.:June Feature: Color Calibration:.

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Real World Color

.:Real-world color:. There are a few problems standing in the way of obtaining a truly accurate color match between what you see on the monitor and what your printer delivers. The most fundamental difference is that when looking at a monitor, you are viewing an image by transmitted light. As when you view a slide on a light box, light is coming from behind the image. When looking at printed output, your eyes see the reflected light off of the print. Right away there are differences, and these differences can be exacerbated by environmental factors, including monitor glare, video quality, and ambient-light color. While light may appear white to our eyes, it actually comes in many hues depending on the light source. 

Depending on the chemical composition of the inks used, the output of some inkjet printers exhibit a characteristic called metamerism. Metamerism refers to situations in which output from a color printer looks fine under one set of viewing conditions but not under another. When this occurs, the match is said to be conditional. There also can be geometrical and observer metamerism. What all this mumbo jumbo boils down to is that sometimes colors look one way under certain lighting conditions and another way in others. 

If you go into any professional photographic lab or commercial printer, you'll find a special area for viewing output. This area will have test prints posted and will have lighting fully corrected for daylight. If it looks good there, it'll look good anywhere. Most computer users don't need the kind of viewing boxes professional labs have, but Ott-Lite >www.ott-lite.com< sells affordable accessory lamps that can bring color-correct viewing to your printer. Ott-Lite offers a family of modestly priced VisonSaver lights that you can place near your printer to help you see color properly. Ott-Lite's 13-watt portable lamp should fit into anybody's work space, and is blueberry-colored to match a Macintosh digital darkroom. A similar model in a neutral graphite color sells for $69.95. Need one you can clamp to a table and angle out over your printer? Take a look at the 18-watt Clamp-On Lamp for $129.95.

.:Calibration Options:. Once you're aware of the effect of environment on output, you need to take steps to bring your computer system into color harmony. There are a few ways to minimize problems, but the key is knowing what the color of your image is to begin with. Using Adobe's Gamma software, >www.adobe.com< which is automatically installed with recent versions of Photoshop and even the inexpensive Photoshop Elements, is the first step. The Gamma control panel lets you calibrate your monitor's contrast and brightness, gamma (midtones), color balance, and white point. There are two ways to work with Gamma and both are easy, including a step-by-step wizard approach. For more detailed information about Gamma  settings, contact Michael J Barnes or Kirk Bishopp in the Sign Biz Technical Department. 

Two prominent color management systems include ColorSync for the Mac OS and ColorBlind color calibration for PC systems.

Ink & Media Questions? Call Our Experts! Kirk Bishopp  9:00 AM - 1:00PM EST 800.57.BEMVP  Mike Barnes Tues-Thurs 12:00-6:00PM PST 800.334.7354 Other Questions? Call: Michael Steele  8:00 AM - 5:00PM PST 800.334.7354  Karen Segura  8:00 AM -5:00PM PST 800.334.7354

The secret in pursuing the quest is not to hunt until the color dragon is slain but until you are satisfied, considering how much it has cost so far, with the match between monitor and print. One of the least expensive ways to calibrate your monitor is by using ColorVision's >www.colorcal.com< Monitor Spyder. This is a Plexiglas and metal device that attaches to your monitor. With ColorVision's software, such as PhotoCal or OptiCal, it's relatively simple to calibrate your monitor.This combination of hardware and software can calibrate any CRT monitor, and will produce ICC (International Color Consortium) >www.color.org< profiles for Mac OS and Windows color-management systems. Depending on what software you prefer and where you buy it, the Monitor Spyder sells for $199 or $399.

(Tip: ColorVision's Web site is the most expensive source for this product.) Sign Biz is equipped with the high-end and full featured EyeOne calibration software. This is available from Sign Biz Inc. for all Network Members. It's capable of generating color separations and previews, as well as colors that remain stable despite fluctuations in ink density and dot gain. 

For full on-site color calibration services, contact our Specialist, Helene Lohr.   
Next month: Output Solutions

Want someone to get inside your computer in five minutes, and fix everything? We can be two places at one time with one phone call! Contact:

David McCutcheon, Dir. of Technical Services Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 PM PST 800.334.7354

Need some help with Flexi 7.0 or want to order an upgrade? Call Karen Segura, Communications Manager and Designer, Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 PM PST 800-633-5580 

Ask for your FREE Flexi 7.0 CD with your upgrade order, while supplies last!

Murphy worked in Technical Support.... :-)  Have a little fun!