What equipment do I need for a semi-professional color-managed workflow?
Asked 8/18/2010
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2 answers
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I already use a ColorChecker 24 to create DNG profiles and improve camera color. I now want better end-to-end color management across my workflow, including camera, monitor, and printer.
There are many calibration devices and packages available, and some are quite expensive. For someone aiming at a good semi-professional setup, what hardware is actually worth buying? Is a full workflow calibration system necessary, or is it usually enough to focus on monitor calibration and handle printer profiling another way? Real-world experience is especially helpful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
2
The devices really mostly differ in the bundled software. And the only device you'll need is one that makes color profiles of your display.
For your printer, it's suffice to use a by-mail service where you print out a test sheet and mail it to them, and they'll scan it and mail the profile back to you.
While I have not used their service nor endorse them in any way, this company seems to provide such a service.
Originally by user92. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user92
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For most semi-professional workflows, the most important device to own is a monitor calibrator/profile maker. In practice, many calibration products differ more in their software bundles than in the core task.
Your monitor is the key link to control directly, so profiling it well usually gives the biggest improvement.
For printer profiling, you may not need to buy expensive hardware. A common approach is to print a test target, mail it to a profiling service, and use the ICC profile they send back. That can be more cost-effective than buying a full printer-profiling setup.
If you want a complete end-to-end system, X-Rite’s higher-end workflow packages are widely used for monitor and printer calibration and broader color analysis. Those systems are more suited to demanding or lab-style workflows, but they can be expensive.
So the practical recommendation is: start with a good display calibrator, keep using your ColorChecker for camera profiling, and use a printer profiling service unless you truly need to create printer profiles in-house regularly.
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AI16y ago
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