Here is the bit on PrintFix from DDQ (to subscribe, see
http://www.timgrey.com )
As you probably know, Colorvision's latest newsletter announcing
their new 'PrintFIX' profiling system quotes you as follows:
"PrintFIX provides a user-friendly solution for photographers
frustrated by prints that don't match their monitor, particularly
when using third-party papers. When used in conjunction with the
Spyder, it provides an excellent method of getting prints to match
what you see on the monitor. If you're wasting paper trying to get
accurate prints, give PrintFIX a try." - Tim Grey
Previously you seemed unenthusiastic about their scanner-based
print profiling system, alluding to the difficulty of using it. My
own experience (and that of others) with it has been arduous, to
the point of abandoning it once I obtained my Epson 2200. From the
looks of their description and illustration of the device on their
web page it seems like it may just be a small scanner, or possibly
a spectrophotometer? Whatever, I'm curious to know what it is about
the new system that prompted you to change gears.
==========
Yes, I did quite a bit of testing for the Color Vision PrintFIX
profiling system, and they used a quote from me in their
promotional materials. I have previously talked about a variety of
products for building profiles, with products from Color Vision
among them. There are, in my mind, two basic categories of options
for creating your own profiles. One is too expensive for most
photographers to consider, and makes use of advanced software using
a calibrated spectrophotometer. For example, I've obtained
incredible results with an X-Rite AutoScan spectrophotometer in
conjunction with MonacoPROOF software. This package sells for
$7,000. Not a realistic solution for most. The other option has
been inexpensive packages that use your flatbed scanner in place of
a spectrophotometer. These have generally been very affordable, but
the quality hasn't been very good.
Color Vision developed a solution that uses a small print scanner,
and I agreed to be one of their beta testers. I was not very
optimistic. It uses, after all, a scanner rather than a calibrated
spectrophotometer. I did an initial test with the Epson 2200, and
was surprised at how accurate it was. Further testing confirmed
that it was a viable solution. With the Epson 2200, on a scale of 1
to 10 I rated the profiles that come with the printer as about a 6.
The profiles I created some time ago with the X-Rite/Monaco package
referenced above I would rate a 10. The profiles built with the new
PrintFIX package from Color Vision rate at about an 8.5 in my
testing. Not perfect, but very good, and certainly acceptable for
most photographers.
I consider the PrintFIX package to be particularly helpful when you
are using third-party papers with your printer, so that the
included profiles don't work very well. Most printers out there
have adjustments that allow you to fine-tune the output to get a
match between printer and monitor. The PrintFIX package from Color
Vision offers a very workable solution at an affordable price,
which can take much of the frustration out of printing.
The process of building profiles with PrintFIX is quite simple, and
the quality of the profiles has proven to be very good. It doesn't
support a wide variety of printers right now, but that will change
shortly. You'll be able to update with new targets from the Color
Vision website as new printers are supported.
You can get more details about the Color Vision PrintFIX package at
http://www.colorvision.com .
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