I'm calibrated but I'm still having problems

[mmeyer]

I bought a new computer a few months ago and although my monitor (an Acer LCD) is calibrated with a Huey Pro, my prints come back probably 2 stops under exposed. The colors look good but they are very dark. I cannot adjust my monitor to match them. I have tired 3 different labs including MPix and WHCC with the same results.

Please help.

[Steve Foss]

Mike, have you downloaded color profiles from the labs in question? They should be available for free and, once installed, you can use them in Photoshop to soft-proof. Soft-proofing will yield an on-the-screen image on a calibrated monitor as close as possible to the finished print.

Or when buying from WHCC with the ROES software, you can check the "color correction" box, which has WHCC do the color work and costs an extra $1 per file. That's what I do. I have a CRT monitor calibrated for my home inkjet printer but haven't fooled with downloading and installing WHCC profiles anymore. I did that before and liked the results, but when my old OS burned down once every two months over a six-month period and I had to keep rebuilding from scratch, I got sick of the extra steps.

So I just pay the added buck per file (not per print, but per file) and the prints always look excellent.

[Dbl]

I second the idea to make sure you are using the printer profiles. WHCC has a few of them depending on what size and surface you print. I always softproof using that profile in CS4. I don't have mine color corrected by the lab, at 500 or so files per month that would kill my profit. Mine are very close to what I see on my monitor.

What setting are you using on the Huey? I've found better results using the Video edit and graphic design setting rather than web viewing. I think the Pro uses the same presets?

[mmeyer]

I downloaded the profiles today but they actually seem to make it worse. My monitor should be getting darker to match the print but it's actually lighter with their profile.

On the Huey, I don't recall seeing anything about Video Edit and Graphic design. Can you give me an idea of where to find that?

Thanks for your help on this. I have to order a bunch of prints for a display that I was asked to do and I don't want to have problems with them.

[Dbl]

The Pro may use different software but in my system tray under the Huey icon I can click on it and one of the options is "Huey Preferences" I click on that it allows me to choose a preset. One other thought is your new monitor a wide-gaumet monitor? If it is there are only a few calibration devices that will work to get things right. I don't recall if the Huey Pro is one of them.

[Steve Foss]

I don't have mine color corrected by the lab, at 500 or so files per month that would kill my profit.

Yikes! Yep, that'd be a profit destroyer all right! I doubt I order five prints a month, let alone 500. Just not the way my business is structured, and at my rates for nature prints, color correction is less than 1 percent of the retail price.

Mike, I suggest you give WHCC a call. They have customer service reps/techs to help you through these things. While the change has occurred on your end, it's in their best interest to help you figure it out, as it means they can expect your future business. And what they help you figure out will likely work for any online lab you use.

[mmeyer]

Dan, I don't know about "wide gamout". It's not a high end one,just one that came as a package with my Acer pc. I'll look more into the Huey.

Steve, that's a good idea. I'll call them up. I've only gotten my test prints so far from them but I'd like to do more.

[Steve Foss]

Mike, that's even better. Fresh slate and all that. You can tell them you're a new customer having trouble calibrating your monitor to their printing process and ask them to help you through the steps.

Good luck, man.

[mmeyer]

Thanks again everyone for the help. I emailed WHCC and unfortunately they weren't a lot of help but they did say once I got it calibrated I could reorder my test prints so I'm happy about that. I did find out though that I can adjust the monitor settings in Windows Vista more than what I can on the monitor. I found that with some help and it looks great! I'm very excited to have gotten this figured out.