Monaco EZ color questions

[marke_gilbert]

Ok,

<P> Please bear with me-- as I have about reached the point of

hurling the Epson 2200 out the window, Im sure its time to calibrate.

<P> I am thinking of the Monaco EZ color and optix XR option-- BUT,

I only scan with a Nikon LS8000, so the optix cannot build a profile

for the scanner--

<P> Can I make do by calibrating the monitor, and having a profile

for the printer, but not the scanner? Shouldnt I be able to scan

files, and just convert them on the monitor for editing in

photoshop? I would assume once I have it open on the monitor, I

should be good to go--

<P> Any and all help welcome.

[link]

Marke,

 

I think you could get by with just a monitor profile and use the Nikon Color

Management in Nikonscan and use the profiles that came with your Epson printer.

 

Scanner based printer profiles are not too good often.

 

Once your monitor is calibrated and profiled, everything you see will be "correct", the

Epson profiles are pretty good for starters, (use only Epson ink and paper!), and if the

scan needs adujusting, just do it in photoshop on your calibrated monitor.

 

Of course, you may be making some kind of profile assign/conversion errors in your

workflow that no instrumentation can fix...

 

So I would suggest just starting with the monitor calibration and profliling. If you get

the EZ color bundle, just start with the monitor and use the Epson profiles built into

the printer software first.

 

I also have an LS-8000 and can make profiles for it. I don't bother.

[beauh44]

<I>Can I make do by calibrating the monitor, and having a profile for the printer, but not the scanner?</i><P>

 

Absolutely. A couple of years ago I too bought the Monaco "EZ" color system (without the colorimeter) and tore my hair out and gave up. It was anything but "EZ" IMHO.<P>

 

Today, I have a Gretag-Macbeth colorimeter and calibrate once every week or two. I use Epson's latest profiles downloaded from their site and my prints look spot-on. (2200) I'd suggest doing something similar. Good luck!

[william_yu]

If you are just using Epson papers for your 2200, then you can go around it by the previous recommendation: do a monitor profile and use the factory paper profiles. But if you use other 3rd party papers, then you either buy the profiles from a professional profile maker like Kathy's Profiles, or get the EZ Color kit and a flatbed scanner to make printer profiles yourself.

 

EZ Color is decent in making monitor profiles, and OK in printer profiles. I had sometimes difficulty in making profiles for some paper/printer combo, not sure why. After I scan the printouts and let the EZ Color program to generate a profile, I get error messeges.

 

Goodluck!

[john_murphy1]

As others have suggested, Monaco EZ Color is not your best option if want to scan transparencies. You probably should check out Chromix (www.chromix.com), and even give them a call (they will actually take the time to talk to you.)

I tried several systems before I got fed up and paid the $1200 for the Gretag Macbeth system (which works faultlessly).

I suggest you start by downloading the free profile maker from LCMS (www.coloraid.de). With this you can make decent profiles for your scanner.

The printer is a much more difficult matter. None of the cheaper solutions that I tried worked very well (e.g., Monaco EZ Color, Colorvision). As was mentioned, the cheapest option may be to purchase a profile from Cathy's or Chromix.

I wish you success.

[mattb1]

You will need a flatbed scanner to profile the printer. In monoco ez, as I would suspect is true with the rest, you print an IT8 target and then scan it in to allow the program to compare it with the digital copy. The flatbed must be calibrated first. And you have to make sure you leave the prints dry over night before scanning them, as inks dry the color shifts a little.

 

I have a year old monocot ez and I'm not real pleased with the purchase. So, you may want to look at another system.

 

The cheapest way is to relax. I have the same problem, I get pretty worked up sometimes trying to get the color the way I want it. I now use the manufacture's profiles for my new printer, and use the soft proofing in PS. It works pretty well, but I have to make a couple of prints on some photos. Also, you could look at the lighting in your work area, make sure its really white not just bright, and also wait until a print dries before evaluating it.

[jtk]

That comment about correct lighting for print viewing is much more to the point than anything about technology. If you've not got daylight or equivalent in a neutral walled space for evaluation you're seriously handicapped.

 

Might be time to reconsider your monitor. I'm very happy with my Samsung Synchmaster 192N (there's a newer version)...19" flat panel (big=good)...simply relying on Photoshop's monitor calibrator I get VERY close matches to daylight-viewed (or Ott Light-viewed) Epson Enhanced Matte prints.

 

Naturally the match is less close when using un-brightened papers because brightened paper bounces more light back, closer approximating the monitor's look...much like comparing slides vs prints. Epson Enhanced Matte is the brightest I've seen.

 

Don't know Nikon scanners, but my Epson 3200 scanner needs no "profiling," I think it's very easy to visually tweak the 2200 itself, with various papers, to get good matches. I seem to get identical scan

color with Epson's driver and with the Lasersoft LE that came with it...each has operational advantages.

[paul_sokal___dallas__tx]

I've used the Monaco Ez color-Optix XR bundle with pretty good results. I've been experimenting with a number of non-epson papers and thus could not your their profiles. The profiles from EZ color were very easy to do and look pretty accurate. I am printing on a 1280, not 2200.

[raymond_mckinley1]

Marke

 

You can build a profile for the scanner, but you would have to purchase the Kodak scanner target for $40 from Monaco. I've done this successfully with my LS 4000 and the resulting profile is quite good.

 

Raymond

[rich815]

<B>SPAM BS ALERT</B><p>

 

Nice, j s. Around here when we BS about a service or product we tend to take the honorable route and disclose if we have any kind of connection to the service or product being recommended. It's the honest and respectable thing to do. You however chose the cheesy, dishonorable route of pretending how great that service is but did not bother to tell us your are affiliated. You join the site today and put down that site as your home page. What a loser. With your attention to detail (or lack thereof, nice spelling and grammar errors) and disreputable marketing practices it's likely you'll be out of business soon anyway.

[rich815]

My immediate post above was a response to a post that has been removed. Please ignore.