Color matching in print

[Muggs]

I'm having a problem getting my printed colors to match the ones I create in PSE or out of my camera. I have been told that I need to calibrate the monitir and match that with my printers with software. ColorVision Spyder2 Suite has been recommended to me. Has anyone used it or another product to accomplish this? How well does it work? :confused:
Susan

[LeeOtsubo]

I'm having a problem getting my printed colors to match the ones I create in PSE or out of my camera. I have been told that I need to calibrate the monitir and match that with my printers with software. ColorVision Spyder2 Suite has been recommended to me. Has anyone used it or another product to accomplish this? How well does it work? :confused:
Susan

It all works very well but learning HOW to get it to work is a different matter. I've heard that color management is what drove Socrates to drink... hemlock. :D

Before you go charging off to buy a colorimeter, you might start by reading these sites:

Cambridge in Colour (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-management1.htm) - short but well written color mgmt articles
Northlight Images (http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews.html#Monitor_profiling) - excellent colorimeter reviews under Monitor Profiling
Norman Koren (http://www.normankoren.com/color_management.html) - read this last, very technical but full of good links

If you're printing at home, you'l also want to investigate printer profiles. Here's a source (http://www.cathysprofiles.com/) for relatively inexpensive custom profiles. HTH.

[rmartin]

Thanks for the links Lee.

I spent the last week trying to get a catalogue of my pens printed. I went through Walmart, Stapes and Wolf camera. I finally decided to try with my home printer and some quality photo paper. They have turned out well for the most part, but one thing I have had to do is to increase the brightness/contrast on many of them to get them to print like they look on my monitor. And really it's not just my monitor as I've viewed them on several different computers and they look the same.

Rmartin