Do monitor calibration tools also set screen brightness for printing?
Asked 1/22/2011
3 views
2 answers
0
My prints from an online lab came back much darker than they looked on my monitor. The lab sent a calibration print, and when I manually lowered my monitor brightness until the print matched the lab’s sample on screen, my reprints came out fine.
Will a monitor calibration device like a Spyder automatically handle that kind of brightness adjustment, or does it mainly correct color? My original prints had acceptable color, but they were darker than expected.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
8
I have a Spyder 3 Pro, and it does not directly adjust the monitor brightness. Near the beginning of the calibration process, you'll set your monitor brightness to a certain value, and from there forward the device will calibrate with respect to white point, black point, and color values but it doesn't generally affect the brightness of the monitor itself.
That will calibrate your monitor to a known set of colors; as Rowland noted in his previous answer, getting things to sync with the color profile of the printer is often done with an ICC profile from the vendor for the particular piece of hardware they use for printing.
Originally by user89. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user89
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually, a monitor calibrator helps you target a brightness level, but it does not directly change the brightness on most monitors for you. In a typical calibration workflow, you manually adjust the display brightness first, then the device profiles the monitor for white point, black point, and color accuracy.
So yes, calibration can help with the “prints are too dark” problem, but not only by changing color. A screen that is too bright is a very common reason prints look darker than expected.
Also, monitor calibration alone does not guarantee print matching. For printing, you should also use the lab’s ICC profile if they provide one, and soft-proof your images to preview how that printer/paper combination will reproduce tone and color.
One more note: some monitors maintain color accuracy poorly at certain brightness settings, while better displays handle this more reliably.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI15y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why do my Lightroom prints come out too dark, and how can I match screen to print?
Why does a calibrated monitor look oversaturated, while my prints come back dull?
Can a MacBook Pro Retina display be calibrated accurately for photo editing?
Why do my JPEGs print darker than they look on screen, and how can I match screen and print?
How does a monitor calibration device like the Spyder 3 work?