Hi guys,

I am looking for a software or something that helps you to see the computer monitor color more accurate. Everytime I design something I love the colors but when I print it out I hate it.
I know somewhere in the forum I read about something like this that someone's husband got her for a present or something, but I can't find it.
Does anyone knows, please.

Thanks guys.

Typically there is a *.icc or *.icm file(image color management) supplied by device manufacturers. If you have windows you go to your display properties/setting where you adjust screen resolution, select the advanced button. You should see a color management tab. This will allow you to add or delete color profiles. You can search the net for profiles relevant to your devices.

There are add-on devices that measure the actual color on the screen (Huey Pro is an inexpensive one - $100 or so) so you can adjust the color output of your monitor. The Huey is like a pen that you hold and touch to the screen in 'several' spots and create a profile for YOUR monitor.

Others are called 'spiders' and such but they all work pretty much the same way - actual measurement of the light as displayed on the screen - to match your printer output.

Try freee printer profiles first to save money.

quote:

Originally posted by barryk:
There are add-on devices that measure the actual color on the screen (Huey Pro is an inexpensive one - $100 or so) so you can adjust the color output of your monitor. The Huey is like a pen that you hold and touch to the screen in 'several' spots and create a profile for YOUR monitor.

Others are called 'spiders' and such but they all work pretty much the same way - actual measurement of the light as displayed on the screen - to match your printer output.

Try freee printer profiles first to save money.

Well, this is very interesting.

How do you choose which color profile to select? I only have a few options. How would I find more on the web?

I looked at my Color Management. I selected sRGB Color Space Profile. Was this a wise decision? Others offered me: AdobeRGB 1998, AppleRGB (I have a pc), and kodak_dc. Should I delete profiles that I'm not using, or does selecting one negate the others?

Any advice welcome. [edited by me to include 2 more questions.]

Depending on what you intend, it may not be as useful as you hope.

I've used a colorimeter (or two, or three, because I break things) for years. It provides the advantage of simply calibrating your monitor to itself (the profiles) by matching to the output profile (the printer).

However, if your plan is to match to Cafepress' printing then that'll be tough as they don't have a stated color profile and likely can't promise much of one as most POD's fluctate output a bit each time. It's usually not enough to make a big deal out of but color shifts do happen for sure.

So, adjusting your monitor to itself for optimum color is a good start but depending on what output you want to sync up with - that might be a little tougher except through trial and error.

Brownie points to you, however, for realizing that monitors don't always match printers and what you see onscreen isn't necessarily what everyone would see.