Profiling Dell U2410?

[walter.sk]

A friend just bought a Dell U2410 display and is going to get either a ColorMunki or an Eye1Display2 to calibrate and profile the display.  He is leaning toward the ColorMunki so as to make printer profiles, as well.

I am spoiled, having between myself and my wife a NEC 3090 and a NEC PA241, which we calibrate with SpectraView softwre and either the ColorMunki or an Eye1D2, depending on our mood.  My friend asked me to help him profile his Dell U2410.

The questions I have are: What controls do I need to set on the U2410 before using the Munki or Eye1D2 software, if any?  Do I need to lower the brightness setting first?  As it is, he complains of his (unprofiled) monitor resulting in his prints being too dark.  I will help him set up a print-viewing situation with a Solux task lamp and a home-brew viewing station, and would like to tame the brightness of the Dell monitor to roughly the brightness of my NEC's at 120-140 cd/m2 as a starting point.  Should I leave the Contrast setting on the Dell as is?  Should I set the monitor for RGB? AdobeRGB? Factory settings?

Any caviats to beware of?

I have read the tutorial on My Prints Are Too Dark, but I am not sure of how to apply that to the Dell monitor as I have no familiarity with it yet.

Many thanks in advance.

[Czornyj]

Lower the brightness to 0% and set the "AdobeRGB" mode, then profile it.

[fike]

This display ships from the factory with settings that are notoriously too bright. I have it and after profiling, you will find that it looks much darker.  This is causing your friends prints to look too dark. 

There are some extensive discussions on LL forums about this display (some of them initiated by me), so search and read them.

Another note, I think I recall that you should NOT set it to Adobe RGB, but instead profile the display from the custom color setting. 

I would recommend the ColorMunki because it is more flixible in its ability to profile displays and create printer paper profiles. I have had both the eye1 display 2 and now the ColorMunki.  The profiling software for the ColorMunki is better.  Its wizard will guide you through all the changes you need to make to the display brightness and contrast. 

the U2410 is a fine display, but it will lure you into an irrational love for its very bright attributes.  After taming the brightness, it is an accurate and pleasing display.

[hjulenissen]

Is this a wide-gamut display, and if so, do you think that info here can be used for my Dell u2711?

-h

[walter.sk]

Dell claims it has some 96% of the aRGB gamut.  From the model number, I would assume the U2711 is the same monitor, next size.  Check your manual for the specs.  I downloaded them from Dell, since I don't have the monitor.