Printer Profiling Device

[jemsurvey]

Hello all.  I am looking for a device for profiling my printer, Epson R3000.  I am using the NEC SpectraviewII with a NEC monitor for monitor calibration and I want to make sure whatever device I use for printer profiling won't interfere with the drivers of the Spectraview.  Any advice and recomendations are appreciated.

John

[howardm]

The least expensive unit is the ColorMunki Photo.  You can find it on intermittent sale for 350-400 USD.

It will also work fine w/ Spectraview software to do the monitor too (I have the unit and an NEC/Spectraview monitor)

The unit can also be rented from lensrentals.com

[Alan Goldhammer]

If you are using Epson papers on this printer there is really no point in doing your own profiles as the Epson profiles are excellent.  Depending on how many papers you plan on using it might be more economical to have profiles made for you rather than making the investment in new hardware & soft ware.  In terms of cost effectiveness, ArgyllCMS is as good as any other software out there and it's free (though there is a moderate learning curve and familiarity with command-line computer usage required).  The software supports almost all hardware out there (I use it with an i1 Pro spectro). My own personal bias is that unless one is interested in color science (which I am), do it yourself profiling is an unnecessary cost and use of time.

Alan

[Evanford]

I think it depends on one's printer if the paper manufacturers profiles are good enough or not.  If your printer is in spec then paper manufacturer's profiles will be fine assuming they took care in creating them.  If not then you might need some custom profile made.   it also depends of course on your requirements and how picky you are. 

For those Color Munki Photo users out there.  How many iterations of profile optimization have you gone through to get a satisfactory profile?  I have a Munki and got okay results with it, but I dropped those profiles in favor of the paper manufacturer's due to a slight color cast with the munki generated profile.  Perhaps I didn't optimize enough.   I have to say I dusted off my munki and after only 1 round of optimization it looks like I have created a decent profile.  I will have to compare to the paper manufacturer's profile when the print is dry.

[Rhossydd]

i1Photo or Color Munki depending on budget.
As Alan says the default Epson profiles are pretty good for OEM papers+ink and custom printer profiles for anything else are pretty cheap anyway, so consider carefully if you really need to invest so much on printer profiling.

In terms of cost effectiveness, ArgyllCMS is as good as any other software out there and it's free (though there is a moderate learning curve and familiarity with command-line computer usage required). 

The software may be free, but you still need a spectrophotometer. The most popular hardware(Color Munki & i1Pro) comes with decent supplied software that's easy to use anyway, so Argyll is a bit of a distraction in this discussion.

[KirbyKrieger]

 

For those Color Munki Photo users out there.  How many iterations of profile optimization have you gone through to get a satisfactory profile?

Depends on "satisfactory"    .  Two was all I needed for a general profile.  If I had trouble with a specific picture, more helped.

Fwiw, I agree 100% with those who point out that if you use Epson papers on Epson printers there is absolutely no reason to make your own paper profile.  I print exclusively matte on Epson's Hot Press and Cold Press papers on my 3880 or on a 9880 I have access to.