, magenta, blue, yellow, red, cyan). This way you can find out how close their machine is calibrated and go from there. Also ask them what profile they use for the printer, and if you can have the file to convert your images to before you send them. Costco offers this service but I always convert to sRGB before I send images to them with good results.</p>