This Page:

'ImageTune' Calibration Support:
Printer Profiling

NEWS !

Printer Profiling:

Just as a monitor profile ensures that the image colour data is accurately displayed on screen, the printer profile ensures that the image data is accurately reflected in the print.Given good original image data, there are five factors which affect your judgement of the print quality:

  1. The printer mechanism itself and its mechanical accuracy.
  2. The nature of the paper surface and any coating it may have.
  3. The inkset and its colour accuracy and consistency
  4. Viewing conditions - light temperature and brightness (affects both monitor and prints)
  5. Last, but certainly not least, your own eyesight and visual perception (Are you colourblind?)
By using the printer manufacturers recommended papers and ink it is usually possible to get quite good results 'out of the box' provided the monitor is well calibrated. Beware trying to save money by buying cheaper materials from other suppliers as the chances are that these will give very much less predictable results

You can download the Printer Test Images to check how well your printer outputs an image with known 'correctness'. More critical users will find that a bespoke printer profile for a particular ink/paper combination will significantly improve print quality, even when using the original manufacturers materials, as not even all printers of the same model have exactly the same characteristics. Specific profiles also ensure excellent prints when using non standard materials such as heavweight art papers or canvas or an alternative inkset to the original manufacturers inks. See The Difference.

We offer a simple, low cost, printer profiling service which only requires you to print a 'target' using the materials you wish to profile and send it to us by post. We will return a profile to you by email together with installation and use instructions.

amDIG Amateur Digital Imaging Group
Visit www.amdig.org.uk and join the new email Discussion Group specially for amateur digital imaging enthusisasts. This new website is sponsored by ImagePlace and will shortly offer a directory of Digital Imaging Clubs as well as links to other information and websites of interest to digital workers.