Advice about monitor & printer profiling

[rvanr]

Hi

I am thinking of buying a Canon IPF5000 printer to improve the quality of my printed output. I am aware that to make the best of this printer I will need to spend some some time and effort (and money) on profiling my monitor. I need some advice on how to go about this.

Can anybody recommend a book on this subject? I have read a more general book about Digital Workflow (Photoshop CS2 Workflow by Tim Grey), but the info about profiling is not very in-depth.   I was thinking about buying Eye One Display 2 as that is just within my planned budget. Is it worth buying an expensive printer if I cannot spend lots of money on the whole professional suite of profiling software and equipment?

Thanks

Ruud

[francois]

Hi

I am thinking of buying a Canon IPF5000 printer to improve the quality of my printed output. I am aware that to make the best of this printer I will need to spend some some time and effort (and money) on profiling my monitor. I need some advice on how to go about this.

Can anybody recommend a book on this subject? I have read a more general book about Digital Workflow (Photoshop CS2 Workflow by Tim Grey), but the info about profiling is not very in-depth.   I was thinking about buying Eye One Display 2 as that is just within my planned budget. Is it worth buying an expensive printer if I cannot spend lots of money on the whole professional suite of profiling software and equipment?

Thanks

Ruud
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Ruud,
Books you might like:  
      - Andrew Rodney - Color Management for Photographers   ([a href=\"http://www.digitaldog.net/]more info[/url])
      - Bruce Fraser & Chris Murphy - Real World Color Management 2nd Edition   (more info)
     - Abhay Sharma - Understanding Color Management   (more info)

If you plan to use a lot of different papers, then purchasing a "profiling kit" is the way to go but if you only print with a few papers then getting custom profiles from a profiling company is, of course - a less expensive route. Prices are usually between $40-$150 per profile. An EyeOne spectro is around $1400.

The EyeOne Display 2 is affordable, that's what I use but I can't comment on competing products.

You may also PM Andrew Rodney (digitaldog) directly as he is a regular poster on this forum.

Hope this helps.

[mcculloched]

The books Francois has listed are great resources. I would look into those.
To ad to the profiling.  Inkjetart.com does custom profiles for $25 with complete directions on their website.  

Best-

Ed McCulloch
801.836.2192

http://www.mccullochphotography.com

[eronald]

The books Francois has listed are great resources. I would look into those.
To ad to the profiling.  Inkjetart.com does custom profiles for $25 with complete directions on their website. 

Best-

Ed McCulloch
801.836.2192

http://www.mccullochphotography.com
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=95285\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I do profiles too. So does Andrew Rodney. And many other consultants.

The only piece of hardware you should have is a display calibrator, and i1 Display is very good for a beginner. Coloreyes and Basiccolor are very good too, but i1 Display may be best for your uses.

All of this is like hi-fi - you will then want a better monitor, and and and ...

My advice would be to turn the problem round, get a calbrator first, profile your existing workflow, and when you have it sussed make your purchasing decision for your main printer.

Edmund

[rvanr]

All of this is like hi-fi - you will then want a better monitor, and and and ...

Edmund
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=95331\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

LOL
Thanks for your advice. I can understand the hifi comparison very well! That can also be a bottomless well for your hard earned money. A couple of years ago I stopped spending on hifi as I was really pleased with how my music sounded and I realised that the 'law of diminishing return' meant that I could spend thousands of pounds more to get only a small improvement in sound quality. I am not at that stage yet with my photographic equipment. I am really pleased with my 5D and don't feel the need to spend a lot more for the next model up. Printing is another matter: the flexibility to use pigmented inks, different high quality papers and printing bigger panoramics are really attractive.