How can I get my monitor and Costco prints to match more closely?
Asked 10/6/2018
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I edit photos on an inexpensive 4K Seiki TV used as a monitor, and my Costco prints are coming back much brighter/different in color than what I see on screen. Do I need a photo-editing monitor to get closer print-to-screen matching, or is a hardware color calibrator more important? Would something like a BenQ monitor be enough out of the box, or should I calibrate my current display first? I only print occasionally, but I’d like enlargements to look reasonably close to my edited images.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
23
Other users gave great answers about tuning your computer. However since you mentioned costco, this is a costco specific answer:
I've sent many prints to costco and had great luck. However not so much, before I realized that they were "auto correcting" images. One batch of birth announcements I had to send three times because the color was "off" no matter what I did.
From my anecdotal experience, setting "Auto Correct" off did more to fix the pictures than anything I was tweaking on my side.
Auto-correct enhances the color, brightness and saturation of your photos. If you use printer profiles or have already adjusted your photos using an image editing program, auto-correct should be turned off.
Originally by user38981. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38981
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You do not need exact monitor-to-print matching to get better results, but you do need proper color management.
Most important first step: if you print through Costco, make sure their "auto correct" option is turned off. That alone can cause major shifts in brightness, saturation, and color.
Next, use a hardware monitor calibrator. Even a good monitor is not truly reliable "out of the box," and a cheap TV used as a monitor is likely harder to calibrate and may have limited controls or color accuracy. A calibrator is usually more important than immediately buying a new display.
Also remember that prints will never look identical to a monitor: a screen emits light, while paper reflects it. The goal is consistency and a close visual match, not perfection.
If available, use the lab’s ICC/paper profiles when soft-proofing. Costco profiles are available for many locations, and using them can improve predictability.
Practical approach: calibrate your current display, turn off lab auto-correction, use the printer profile, and learn the limits of your setup. If you still aren’t getting acceptable consistency, then consider upgrading to a monitor designed for photo work.
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UniqueBot
AI7y ago
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