iMac Calibration

Hi,

I've got a Apple iMac with the super glossy high res screen.

I've just bought my first decent printer, the Canon Pixma MG6150.

After runnning off a couple of test shots, I've noticed the prints are quite washed out with a "warm" hue compared to the images on screen.

I know some type of calibration is needed but don't have a clue where to start.

Any advice welcome

Anyone else had this problem?

First you need a monitor calibrator- search for that answer. Second, you need to download the printer/paper profile to get accurate colors.

Could you recommend any calibreation tools? I wouldn't know where to start. All seems pretty indepth.

As for the printer/paper profile, how and where do you get these. Sorry for sounding dumb but these things are only strightforward of you know ehat you doing already

Eye-one or spyder 3 are both good calibrators. You can rent the spyder from borrowlenses.com for about $20.

The printer profiles are found on the printer manufacteuer website. You just have to find the printer and paper combo.

Cheers for the info

Monitors change over time. Buy, don't rent the calibrator hardware/software.

If you want to do both your monitor and printer buy the Colormunki system. It gets great reviews.

It's overwhelming at first, go under system preferences and click on the screen and then on the color tab and follow the easy instructions to doma software calibration, I do this during the daytime when there is the ambient light in the room. Do the process several times, they suggest that you squint ow step back if having peoblems.

You'll get a lit of flack here but do it today to get to know your computer, you can always select the original profile.

Then look through your instructions for your printer and you should find out how to select the printer profile.

My bottom line has been to calibrate and then pull a print, it's amazing how well this has worked.

With my previous iMac a friend who is nuts crazy about all of this color profile stuff ( and yes it is important) used his Spyder calibrated on my computer and it totally screwed it up, turned everything black and red and then after a long time trying to fix it, it wouldn't even do the iMac calibration and I not only had to completely empty the computer and start over but I lost a tone of stuff on my computer that wasn't backed up.

I will be the only person to suggest this bit it's free, it's easy and when you lean it, you will know more about what to ask for and what you want from it.

I have read endless posts here on POTN about people who spend a lot and then don't like the color they still are getting, so then they are told a bunch of reasons and they deism it and get something else, it's a frustrating thing to study. There are hundreds of experts as well.

From what I have learned, the ColorMunki ( not sure on the spelling) is the best for the i'Mac screen but my printer marches somperfectly right now that I haven't gotten around to getting one and just figure by the time I do, it will have been upgraded a couple

End of rant.

Kid Colgan wrote in post #11820563
Hi,

I've got a Apple iMac with the super glossy high res screen.

I've just bought my first decent printer, the Canon Pixma MG6150.

After runnning off a couple of test shots, I've noticed the prints are quite washed out with a "warm" hue compared to the images on screen.

I know some type of calibration is needed but don't have a clue where to start.

Any advice welcome

You can do it the way Jannie suggests for free if you've got a real good eye. I use an i1 Display on my glossy iMac and it works fine - I get a better profile than I can get 'by eye'. But attaching the correct print profile for your paper and ink combination is also critical. You don't say, but if you are using Canon paper and original inks in your printer then provided you apply the right print profile, you should get a pretty good match. You also don't say what software you are using to print, but Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop Elements all give you the opportunity to apply the correct profile at the print stage.
A good place to learn something about this is Rene Damkot's thread 'Color Problems?"
Cheers
Tim