Calibration tutorial

[nickc1]

I am unhappy with the calibration between my screen and printer and was lokking for any online resources that can

be recommended on how to calibrate and set up custom profiles. The printer at present is a Canon ip4500, with a

magenta cast on output as has been noted by posters before, but rather than a single fix for this I would like to find

information or systems that I could apply as I change and update screens, software and printers - a How-to in

general terms.

 

Any suggestions for resources that have worked for you would be welcomed.

 

Thanks - Nick

[Matt Laur]

What hardware display calibration device are you using?

[nickc1]

I'm not using hardware calibration devices yet - that was part of what I am trying to build into a system, and looking for advice on

[Matt Laur]

That's driven by budget. They're all useful, and some provide for far more fiddliness, or capabilities for multiple

displays, ambient room light compensation, and so on. You can get as inexpensive as the <a

href="http://www.laurphoto.com/prdr/huey_pro" target="_blank"><b>Hue Pro</b></a> (at under $100 and generally

workable), and go up from there. There are countless threads to read through here on that subject, so a quick search

through the archives will turn up a wealth of info.

<br><br>

Regardless of which device you choose, it will dramatically impact your problem. Once your computer and display

are being honest about the colors and contrast they're showing you, you need only to tell your printing routine to use

the correct Canon profile. You also have to be sure not to lie to it about what paper it's printing on, since that makes

a huge difference.

<br><br>

No matter what display device you upgrade to, or which video board/chipset is present in the computer in your future,

you'll need to use a hardware calibrator, and re-use it periodically. I carry one of those cheap-cigar-sized Huey Pro

units in my laptop bag. It just plugs into a USB port, and takes only a few minutes to use. I've used it many times

while sitting at someone else's wretchedly out of calibration display to get their system closer to reality. It's funny

how much more productive it is to show them photographs (or a web site, etc) when they're finally seeing the same

thing the photographer is seeing. I wouldn't haul a larger Eye-One Display 2 or similar device around - just too clunky

for that sort of use (but great at your own desk).

<br><br>

The good news is that you can safely compartmentalize the issue of display calibration and the rest of your workflow.

With a display calibrator, you're telling the operating system itself how to be honest with the colors. The applications

you run on that platform can be blissfully ignorant about it. You don't tell the app (say, Photoshop) about the display

profile... only about whatever output devices/media you're targeting as you export files or print.

[mark_philpott1]

I would recommend something like the i1 Photo (The current model might be called something else

since Gretag Macbeth got taken over by XRite tho). It will produce ICC profiles for your screen and

printer (as well as scanner, camera and projector).

Until you make an investment in something like this you might as well work in sRGB and get some

'canned' ICC profiles from your printer manufacturers web site.

There are loads of how to's and tutorials on the web, just Google 'colour management'.