Ken McKaba Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 How can I get my printer's output to match the image I create in Affinity Photo on my monitor? Do I need to get a device (Datacolor, x-rite, etc.) to calibrate my monitor and printer? It looks like I could get a decent device for $100-$200. Is there a low-cost alternative approach? Most devices appear to only calibrate the display. Should I get one that does my printer too? This tutorial suggests using displayCal software: https://player.vimeo.com/video/203279705/ (see https://displaycal.net/). It appears to work with various calibration devices, I assume the devices all come with their own software, why use DisplayCal? How does it all work through Affinity Photo? Does this all involve ICC profiles for my monitor and printer? What is the process? Any advice or tips? Which is the best device <$200? Thanks! Ken I'm on Windows 10; printer: Epson p400. I do a lot of B&W prints as well as color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris26 Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 May I just chip in to compliment what BofG just said.....I use a monitor callibration tool from Datacolour. They have an excellent customer service. As for callibrating a printer, strictly speaking you Profile sheets of photographic paper, which are then used as the ICC profile that you select when you go to print. Having said this, unless you are doing a lot of photography, and unless you are using many different kinds of paper, then It is far cheaper, a lot cheaper, do send away for a custom ICC profile, this is what I did since i was only using about two or three different media types. All you do is download their chosen image that you use to print on your media (it is a complex series of tones and colours - not a photograph) send your chosen photograpic media through the printer with the printer set to No Colour management and send that away to the company. Usually 15 euros per ICC profile unless you order one or two more then it is cheaper. Hope this helps in your decision process. As a final word, some people, like myself, used to misunderstand the concept of matching screen to printer, that one is not so much matching screen to printe, since this can not in reality be done 100% accurately, though this actually does happen for 95% of tones and colours, one is profiling for consistency between screen and printer, this subtle difference is very important. Consistency means No dissappointment, and also means you know exactly which tones or colours need adjusting literally just before you print, which in reality are usually very very minor changes if you are perfectionist. Quote Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed. Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener. Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken McKaba Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 Thanks BofG and Chris, Which of the ColorMunki models will profile monitor & printer? Which Datacolor models? Will I wind up with 2 ICC's? 1 for the monitor and 1 for my printer/paper? Chris: are you saying I can profile my monitor then send away for an ICC for my printer? My printer, Epson P400, came with a bunch of ICCs for different papers. Would the ICC they send me be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris26 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 4 hours ago, Ken McKaba said: Will I wind up with 2 ICC's? 1 for the monitor and 1 for my printer/paper? The spectrophotometer (or spectrometer) is a device that you place over your screen. When you click 'Go'' it analyses the RGB values and tones and white point of your monitor. The software then loads this into your system and your screen will change from its manufacturer's default setting to a new setting which will always be more accurate according to your ambient light temperature in your room as well. Which is why you should never view a computer screen with the sunlight from a window in front or behind you for example, and try to keep the lighting in your room at a constant, this affects editing. Your screen is now set for perfect viewing conditions provided that you always view your screen within roughly the same lighting environment as when you callibrated it. This calibrated profile for your screen is automaticallyloaded into your computer hardrive and used as the new setting for how all colours and tones appear on your screen You need do nothing further. An ICC profile for paper is a profile which is selected in the PRINTER when you go to print. It has nothing to do with the screen. 4 hours ago, Ken McKaba said: Chris: are you saying I can profile my monitor then send away for an ICC for my printer? My printer, Epson P400, came with a bunch of ICCs for different papers. Would the ICC they send me be better? As above, you set a consistent working condition for your monitor. Not too bright, not too dark, RGB values nicely set so to speak. Now, you contact a company that specifiaclly does ICC profiles for any paper you choose. Go to their website, download their required image, put this image into your chosen software, AfPhoto or photoshop for example, now you print that image WITHOUT colour management, you set all colour management policies to either off or None, you print it, send it back to the company, they profile it with their expensive equipment, they then send you an email with a file that has an ICC extension. You right click on this and load this into your computer, and the software and the printer will automatically have access to this ICC profile so that when you go to print you select this paper and not a generic profile that came with the printer. On the matter of the profiles that came with the printer, these will be for Epson papers. So no point in sending these away, epson's own icc profiles for this printer are good. The only time you Definitely need to send away for a seperate ICC profile is for third party papers. This is far more accurate than tryng to find one for a non-generic paper from epson's settings. Callibratng a monitor for optimal viewing conditions and an ICC profile for a specific paper are two different things. My colours on my Laptop are so off and my tones are not that good, when I edit my photo in photoshop on my mac, I know it is how I want it. When I transfer to afPub on my maccheesburger and onion windows laptop it looks such a mess, its embarrassing, but I send it to the printer in this horrible messy condition Knowing that what prints out will be perfect, and it matches well with my apple screen. I hope you understand and can work out why I am never dissappointed with my prints. Thought I would give you this link, I do not know anything about "colourmonkey" except that it is very good and popular and reliable. But I have used datacolour so it is my personal choice https://spyderx.datacolor.com/about-spyderx/ Quote Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed. Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener. Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken McKaba Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 I borrowed a friend's x-rite i1 display and adjusted my monitor. It didn't change much, just slightly darker. I am using the ICC profile that came with my printer for the paper i'm using: epson p400 and epson hot-press natural. The colors and tone are still not coming out close to what i see on the display. How do I get it right? There are multiple places where I can choose my printer's icc profile. I see the affinity photo menu option document/"assign icc profile". I can create a soft-proof layer and choose the icc profile. (then turn it off before printing) Also the print dialog "Color management" lets me choose an icc profile. What should I do with all these? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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