spyder 4 calibration and prints still too dark

Yes, you are very lost.

The reason you have to calibrate th monitor is well,,, because it comes wrongly calibrated out of the box.

I magine you spending a hour teaking an image till it is just perfect on the screen.

You think!

The screen is OFF by a certain amount for color and for luminance. So if you send me the file and I pop it on my pc if will not look so great on my calibrated monitor.

Imagine a fever themometer that is OFF one degree too high so when the temp is 98.6 it is really 99.6f and you thought it was correct because well, the factory says it is. How would you know if your baby really had a fever?

So now that your monitor is calibrated, you will have to print through your application such as Photo Shop, Lightroom or whatever editor you use, NEEDS to be allowed to control color.

By the way the profile the calibrator has created, remains in your Windows assigned position and will automatically load every time you start your computer. You DO NOT use it for printing EVER!!!

I will use PS as an example. When you hit print, you will see the choice to allow the printer to control color or to let Photo Shop control color. You will choose to allow PS to control color, you will see the ICC profiles listed. They will be often cryptically named, and not like you think they should be named. So you then click on the ICC for the printer and paper you intend to use.

Now you go into your printer's prefferences and choose Say Premium Glossy ( You would have had to choosen the corresponding profile which matches the paper you are printing on.

Then you can choose paper size, printing quality, and lastly, you tell the driver to NOT control color which is usullay located under the advanced tab where you then click on ICM and then on NONE.

On higher end Epsons, you will find that choice under MODE / CUSTOM and then OFF ( No Color Adjustment )

So you calibrate monitor, let your application control color using the correct matching ICC profile, turn OFF color management on the printer driver, choose specific paper and quality settings and print.

Because I know many who are beginning printers do not understand the relationship between ICC profiles and the printing process I create a three part video. Links are bellow.

In this video I calibrate the monitor and creat and use Printer / Paper / Ink profiles which I then print to one of my 15 printers, The R1900 through 3 different applications.

Hope it helps

Joe

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScojQ7dWAFU

2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqda4F9YlLU

3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhmkI5EcPbI