What's decent monitor color-calibration device?

[SignPros]

I use an iMac for design, and we have a PC running Flexi and Production Manager and then a VJ-1624. I'm trying to find a way to be more consistent with colors across machines. We seem to get a lot of color shift between my monitor and the production system monitor and the printer, so I'm trying to eliminate variables. The iMac monitor can't be adjusted hardly at all with it's built in controls, so an external device is in order. The three I've found are ColorMunki and i1DsiplayPro, both from X-Rite and the Datacolor5Express. I'm not concerned about pictures as much as solid colors like in logos and such on banners, print vinyl, etc. Does anybody have any experience with these, or other options?

Thanks in advance

 

[Pauly]

Ok, This is something photographers get wrong all the time and does really get annoying as a lot think they're "know it alls"

Having your screen calibrated does not affect your printer output. However it does help make changes to your image when comparing to your screen in the right lighting conditions.

I gather you graphic design and print.
What you need is your iMac screen calibrated and all your printers calibrated. You can also calibrate your RIP pc if need be since you'll have the hardware to do so but not as important if you just straight print from it with no colour adjustments.

The reason you calibrate your printer as no printer prints perfect colours with the canned (stock) profiles. A lot of the times it's way off, but acceptable to some.
When you calibrate your printer and your monitor correctly then your prints will match the screen. they wont be perfect as the printer cannot print all the colours the monitor can display but it will be close. And Also by calibrating your printers, they all should print very, very similar to each other. Not all printers can output the same colours also, varies by brand and ink type.

FYI you dont just calibrate your printer. You calibrate the printer with the media you're printing on. so if you're printing with Vinyl, Then decide to print on poster paper for another job and use the same profile, the colours will be way off.

What you need is this
i1Publish Pro 2; X-Rite

Also Xrite profiling software is pretty good, i've used it but with Barbieri devices. Very consistent.

Good luck.

 

[SignPros]

Yes, I design on my iMac usually in Illustrator but some in Photoshop. The files are ripped and printed through Flexi Production Manager on a PC to the 1624. I’ve been in the design industry for the better part of 25 years, done lots of design for brochures and such, and been in the large format biz for about 10.

I know that the printer has to be calibrated, too. But I figure I need to start somewhere an get both of them relatively close. Perfect match between them isn’t an issue. I figure once I get the monitor (preferably both of them) calibrated, then I can work on getting the printer adjusted so it’s close also.

I always used PMS colors as a reference point...so I figured trying to get the monitors and printer all printing roughly the same reflex blue, 485 red and a couple other standard colors would be the goal? Then the rest of the spectrum should fall pretty close in line.

Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Pauly]

Yes, I design on my iMac usually in Illustrator but some in Photoshop. The files are ripped and printed through Flexi Production Manager on a PC to the 1624. I’ve been in the design industry for the better part of 25 years, done lots of design for brochures and such, and been in the large format biz for about 10.

I know that the printer has to be calibrated, too. But I figure I need to start somewhere an get both of them relatively close. Perfect match between them isn’t an issue. I figure once I get the monitor (preferably both of them) calibrated, then I can work on getting the printer adjusted so it’s close also.

I always used PMS colors as a reference point...so I figured trying to get the monitors and printer all printing roughly the same reflex blue, 485 red and a couple other standard colors would be the goal? Then the rest of the spectrum should fall pretty close in line.

Thanks for the advice so far.

From what you're basically saying you still need to calibrate your printers also. There really isnt any other way to "adjust" them other than making a new ICC profile and to do that you'll need a spectrophotometer and software. Flexi will have some calibrating stuff inside, but im not sure if it can output an icc profile, that's where the package i linked you to will.

That's really all you need for what you do. If i was running a print shop with basic roll to roll printers ect, That's all id probably have the Xrite i1iO to scan automatically.
I dont run a normal print shop, we do a lot of glass and acrylic and the Xrite i1pro will not measure though glass as i've tried with a borrowed one. But the barbieri devices does, so i've got a few of those. Barbieri make more specific products and not really needed for most print shops.

 

[Joe House]

If you're looking at just calibrating monitors, then i1 display pro or color munki will do the job, with the i1 being a higher end model. I've not heard of the Datacolor, so I can't address that.
As Pauly said, profiling your printer is a necessary step if you want to start doing soft proofing on your monitor. A top of the line Flexi package (Pro or Sign and Print, etc.) will have profile creation built in. You would just need to get an i1 Pro, which will also let you profile your monitor.
If you have lower end Flexi Package, then you'd need to get the i1Publish package that Pauly linked to above. This package will allow you to profile your monitors as well. FYI - Depending on your graphics card, you may only be able to profile one monitor.