Suggestion for Printer Reviews: Inlcude metameric error metrics.

[Doug Gray]

Given the ubiquity of reasonably decent white LEDs use for illuminating prints, it would be useful to provide metrics of printer metameric shift with different illuminants. Especially F8 fluorescents and some of the better LEDs. It can even be of some value with high quality incandescent sources such as Solux when not operated at or near 5000K. This is relatively easy to do at the same time profiles are made. Along with gamut size and especially, black point levels, this would be quite useful for those choosing a printer.

People doing their own printing that have profiling tools can, and do, create profiles that adjust for this by selecting the illuminant when making profiles but for people that are just buying printers they don't easily have that option. They depend on the provided (D50) profiles so there may be some benefit in including this information in printer reviews.

[Peter McLennan]

Indeed.  For daily use I have an Epson Ecotank L-805, a six-ink, mostly-dyes printer and was ignorant of the subject of metamerism until I began to print monochrome with this printer/ink combination.

What looks beautiful under high CRI LED or halogen illumination looks awful in sunlight.  Green, green, green.   Custom profiles or before-print CC allows the prints to look good in one situation or the other, but never both.

Disappointing, but instructive. :{