Monitor Calibration Question

[Mort54]

Hi All. This question might be a little out of place in this forum, but I don't see a better forum for it. Anyway....

I'm interested in what luminance value people are setting their monitors to during calibration. I've seen recommendations of anywhere from 90 to 140 Cd/m2. I set mine to 130 and, as you'd expect, images that look right on my monitor tend to come out a bit dark in prints and on other monitors. But anything less than 130 and my monitor just seems too dark for comfortable use. Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated.

P.S. I'm using the Eye-One 2 for calibration. It lets you set a target luminance value. I believe the Spyder system doesn't give you a choice (at least that's what I've been told), but I don't know what value it targets the calibration to.

[Scott Martin]

I'm interested in what luminance value people are setting their monitors to during calibration.
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Print to display matching is best when the display is calibrated for matching paper white luminosity and color. With this approach (and there are many) we are essentially calibrating to the lighting conditions that exist in your own environment. So 110cdm2/6500K might be perfect for your environment while 125cdm2/6000K might be perfect for mine.

I set mine to 130 and, as you'd expect, images that look right on my monitor tend to come out a bit dark in prints and on other monitors. But anything less than 130 and my monitor just seems too dark for comfortable use.
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You need to crank it down until they match and get used to how your display looks like that. It will seem odd at first but you'll adapt quickly and come to appreciate what an excellent match you have. Someone once said to me, "Display calibration is all about making the display look as bad as the print." Although that's a bit pessimistic there is some truth in it.

Of course, you could alternately increase your lighting to match. This can easily digress into a longer discussion about the details but you get the idea. Hope this helps.