How can I calibrate MacbookPro LCD with Canon MP970 printer?

[tony_black1]

Do I need a pro calibrater machine?

 

Thanks.

[ellis_vener_photography]

First of all: for any computer display or monitor for working well with photographs, yes it needs to be well calibrated and profiled. Here is a list of the best tools for the job at reasonable prices:

 

The most affordable tools for this right now are the

 

X-rite i1 Display 2 package, http://tinyurl.com/5ykxvj

 

Datacolor Spyder 3 pro or Elite, http://tinyurl.com/497wbd

 

Monaco OPTIXxr pro (discontinued but still excellent), http://tinyurl.com/3fxrn8

 

Color Eyes Display Pro, http://tinyurl.com/3h9czh

 

I use the X-Rite i1 tools. In the software set up for the i1 for a Mac chose Native as the White Point and Gamma.

 

(A note of caution: no laptop screen including the Mac Book Pro is as good as a desktop LCD or CRT for working with photographs: they all have a much smaller gamut than desktop displays do.)

 

Secondly: start with using Canon papers and inks. Canon (and Epson and HP) are finally doing a very good job of creating and distributing very good generic profiles for specific printer/paper/ink combinations. You can download Canon's profiles from

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=PrinterProfileAct:

 

Install the profiles in the right folder. On a Mac, that can be either:

 

System > Library > ColorSync > Profiles

 

Or Users > (user name) > Library > ColorSync > Profiles

 

Third step: In your digital darkroom program, make a dupe of the master file and working with the dupe CONVERT (not Assign) the color space to the profile. If working with an Adobe program you also want to choose (generally) perceptual as the rendering intent for going from a color space to a device profile and turn on black point compensation.

 

This should get you very close to making a good print which is within a 90% match of what you see on your calibrated and profiled screen.

[sal b]

The site above for Canon printer profiles lists only imagePROGRAF iPF5000, -5100, -6100, -8100, -9100 and PIXMA Pro9500 printers, not the Canon MP970 printer the OP asked about.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Hmmm.

[colin_mattson1]

If Canon considers the MP970 high-end enough to bother with ICC profiles, they will have been installed with the printer

driver.

[tony_black1]

how do you install a custom profile to photoshop cs3? and do i have to get a calibration system which calibrates the monitor and printer to each other or just to calibrate monitor would be ok? there is a big price difference btw for example printfix pro and spyder 2pro? one calibrates printer and monitor the other just the monitor as far as i understood.??

[ellis_vener_photography]

In my prior response I detailed where to install a custom porfile for a printer.

 

All of the software packages for the display /monitor calibrators automatically install the created profile in

the proper folder and ICC aware applications like the Mac OS and after relaunching them , if they were ruuning

during the calibration/profile session, the Adobe programs automatically use the monitor profile and you never

have to bother with it again until it is time to update it, which I recommend doing about every 3 weeks or just

before processing an important assignment or job.

 

If you want to profile the printer/paper/ink combination you'll need a package that does both. The printfix pro

program has gotten very mixed reviews. If you go with the Datacolor Spyder over the X-rite i1 or Monaco packages,

then I

highly recommend getting the Spyder3 over the Spyder 2: there are good reasons it was discontinued and replaced

with the Spyder 3. Sometimes being initially cheap will not save you money.

 

If you only use one or two paper types it might be better to have an

online service do that for you: http://www.cathysprofiles.com , http://www.chromix.com , or

http://www.thedigitaldog.com all do fine jobs at this. You print the target that you download from their site

according to the specific instructions, send it back to them, they make the readings and create the profile for

you, and e-mail it to you.