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Author Topic: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo  (Read 10817 times)

Gareth ONeill

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X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« on: July 28, 2012, 05:55:27 am »

OK, so people on here have convinced me I should do my own printer profiling.

For about the same price I can buy a used i1 pro (1) spectrophotometer or a colormunki photo.

the colormunki is newer, but has crippled software. The i1 is less crippled and higher spec'ed, but older, and has UV and non UV options.

Two questions:

1. Will I get better print profiles using an i1 pro 1 (x-rite or gretagmacbeth) than a colormunki photo?

2. Which (uv or non UV) option do I need, given I print using a 3880 on non OBA canson rag photographique and mild/medium OBA ilford gold fibre silk?

thanks in advance

PhilipCummins

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2012, 10:28:53 am »

I'd be careful of the 2nd hand i1 Pros, X-Rite had a wide range of options that means that some of the variants are pretty limited (even more so than the ColorMunki) for profiling with the number of patches that can be used (watch out for CMYK/RGB Easy modes). If you can get an i1 Photo [SG], i1 Proof or i1 XT[reme] or one of the i1 Pros that can be upgraded cheaply to i1Publish (~$400) then it's worthwhile as it would unlock all the options in i1 Profiler for you as i1 Match is pretty much finished. Also note if someone transferred the license during their upgrade to an i1 Pro 2 it's possible it doesn't have any licenses for i1 Match at all.

1) This depends on the software. In general the ColorMunki profiles are very good and can be refined a bit, however the flexibility of i1 Profiler (if you can get it) is superior. If you couldn't get i1 Profiler for simplicity I'd go with the ColorMunki.
2) ColorMunki is UVcut by default, the i1Pro would be UVcut or No Filter when it was purchased. Probably simplest to ignore the OBA issue and go UVcut + minimal OBA paper, or save for the i1 Pro 2 which can handle both.
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Gareth ONeill

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2012, 03:17:20 pm »

thanks, you've just svaed me potential heart ache. will check what i'm getting first.

Ellis Vener

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2012, 02:56:55 pm »

how intensively do you print and for what purpose?
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2012, 07:30:50 pm »

If the i1Pro has just the bare bones software (monitor profiling and not printer) you are looking at a big chunk of money to buy the software upgrade.  I started off with a ColorMunki and it does make quite good profiles.  I upgraded to an i1Pro because I wanted to do some things that the Munki couldn't do and I also wanted to see how ArgyllCMS works with respect to device profiling.  I'm also a scientist by training so I like the geek stuff.  It's free software and can profile printers, monitors, and has some other applications as well.  It's not for the faint of heart since it is a command line program and has a steep learning curve.  It is very customizable and I've prepared a number of profiles for myself and others that are quite good (and in most cases better than what the manufacturer offers).

If as you say you are using pretty much two papers (and I also use both of those as well and find them wonderful), you are better off having someone do profiles for you rather than spending time and money doing it yourself.  Check your LuLa message box as I've sent you note regarding this.

Alan
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Gareth ONeill

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2012, 03:40:26 am »

Thanks for everyones help. I was looking into this when I found an auction for an i1Photo SG. I managed to get it for NZ$500, which is far less than I would pay for a colormunki here (they retail for NZ$900 here), so i'm happy.

I can make RGB print profiles with just over 900 patches with iMatch. If I am not happy with using the last version of iMatch (works fine on Windows 7 x64) I will look into fluffing around with Argyll or forking out for i1 Profiler.

Alan Goldhammer

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Re: X-Rite (Gretagmacbeth) i1 Pro 1 vs Colormunki Photo
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2012, 08:31:36 am »

Send me your e-mail address and I'll get you my Argyll work flow with tips on how to run the command line.

alan
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