Embarking on printer profiling

I thought I might share with you all my latest adventure in photography, printer profiling.  Not that it is novel, it just might be interesting to see what happens when someone is just getting started on this.  Not to mention that I will probably be needing some assistance as I go along, and having you all plugged in from the start might be helpful.

So first a little history.  I have been printing on a Canon PP 9000 Mk II for about six months.  First with OEM inks, papers, and profiles, then with Red River papers and RR profiles.  More recently I have started refilling my ink carts myself with IS inks, replacing only the OEM carts that are empty as I go. I know that is a complication, but am prepared to deal with it. My color rendition is still reasonably good with this mixed up setup, but this is a hobby so there is always a desire to find another way to deepen my immersion.  Hence, the decision to obtain custom profiles.  I thought I would try a commercial source or two, but was very unhappy with PC35 Lab.  The profile I got from them for my current ink mix and RR Ultrapro Satin was very dark and violet compared to the Canon and RR profiles.

Recognizing that my gradual ink conversion would make keeping my profiles current would be cost prohibitive and not being happy with my one foray into custom profiling labs, I decided to bite the bullet and look into profiling at home.  Bob Petruska recommends this and comments frequently that he uses a ColorMunki for the job.  When originally faced with the need for a monitor calibration instrument I had decided to save about $300 and buy the Spyder4 Pro instead of the ColorMunki Photo, and, of course, the Spyder doesn't do print profiling.  No sweat, I was able to find a very lightly used ColorMunki Photo on ebay for $310 including shipping.  If I can sell my $170 Spyder for about $120, I will be in pretty good shape both financially and equipment wise.

So where you find me now is waiting for my ColorMunki to arrive and getting ready to list my Spyder on ebay. (Anyone need a Spyder? It really works well within the limit of display calibration.)

Stay tuned for the next installment in this adventure.  Any a priori advice about using the CM for printer profiling will be, as usual, appreciated.

Robert