X-Rite ColorMunki Smile Color Calibration Solution

X-Rite ColorMunki Smile Color Calibration Solution

In my article, Choosing The Right Display Calibration Device, I listed out several solutions for calibrating your display but some people have complained that they needed a cheaper solution.

Wondering why you need this?

Check out this helpful site to learn why display calibration is super important, and get more in-depth info on this device here. Please be sure to come back to this blog for more info!

Where to Buy

I recommend Adorama and B&H, and your purchase helps to support this blog without costing you anything more.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy these as well:

• X-Rite ColorMunki Photo Color Management Solution
• X-Rite ColorChecker Passport
• X-Rite i1Display Pro and ColorMunki Display Colorimeters
• A comparison of all X-Rite Calibration devices

Disclaimer

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

Choosing The Right Display Calibration Device (Updated 2/9/2012)

The X-Rite i1Display Pro, ColorMunki Display, NEC SpectraSensor Pro and Eizo (DataColor) EX1 are all current wide gamut colorimeters NOT spectrophotometers. The purpose of this article is to demystify a lot of confusion about display calibration devices on the market and educate you on some new models to let you know which display calibration device is right for you.

WARNING: I go super geeky at first to help clear up terminology and massive confusion, so if you know what you want and can’t deal with the geeky stuff then page down until you see a picture of the product you want to buy or research.

Profile vs Hardware LUT Calibration

What this means is that they are designed to calibrate your display against a series of colors swatches for which the display calibration software used knows exactly what value the sensor should read for each swatch.

The results of this data obtained by the sensor is used by the display calibration software in one of two ways:

1. To create a display profile (most common) – this is where the display calibration software does what it can to adjust your display to show colors accurately and it creates a lookup table of differences in a file a profile. In simple terms it’s like having yellow paint that is supposed to look green so you keep a measurement of how many drops of blue you mix into the yellow paint until it is the shade of green that you want. The profile is that sheet of paper where you jotted down the information about how much blue is needed. Your computer operating system uses these profiles to work with your display card and monitor to make color adjustments to the red, green and blue channels to render color more accurately. This method works well, but it is system dependent and can’t be dynamic.
   
2. To perform a display LUT Adjustment (a.k.a., programming the LUT) – Expensive and advanced displays improve upon the model above to actually write this data into the monitor hardware itself so that the monitor can do a better job than your OS at rendering accurate color. The method has the advantage of allowing you to use the same display with different computers without the need to calibrate because your operating system is bypassed for color rendition. This is less common on inexpensive displays, but very common on high end displays best suited for photography.  The downside to this design is that you usually need to the proprietary software by the display maker (i.e., NEC SpectraView II, Eizo Color Navigator or EasyPIX, etc…) as other third party software (i.e., the software included by X-Rite or DataColor) is sometimes not able to program the display LUT directly and will resort to creating a display profile (very bad when using a LUT based display). X-Rite has partnered with Eizo so that its latest software can program Eizo displays that are compatible with ColorNavigator can be programmed with i1Publish, but NEC still requires SpectraView II.

A Word About NEC & Eizo (proprietary) Display Colorimeters

The NEC SpectraSensor Pro is a colorimeter built by X-Rite specifically for NEC to calibrate wide gamut displays built by NEC using its proprietary SpectraView II software. The Eizo EX1 is a colorimeter built by DataColor specifically to calibrate Eizo displays using its EasyPIX software. They both can be used with their corresponding software to program the LUT of supported displays and therefore are offered as bundle when buying Eizo and NEC displays.

These colorimeters are just fine as they have been developed and tested under the supervision of the display maker to ensure they are able to program the monitors LUT using their proprietary software.

NEC SpectraView (i1 Display) Colorimeter

NEC used to also offer a special version of the i1 Display as shown below that supported wide gamut display calibration (the X-Rite i1 Display DOES NOT support wide gamut):

If you are a NEC display owner with one of these devices (or are considering buying one used), you do not need one of the products discussed in this article as it will still calibrate your NEC wide gamut display accurately. NEC and X-Rite will eventually phase out support for this product, so I wouldn’t invest in one at this point. Using today’s software and this hardware you should be able to accurately display any NEC display that supports SpectraView II, so an upgrade is only necessary in the future when you upgrade your operating system and/or SpectraView software to a version that no longer supports this device (won’t happen overnight).

Spectrophotometers – Display and Printer Calibration

Spectrophotometers like the ColorMunki PHOTO
calibrate displays plus create paper profiles

Click here to read an article that does a good job at explaining the difference between a colorimeter and a spectrophotometer.

A spectrophotometer can be used to create paper profiles which is the process where you print out color swatches of known RGB values it and then measure the colors using a spectrophotometer to compare what color actually gets printed. The operating system, the printer, the inks and paper you use all combine to contaminate the color that ultimately ends up on the paper, so a printer paper profile used in conjunction with a display color profile (or calibrated LUT) is critical to get the colors you see on your screen to look the same way on the paper that comes out of your printer.

This is a tricky process due to all of the variables that come into play, which is why X-Rite created a great product called the ColorMunki PHOTO (which is a spectrophotometer, NOT a colorimeter like the ColorMunki Display (discussed later in this article) along with its proprietary software to make this whole process work smoothly. I talk about this in my color management article, but know that currently this is the most easy to use and accurate method for getting your prints to look like what you see on your display (excluding the limitations of your display).

If your goal of reading this article is to match your prints with your display then my advice is to  go get a ColorMunki Photo from Adorama or B&H as that’s a color management workflow issue. Advanced print master (discussed in my printing 101 eBook) will use even more advanced and complex products like these:

B&H sells the i1iSis – an expensive spectrophotometer

i1 Pro shown with a
i1iO Automated Scan Table

X-Rite has replaced the i1XTreme I reviewed with thei1Photo Pro UVcut Professional Color Management for Photographers and offers the i1iO Automated Scan Table (shown above with a i1 Pro attached). It also offers the i1Sis which is only used for fast creation of paper profiles so a separate colorimeter is required.  It should be noted that this device is offered in a non-UVcut version as well.

Now before you go out and get a spectrophotometer besides the ColorMunki PHOTO, be aware that you will invest thousands of dollars and lots of time so mere mortals are going to find their money best spent on a product like ColorByte ImagePrint (new version 9 is awesome) that just has all the profiles you need available on demand so you are back to only needing a colorimeter to calibrate your display.

Colorimeters

Okay if you read the stuff before this then I’m sure your head is spinning. I’m happy to say that I won’t get too geeky from here on in as I’ll simply focus on which “gizmo” you need to make your display to the best job it can at showing colors accurately.

WARNING: If your display sucks, a colorimeter may not help!!!!

Please keep in mind though that colorimeters aren’t miracle workers. If you are using a crappy display you got free with your computer, then it may not be able to display color accurately no matter what you do. I know that on paper many displays seem like they are “just as good” but as the saying goes “there’s lies, damn lies and statistics”.  Statistics do not tell the whole story my engineer friends, so if you are serious about color management then you’ll need to invest a good wide gamut display (and no you can’t get one off eBay for $100). Here are a few models that I’ve used and have witnessed them display color as accurately as possible with todays technology:

1. Eizo ColorEdge CG243W – The best photography display I’ve ever used, but also the most expensive. If you have a Ferrari or Rolls Royce sitting in the garage, then this is what you want to buy. Joking aside, it doesn’t get better than this.
   
2. Eizo FlexScan SX2762W – You insist on Eizo quality but can’t stomach the price? Then this display is a nice alternative.
   
3. NEC PA Series – If you a working middle class grunt who wants near Eizo quality for a fraction of the price, then this will rock your world. I use the PA241W and love it, and only a trained eye will see the difference between this an a Eizo.

I’m told HP has DreamColor displays that are fantastic too, but I’ve had such bad luck with HP products over the last decade that I’d recommend sticking with highly trusted brands like Eizo and NEC.

If you must choose a different brand then you’ll want an IPS display that can display at least 95% of the Adobe RGB color gamut, has a DisplayPort (even on the PC), has a programmable LUT for hardware calibration, and supports a minimum resolution of 1920x1200 (not 1080). 10-bit color is an added plus. If the display you are researching lacks any of these features then I’d advise you to keep shopping.

X-Rite i1Display PRO – (Ron’s Favorite)

i1Display Pro ($269.00 MSRP – Adorama, B&H)
Professional Display Calibration for the Most Demanding Color Perfectionists

In the summer of 2011 X-Rite released two new calibration devices to replace their popular X-Rite i1 Display 2 and Pantone Huey PRO colorimeters – neither of the older units supported wide gamut display. The i1Display Pro and ColorMunki Display have the following in common:

• Wide gamut color calibration
• X-Rite ADC [Advanced Display Control] to control supported hardware to ensure the highest quality results.
• Support profiling projectors (i.e., Canon SX-80 Pro Photography Projector) and includes a tripod mount to assist with calibration in large venues
• Multiple Displays Supported (but more advanced via software for the i1Display Pro)
• Flare Correct™ compensates for flare light falling on the surface of the display (but honestly I hate this feature <g>)
• The ability to measure the ambient light to include that data in your profile when your display is not in an ideal viewing environment with a hood
• and more….

Unique to this model is the bundled software is based on the all new i1Profiler software (which I’ll be reviewing soon). It can run in both a simple mode as well as advanced mode which means this solution can grow with you as your color management skills improve.

This model has advanced multiple displays support that also is useful in workgroups where you need all of the displays in your facility to be viewing colors the same way. Now based on my experience is that you need all of the same series displays built and purchased at the same time for the best result, but that’s not usually possible so this does the best job that I know of at getting you in the right ballpark.

This device will work with the latest version of NEC’s SpectraView II and Eizo ColorNavigator calibration software.

Here’s how to set the preferences for this device in NEC’s SpectraView II:

It should be noted that if you use a NEC display that supports hardware calibration then you must use SpectraView II and therefore can not (and should never) use X-Rite’s included software. Windows 7 will automatically detect and install the “i1Display 3” driver and it will work the next time you start SpectraView II and change your calibration sensor preferences as shown above.

If you have a photography business, then this is the device you need.

X-Rite ColorMunki Display – the photography hobbyist ideal solution

ColorMunki Display ($189.99 MSRP Adorama, B&H)
Advanced Display Calibration Made Easy for Color Perfectionists

Simply put, if photography is your hobby and not your profession then this is a great solution for you at a reasonable price. The software is a little more user friendly with no advanced mode, but the colorimeter device itself is identical so the end result of calibrating your display versus a i1Display Pro will be identical on a single display. The i1Display Pro has advantages for multiple displays, but this device supports multiple displays as well so don’t get too hung up on that point.

I like this device because its easy to use and it typically just works (unless you are like me and you are using 6 different devices without rebooting <g>).

Here’s a video walkthrough of the ColorMunki Display calibration process on a MacBook Pro in Easy Mode:

Click here to play in HD. Viewing in full screen is recommended.

Here’s another video walkthrough showing the Advanced Mode:

Click here to play in HD. Viewing in full screen is recommended.

NEC SpectraSensor Pro (NEC Display Owners Only)

NEC SpectraSensor Pro

If you currently own or will in the future own a NEC display that supports hardware calibration and you don’t have a calibration device already, then this is device you’ll want to buy. In fact, if you haven’t purchased your display yet then I’d advise that you purchase the bundle that includes it with your display (only one per computer needed).

When using SpectraView II it can be a little confusing choosing the sensor type if the Auto-Detect button doesn’t work properly (usually it does) or if you have more than one sensor installed. The reason why is because you must choose “XRite iOne Display Pro (i1D3)” as the sensor type as shown here:

The software actually reads the model information from the device so you can tell that this is really the NEC SpectraSensor Pro device, but it can be confusing so it’s worth mentioning that here.

Eizo EX1 by Datacolor (Eizo FlexScan Owners Only)

For the last month or so I’ve been using a Eizo FlexScan SX2762W for the purpose of doing my review. To my dismay the only way it could be calibrated was using Eizo’s EasyPIX solution which bummed me out as Eizo’s Color Navigator software is much better. However it worked well enough, so if you own (or are buying) an Eizo FlexScan SX2762W (or equivalent) then go for the bundle and get this.

This is just a Datacolor Spyder 3 rebranded so I was actually able to use it with my NEC SpectraView II software to calibrate my NEC PA241W (note you must physically plug it into the display you are calibrating when doing hardware calibration). Here’s how to configure it in the preferences:

NEC SpectraView II Calibration Comparison on a NEC PA241W

To compare the devices in this article I used the NEC SpectraView II software because it does a good job working with a large variety of sensors, it has good reporting info, and the hardware calibration means that no operating system issues will skew the results. With that said, here’s my calibration settings:

The Eizo EX1 (Datacolor Spyder 3) was the sixth device I have used to calibrate this display on this machine so SpectraView is pretty good about letting you most of the popular colorimeter sensors on the market. For as long as I’ve been in the computer industry, I’m honestly shocked I was able to get all but one of working on one machine in harmony without my system crashing – well done X-Rite!

In the sections that follow I’ll discuss how a variety of products performed when calibrating this display. To be fair I had the display turned on for over 6 hours before doing the calibration so the display was fully up to temperature. My methodology for testing on a 64-bit Windows 7 system with was as follows:

1. Making sure that NEC SpectraView II wasn’t running, I’d plug one and only one sensor directly into the same USB port on the NEC PA241W.
   
2. I’d launch the software, go to Edit | Preferences and click Auto Detect to make sure that the sensor type selected was correct. I visually confirmed the model name as well.
   
3. I’d run the calibration and also confirmed that the sensor shown during the placement step was the same as what I was using.
   
4. At the conclusion of the calibration I pasted the results in this article. I ran each test two or three times more to see if it was statistically any different.

Eizo EX1 (Datacolor Spyder 3)

This was by far the worst result and multiple runs didn’t produce significantly better results. When analyzing a calibration the first thing you want to do is look at the Delta E value. Many say that 2.0 or less is acceptable, but closer to 0.50 or less is realistically possible these days. Chromix has the following statement in their definition of Delta E:

A Delta E of 1 or less between two colors that are not touching one another is barely perceptible by the average human observer; a Delta E between 3 and 6 is typically considered an acceptable match in commercial reproduction on printing presses. (Note: Human vision is more sensitive to color differences if two colors actually touch each other.)

The 1.20 Delta E below my expectations because I’m accustomed to looking at a calibrated display that typically has a Delta E of 0.50 or less. The targeted 6506K white point is being calibrated to 6633K which in practical terms meant my display had an unusual blue cast to it and was not calibrated accurately enough for print soft proofing.

The contrast ratio (the larger the first number, the better) was lower than expected as well at 258:1. As a result I have to give this device, on this display using this software (which granted it’s not purposely built for) a UNSATISFACTORY grade. This device plugs in and runs, but I wouldn’t recommend it for accurate color calibration on this display using this software.

Of course I’ll be fair in reminding you that this device is designed for use in calibrating an Eizo FlexScan SX2762W with the EasyPIX software, so I am using it in an unsupported fashion. When using it on the Eizo with the EasyPIX software I got a Display Luminance of 99.7 and a temperature of 6507K. Easy PIX doesn’t report contrast ratio, but overall the results were acceptable on the Eizo. There was still a touch more of a blue cast on the Eizo than the NEC, but I’d say this device does well for what it is designed for, so perhaps there’s some tweak in it for Eizo that doesn’t translate well to NEC and/or SpectraView.

If you are considering a Datacolor device I’d suggest borrowing a friends Datacolor Spyder 3. You can’t return calibration devices so do your own tests to make sure you are happy before purchasing if possible. In fact, the the new Spyder3 Elite might perform better, so try it if you can.

X-Rite ColorMunki PHOTO Spectrophotometer

I was unable to test the ColorMunki Display colorimeter due to the OS not recognizing it for some reason. I plugged it in and tested on my MacBook Pro and Lenovo W510 with no problem so it was an issue specific to my Windows 7 system and this device (perhaps because I had installed the i1Display Pro).

At any rate, I was curious to test its big brother the ColorMunki PHOTO to see how this spectrophotometer would do compared to its big brother, the i1Pro. I ran the test three times and got statistically the same result each time so I was a little disappointed to see that the Delta E was 0.94. Of course this is below 1.0 so in theory this is acceptable.

Ironically with this one the contrast ratio was 615:1 so I’m not sure what to make of that result. The white point was only 14K off its target and the luminance was just 0.4 over 100.0 so to my eyes the result seemed ACCEPTABLE.

NEC SpectraSensor Pro

This device is made by X-Rite for NEC so it should do the best job, right? I must admit that I was shocked when I ran the results and saw that the Delta E was 0.72. At 6543k and a contrast ratio of 513:1, the calibration felt “about right”, but the data proved it was off more than the maximum 0.50 Delta E that I prefer to see for everyday use. Ironically if I used the i1 Pro sensor type in the preferences dialog I was able to get the Delta E to drop to 0.68.

The Delta E was well below 1.0 so I’m going to give this device a GOOD rating.

My only explanation here is that there’s probably some manufacturing tolerance that comes in to play so this is probably considered within specification so it shipped. Your copy might be better than my copy so I wouldn’t consider this to be a wide enough margin for you to refrain from getting this. In fact, I’d let price be your guide because as I said – under 1.0 is going to be impossible for most to notice.

X-Rite i1 Pro

Note, the UVCut version was used in this test, but a non-UV version exists.

This is the most expensive sensor I have on hand, but it is a spectrophotometer so it can do paper profiles too. It did a VERY GOOD job with a 0.32 Delta E and a 469:1 contrast ratio. Of course it cost about 4 to 5 times as much as the other devices so it should do well right?

X-Rite i1Display Pro

Before running these tests my gut feel was that this was the best device, and my testing verified that was correct. In fact I ran this test 3 times just to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake. With a Delta E of 0.23 it performed the best and gave me the result that to my eyes seemed most accurate when soft proofing. Again, there’s probably some variation from unit to unit, but it’s no doubt this one is a dandy.

Conclusion

X-Rite is an industry leader in color management solutions, and a brand I trust. This article simply confirms my belief in their products is valid.

My bottom line advice is that if you aren’t going to be doing your own printing then you don’t need a spectrophotometer. If you are using a monitor that supports hardware calibration then get whatever bundled calibration device is offered with it and the display makers software. If you are going to be doing software calibration then go for the i1Display Pro (Adorama, B&H) if you can afford it, but if not then go for the ColorMunki Display (Adorama, B&H).

Amateur printers should get a ColorMunki PHOTO (Adorama, B&H) as the best cost effective solution. See my color management article to learn why. If you are print master then I’ll have more for you soon in my i1Publish article, so stay tuned to this blog to learn more.

Disclosure

Eizo, NEC, and X-Rite all provided me with calibration devices used in this article. The Eizo EX1 was not intended for this testing, so it was only included because I had it on hand. If you make a purchase using the links in this article I may get a commission, so thanks for supporting my blog by using my links when you are ready to make your purchase.

REVIEW: NEC SpectraSensor Pro (powered by X-Rite)

NEC SpectraSensor Pro

The NEC SpectraSensor Pro is a specialized version of the i1Display Pro that was built in conjunction with NEC to calibrate their wide gamut displays (like the PA Series 24, 27 and 30” models). You can actually use this, a ColorMunki Photo, ColorMunki Display, i1Display Pro or other wide gamut calibration devices to calibrate your NEC monitors, but this is the new NEC version that was tested to work specifically with NEC monitors.

It is important to note that some monitors like the NEC PA Series have what is called a LUT (look up table) where the calibration information is stored. As a result you MUST use the NEC SpectraView II software to calibrate this display, as that is the only calibration software that can program the LUT in this display. Click here to learn more.

This is a replacement for the older calibration devices by NEC which also supported wide gamut color and could program the LUT, but was less accurate than this newer device. If you old the device or other supported devices, then you only need to make sure that you have the latest version of SpectraView II (recently updated to support Lion).

Use with SpectraView II

When using this sensor with the latest SpectraView II,
Choose XRite iOne Display Pro (I1D3) as your sensor type

If you are using SpectraView II then you should go to the NEC web site an install the latest version. Once you do, you’ll need to choose the new sensor type called “XRite iOne Display Pro (i1D3)”.

Recommendation for new NEC display buyers

If you are buying a new NEC display and don’t have a calibration device, then I recommend you get this or a ColorMunki Photo (a spectrophotometer for print soft proofing). I DO NOT recommend that you get the discontinued bundle that features the older NEC calibration device.

UPDATE: NEC tells me that going forward, all SpectraView bundles will contain the new sensor (even if web sites show the old sensor on their photos). If you should end up with an old sensor at this point, I wouldn’t worry too much. The old ones will work fine and feel more substantial than the new ones, so all you really lose is compactness from what I can tell.

More NEC Related Content

• Display Calibration Device Comparison
• Guest Blog: Understanding 10-bit Color by NEC’s Art Marshall
• REVIEW: NEC PA301W 30” Display
• REVIEW: NEC PA-241W & PA-271W LCD Monitors

Disclosure

I was given an evaluation copy of this device to test with my NEC PA241W. My display was purchased from B&H at full market prices (i.e., no discount) BEFORE I had established any marketing contact with NEC.

REVIEW: Canon iP2702–Affordable No Frills Printing (with custom paper profile tutorial)

Image Courtesy of B&H

Canon describes this printer as:

[An] entry-level single function printer, the PIXMA iP2702 offers a wide array of advanced features. Utilizing Auto Photo Fix II and Easy-WebPrint EX (Windows only), this new single function printer produces both photos and documents of tremendous quality. Additionally, a 4"x 6" borderless photo can be produced in approximately 55 seconds⁷, helping to ease the process of creating a keepsake photo album from a special event. In addition, the new matte black and polished finish further adds to the overall aesthetics of this printer making it a welcome addition to any home setting.

I think that’s a good sell, but the truth is that this is plain vanilla printer with no frills and a small footprint. It won’t satisfy the needs of the picky photographer, but it might be great for kids and grandparents. It’s not quiet and its not fast, but it gets the job done. Read my image quality section below to determine if this product meets your quality bar.

Image Quality

Canon iP2702 prints without (top left) and with custom paper profiles (bottom)

To test the image quality of this printer I first started by printing using the Easy-PhotoPrint EX software that is included with the printer (updated versions are available on Canon’s website). Accepting all of the defaults I got the image shown in the upper left hand corner which looks okay in all but the skin. The skin feels very yellow and oversaturated so I didn’t like this result very much. I tried a variety of different options on the printer and got similar results, so this is really the out of box experience for this printer. Images are a bit oversaturated with a strong push to the warm side which is really bad for indoor photos under tungsten light.

To understand the true ability of this printer and ink set I decided to create my own paper profiles using both ColorMunki Photo (because of its affordable price) as well as an i1Pro using i1Publish (available as the i1Publish Pro UV Cut Color Management System). The i1Publish System created the best possible result out of this ink set shown in the bottom right corner, but the limitations of the ink set in this form factor are obvious – you get what you pay for.

i1Publish Pro UV Cut Color Management System
creates the best paper profile for this printer

Above is an image on the right that is created by i1Publish that is designed to match against the ColorChecker Passport (review) on the left (from the same scan on a Epson V750. While its not a perfect match, the profile created by the i1Publish is pretty good. The lines indicate colors that can’t be fully represented by the color gamut of the ink set of the printer.

The ColorMunki Photo profile was definitely a big improvement and close enough to the i1Publish profile that many would find it to be “good enough” for a printer at this price point, but naturally the i1Publish gives the best and most accurate results.

One thing you’ll notice in all of the images above is that they feel a little washed out and muddy – that’s my biggest complaint of this printer. The ink set just lacks the rich blacks that you’d get from a higher end printer. Below you can see what a printer like the iPF6300 can do with using its built-in paper profile:

Scan of a Canon iPF6300 Print

I only include this image to show what is possible, but its important to keep in mind that the ip2702 cost less than one of the ink cartridges on the iPF6300!

My conclusion on image quality is simple – I find the printing from what’s included with the printer to be less than desirable. Using your own profile (or mine) you can probably get much better results when printing from Lightroom or Photoshop CS4 or earlier (I do not recommend CS5 for printing).

Using a Custom Profile with the iP2702 Driver

To use your own profile with this printer, you must do the following:

Step 1 – Create a new Setting for use in the future

Step 2 – Change Color/Intensity to Manual and Click Set…

Step 3 – Click the Matching Tab and Choose None

Step 4a – In Lightroom choose OTHER for the profile
and select your custom profile or one of the ones provided by Canon
(at the top of the list above)

Step 5a - Lightroom’s Print module
should look something like this

Step 4b – Photoshop should look something like this

For Lightroom and Photoshop, don’t forget that the first three steps are critical from the page setup buttons. You want to use the color management of Adobe’s products, not the driver so steps 1 through 3 are turning off color management so that the software can use your profile.

Conclusion

This is a very simple and basic printer. It has only two ink cartridges – one black and one color and the cost of those is about the same price as the printer. It does three sheet sizes, no rolls, no networking and doesn’t include the required USB cable to connect it to the printer (my biggest gripe). However, this makes a decent printer for kids or grandparents who don’t want complexity –they just want something that works and is easy to maintain. You lose some print quality when using this over more expensive alternatives, but if the target user is handy with Lightroom or Photoshop then they’ll get the most out of it by using a custom paper profile.

While this printer is advertised as providing color lab quality results, I honestly think that the prints you’ll get from Shutterfly, Costco, Smugmug, MPix, etc… are going to be much better than the results from this printer. It’s also a tad slow and noisy (even in quiet mode), but it gets the job done in a reasonably small footprint.

This isn’t a pro photographers printer, but it’s not intended to be. This is a entry consumer product that does a marginal job out of the box, but it can be improved with a good paper profile. At a price point that is under $50, it’s pretty hard to fault it. If you have a little more cash and desk space then I’d suggest stepping up to the iP4920 or perhaps the iP3600.

Ordering Information

You can buy one of these printers from Amazon or B&H, but make sure you also get a printer cable if you don’t have one already. You may also want to get some additional Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II from Amazon or B&H in 4x6, 5x7 or 8.5x11 sheets.

Disclosure

Canon USA provided me with a printer and paper to review for this article. I may also get a commission if you purchase using links in this article, so please support this blog by using my links – thanks!

New X-Rite Wide Gamut Display Calibration Devices

i1Display Pro ($269.00 MSRP) 
Professional Display Calibration for the Most Demanding Color Perfectionists

X-Rite has announced some cool new calibration devices this week that are great for wide gamut displays and projectors. These are not meant to replace the current ColorMunki Photo which is a spectrophotometer that can be used to create printer profiles, but rather these replace the old Pantone Huey and i1Display2 devices.

ColorMunki Display ($189.99 MSRP)
Advanced Display Calibration Made Easy for Color Perfectionists

Each solution comes complete with our most technologically advanced colorimeter bundled with new display and projector profiling software to ensure unrivaled color accuracy and consistency now and in the future.

Cutting Edge Instrument Technology

X-Rite's next generation colorimeter delivers unrivaled color accuracy, repeatability, and device longevity.

• new optical system
• new filter technology
• new spectral calibration architecture
• new intelligent form factor
• supports all modern LCD display technologies including  CCFL, White LED, RGB LED, and Wide Gamut display technologies as well as projectors.

Innovative Software Features

ColorMunki Display and i1Display pro each incorporate new software technologies to make the match between your display and printer more perfect:

• Ambient Light Measurement - automatically determine the optimum display
• Ambient Light Smart Control - automatically monitor changes in ambient light conditions
• Flare Correct™ -compensate for flare light (or glare) falling on surface of display
• Intelligent Iterative Profiling - an adaptive technology that produces optimized results for maximum color accuracy
• Automatic Display Control (ADC) technology automates the adjustment of your display's hardware (brightness/backlight, contrast, and color temperature) eliminating manual adjustments

i1Display Pro using i1Profiler Software

Both of these products come with the i1Profiler software which is really cool. Check out the video demo above.

Trade In – Trade Up! Program

Between June 20 and September 30, 2011, photographers and creative professionals can receive up to $40 cash back when they trade in their old monitor calibration system towards a new X-Rite solution. It’s as easy as 1 2 3 – Buy, Send and Receive your Money!

Buy	Send In	Receive
ColorMunki Display (CMUNDIS)	any colorimeter	$25.00 rebate
i1Display Pro (EODIS3)	any colorimeter	$40.00 rebate

Simply purchase one of the qualifying products shown above and submit the following to the address indicated on the rebate form:

• the completed rebate form
• a copy of the dated sales receipt for the ColorMunki display or i1Display Pro
• UPC code cut from the ColorMunki display or i1Display Pro packaging
• the colorimeter to be traded in (can be any X-Rite, PANTONE, competitor or private label colorimeter)

This offer is valid for purchases made and shipped within the US or Canada only. All rebate requests must be received on or before October 15, 2011 to qualify. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers.

Order Yours Today

Click here to pre-order a ColorMunki Display from B&H, or click here to order the i1Display Pro.

Click here to learn more about the ColorMunki Display visit the x-ritephoto blog, and click here to learn more about the i1Display Pro. For everything else, visit www.xritephoto.com.

If you want to do printing profiles too, then you’ll still need the existing ColorMunki Photo (currently on sale at B&H). For professionals with spectrophotometers (i.e., ColorMunki Photo), X-Rite now offers i1Publish.

Please visit back here for purchase links when I announce when they are in stock at B&H. At that time you’ll not only get the best price (probably lower than MSRP) you’ll also be able to take advantage of a trade-in or trade-up program.

Printing 101: Part VI – Getting Great Prints (2 of 2)

Removed - a new edition is coming later this year. See http://www.ronmartblog.com/2011/03/trey-ratcliffs-flatbookscom-ron.html for more details

Printing 101: Part V – Getting Great Prints (1 of 2)

Removed - a new edition is coming later this year. See http://www.ronmartblog.com/2011/03/trey-ratcliffs-flatbookscom-ron.html for more details

Holiday Gear Guide 2010 - Part II of II (B&H)

B&H Gear Guide

The following are products found on B&H’s web site in special collections created exclusively for ronmartblog.com readers. You’ll notice some items are offered at their lowest price of the year thanks to instant rebates and price drops only offered during the holiday season. Stock up and enjoy from the following categories:

Cameras, Lenses & Flashes ($5200 – $370)*

70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Lowest Price of 2010!!!

If I won the lottery I’d own everything on this list! Items that I do own from it which have been reviewed on this blog are:

• Canon 1D Mark IV – In my opinion this is the best camera Canon has ever made and its really the only camera gear purchase I’ve made where I’ve never had buyers remorse – not even more a minute!
• Canon 5D Mark II – This camera has redefined videography and Hollywood, but I don’t have time for video. I love it for the great camera it is and find myself using it every time I can use a tripod and for select photo shoots. See my Photographer’s Notebook and notice how many times it shows up as the camera of choice. I use the 1D Mark IV more, but I seem to capture the shots I care about the most with this one.
• Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM – From the moment I first used it at the Olympics (as discussed in the link) I was blown away, and even now I am amazed that a lens this good is this inexpensive. I know that sounds nuts given how much it cost – especially compared to its predecessor, but it’s hard to find a piece of glass from Canon that can outperform it on sharpness, image stabilization (IS) and AF performance – at any price level (including primes).
• Canon G12 and S95 – Honestly both are great cameras. I chose the G12 because it meets my needs well but if my wife had the final say so she’d take the S95 for its wonderful form factor. You can’t go wrong with either.

Printers & Paper ($2145 – $15)*

My printing series has been a huge hit so my guide wouldn’t be complete without some recommendations. There’s tons of great products out there and I wish I could feature more, but this is great start for printer and paper choices. Here’s a list of what I own and/or reviewed up to this point on the blog (and many more articles are still to come):

• Canon iPF6300 – It’s probably due to the wide format, but as it stands right now this is my favorite printer – period. I love the image quality and the user-friendliness of it is second to none. Its companion the 6350 is identical in performance but offers a hard drive for caching, so you can’t go wrong with either. The iPF8300 isn’t listed simple because I haven’t used one enough to recommend it, but it’s hard to store such a beast so for most this is as big as you’ll ever want to get.
• Epson Stylus® Pro 3880 – This thing rocks and I’ve included the 4900 in my list as the only things lacks on this printer (by design) are all available on the 4900. Sure, I’d probably love a Stylus® Pro 7900 just as much, but I’m living with the Canon iPF6300 so it is hard for me to imagine something better than it at this point. This is a great desktop printer and if you can afford it then do like all of the print masters I’ve interviewed and keep a 17” on your desk for those times when the big beasts are just too much for the job.
• Epson Exhibition Fiber – This paper just rocks plain and simple, so if you own an Epson you owe it to yourself to put your best work on this paper (but feel free to do your test prints on Luster!). It’s also a fantastic paper for Epson’s Advanced Black & White Mode. It works with Canon papers too if you are willing to waste a bunch building a media configuration file for it. That’s expensive, but worth it since Canon’s Polished Rag has been in limited supply lately. My other favorite Epson Signature Worthy papers are featured as well – I love them all!
• Canon Papers – All of the Canon papers listed are my favorites but I just haven’t had time to do formal reviews yet. They are coming so if you want a sneak peek into the future reviews, this is it!

Computer Products ($4239 – $50)*

Lenovo W701ds

People are always asking me for computer advice and they are surprised when I tell them that much of my work is done on my Lenovo or Apple laptops. I only use laptops with desktop caliber performance so you can rest assured that my recommendations are suitable for those 500MB Photoshop files I seem to find myself creating every time I image files these days. They are expensive, but they are machines that offer no compromises over the desktop so you can have a great experience no matter where you are in the world. Here’s my computer recommendations as well as my monitor, digital tablet, and a couple DVD & book recommendations:

• Lenovo W701ds – This is the best photographers machine on the market – period. I love it and have managed to keep my loaner for another few months as I can’t bear the thought of parting with it. Sure my Mac (featured in the list as well) is smaller and sexier, but it’s a toy by comparison to this phenomenal machine.
• NEC PA Series Displays – I first started mentioning this display in my Douglas Dubler interview and have been raving about them ever since I got mine. I’ll be doing a review in the future of both the 24 & 27” models as well as their accessories (included on the list).
• Wacom Intuos 4 – I love my Intuos 3, but I lust for the 4 (this is on my wishlist too). I’ve used it and my guest blog article about it has been a popular one all year long.
• The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers – I have reviewed and loved The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers as well as the CS3 version and it’s a staple on my What Photoshop Books Should I Read? article. I have the CS5 version and am reading it but haven’t had time to finish & review it yet, so I wanted to let people know this is a must own book.

Color Management Products ($1850 – $99)*

GTI PDV-2020EX

With the exception of the i1IO table for which I long for, these are products that are on my desk as I write this and that I use to improve my work. Here’s the ones featured in reviews on this blog:

• i1XTreme – For those who are passionate about color management.
• GTI PDV-2020EX – I love this device and have yet to meet someone who hasn’t been blown away by how great it is to view your work in this box (and that includes well over 200 people who have seen my box in real life)
• X-Rite ColorMunki – This is the best value in town and works great. I know it is a little more expensive than non-spectro versions, but this is something that anyone who cares about their print quality should own at a minimum (with the i1XTreme being the step up). I’ll also be covering the ColorChecker Passport soon too!

Memory Cards & Readers ($90 – $33)*

Lexar Professional ExpressCard
CompactFlash Reader

When I did my “Is a faster Compact Flash card worth the extra money?” article at the Olympics I burned my bridges with SanDisk and don’t expect to hear from them ever again. Why? Because they didn’t like me telling you the truth – despite the hoopla on Rob Galbraith’s web site, the reality is that many people only care about the performance of their memory cards in their camera as that is when performance can mean the difference between getting the shot or not. Using the fastest camera’s in the business – the D3s and 1D Mark IV (both in my guide) I proved that you really don’t get any benefit from the fastest cards. It’s also common for people to not have a reader on their computer that can keep up with the latest cards, so there’s a much better value to be found in the middle of the road cards which I’ve featured on my list – they will perform faster than your camera can buffer its data and they aren’t insanely expensive. I also tossed in my favorite ExpressCard reader which is the fastest CF reader I’ve ever used and can transfer data at speeds near its claimed 133MB/sec when writing to a fast SSD drive.

Accessories ($200 – $18)*

Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact
Video Camera Shotgun Microphone

This is just a collection of things that don’t fit in any of the other categories, yet I own and can’t live without. I demonstrate the Digital Target in my ExpoDisc review (which I also recommend) and I have a very old review of the Hoodman Loupe that still basically applies.  The shotgun microphone shown is at the top of my wish list as my audio sucks in my videos and this is the perfect solution!

* = Prices as of 11/23/2010 and may include mail-in rebates. Prices subject to change without notice and are provided simply as an approximate range.

Don't forget it is Instant Rebate Season!

and B&H has it’s own special offers too:

Conclusion

I appreciate B&H for helping me out here to bring you all of this info in these customized web pages and check back often as I may be tweaking them as we go for some last minute additions! I do not recommend products I do not love, so if you see it in this series then you can rest assured that I’d feel confident giving the product as a gift to a close family member or recommending that they spend their hard earned money on these products.

Happy Holidays to everyone of all faiths!

Be sure to visit Part I of Ron Martinsen’s Holiday Gift Guide 2010 on ronmartblog.com for huge savings from great companies like Nik Software, onOne Software, Photomatix, Topaz Software, and more! 

Disclosure

I may get a commission if you make purchase using the links provide in this article. Thanks for supporting this blog by using the links!

Photoshop CS5 users - download the Adobe Color Printer Utility

To get accurate prints my Color Management and i1XTreme articles discuss how you have to disable color management in Photoshop when creating and user paper profiles. This is critical to the success of this process!

In addition, my article for Epson Exhibition Fiber has directions that are valid for Photoshop CS4 and earlier, but CS5 needs the following tool to get accurate results when using paper profiles:

Adobe Color Printer Utility

The reason why this is required is because Photoshop CS5 removed the no color management option and has added some changes which may cause undesirable results.

There is no action required for Lightroom or Photoshop CS4 or less users. ColorByte ImagePrint users are not impacted either.

Counterpoint: Extreme Profiling or ImagePrint?

Photo Courtesy of B&H Photo
ColorChecker Targets Sold Separately

If you read my review of the i1XTreme Color Management Solution then you know that while I loved the results from the product, I really wasn’t a happy camper three hours into scanning 32 rows of patches and only being on row 21. In fact, during that time I started thinking – why the hell am I doing this?

ImagePrint Profiles are easily accessed over the web via Profile Manager
and if they don’t have the profile you need they’ll make it for you!

Well the reason for creating your own profile is so you can have a more accurate profile than you are using today so that you can create a print that makes the most of what your printer is capable of doing. With this in mind, if ColorByte ImagePrint bypasses the driver and controls the printer directly using the profiles it created with a $10k spectrophotometer and thousands of patches, then that theoretically should be the best results you can get right? In my opinion, and many others, the answer is yes!

While ImagePrint user interface leaves a lot to be desired, you can’t argue with the print results I got on the LexJet Sunset Photo Metallic paper. I’ve been unable to generate my own profile that can surpass what ImagePrint can do, so that begs the question – why spend several thousand dollars getting a great calibration system and software and still have to spend days building the perfect profiles, when I can spend a fraction of that and get better results?

I’m as cheap as the next guy so $800+ and up for ImagePrint seemed outrageously expensive to me at first. Now that I can see how much a proper color management system and software costs, I’d say leave profile generation to those who really need it and get ImagePrint instead.

Conclusion

If you still need to calibrate your scanner or camera LCD, then i1Basic seems like a more cost effective option along with ImagePrint and you’ll still end up over a thousand ahead of the game!

Don’t get me wrong that the i1XTreme is the way to go if you are going to go nuts doing paper profiles, but I think it’s probably time to leave those tools to the experts who make or sell those profiles to us rather than being the person who tries to generate them in the first place.

If all of this is too much for you, then you aren’t alone. I’d advise that you just check out my color management article and go with the ColorMunki until you are in a position to consider more advanced options. The ColorMunki is a great product with great simplicity, so I keep mine around so I can always do a quick and headache free calibration.

Special Offer – Save up to $300 with our 10% OFF discount!!!

I have worked with ColorByte to offer you the first ever discount that has been made available for a blog. ColorByte is offering a 10% off discount to readers of this article when you contact JVH Technical, LLC by phone or email. You can not get this discount through the web or ColorByte directly, so you must contact JVH and you MUST mention this blog in order to get the discount. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact JVH, ColorByte or me directly about this discount program.

Disclosure

I may get a commission if you take advantage of the special offer or purchase products from select partner links in this article. Thanks for your support of this blog by returning here when making your purchases!