Best color calibration tool?

[emig17]

Can someone point me in the direction of the best value for money color calibration tool? Should I buy a calibration tool or a calibrated monitor like EIZO? Right now I'm doing and learning everything on standard 15" laptop screen which is not very good. I just want what I see on my monitor to match my prints.

[TheDigitalDog]

X-rite i1Display Pro IMHO. Also see:

Why are my prints too dark?

A video update to a written piece on subject from 2013

In this 24 minute video, I'll cover:

Are your prints really too dark?

Display calibration and WYSIWYG

Proper print viewing conditions

Trouble shooting to get a match

Avoiding kludges that don't solve the problem

High resolution: http://digitaldog.net/files/Why_are_my_prints_too_dark.mp4

Low resolution: https://youtu.be/iS6sjZmxjY4

[D Fosse]

+1 on the i1.

But if your budget allows an Eizo CG with built-in sensor, that's the best you can get. I have a CG and was a bit skeptical at first (it's so small, and right at the edge of the screen), but the sensor is top notch and the panel perfectly uniform. According to Eizo each sensor is individually adjusted to the panel.

But aside from that, the big difference is the software. Eizo Colornavigator and NEC Spectraview are both very sophisticated, allowing you a level of control the third-party solutions aren't even close to. True hardware calibration (as opposed to software calibration in the video card) are two very different animals. The former performs all adjustments internally in the monitor, at high bit depth, which gives much better results for many reasons.

[NB, colourmanagement · Accepted solution]

Hi emig17,

I'd say that your choice of the display screen and calibration & profiling system depends on budget and, of course, your area of work?

The Eizo CG model coloredge screens are very good with good uniformity and gamut - and it is convenient to have the inbuilt calibration & profiling sensor on models that include it.

If you'd also like to calibrate & profile your laptop as well perhaps for when you're traveling, though, you'll also need an external sensor that you can move between screens - and software to use with it.

If you need to keep the cost down, I've seen pretty good results with decent quality screens and the datacolor Spyder express which is pretty low cost, although I do like to use it with the basICColor display software which i feel is a significant upgrade.

(the basICColor display software works well with the Spyder 5 and you can get a free demo for 14 days to try it out.)

The i1 Display Pro is a good instrument too, a little more costly again prefer to use it with the basICColor display software. More about that software here: 

http://tinyurl.com/gn6qzak

Maybe let us know a little more about your work and then the advice can be tempered to match your needs.

I hope this helps

if so, please do mark my reply as "helpful" and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct answer" so others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net

[NB, colourmanagement]

HI emig17,

do you have a bit more info about your circumstances for us please? Or are you OK now with the answers you received?

if so, please do mark the reply as "helpful" and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct answer" so that others who have similar issues / questions can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net

[NB, colourmanagement]

emig17,

thanks for the "correct" label

I am pleased to have been able to help you

neil