Is it red, scarlet, rose or maroon? You may think you know but your monitor or printer may have another idea. A common complaint in digital scrap booking are the differences between what you see and what you get in terms of printed color. This is because there are differences in the way between models and manufacturers of digital devices process color. As the file passes from device to device each imposes its own interpretations of the colors, which alters the way the colors are ultimately viewed on either the monitor or in printed from.
The first step in the process of color calibration is to begin with the monitor. The age of the monitor can have a significant impact on viewing colors – in general it is believed that a monitor has a life of around
five years before needing to be replaced – for larger screens the time is even shorter. If color is important to you then it is prudent to purchase a monitor specifically recommended for color work.
The monitor color depth should be set at the largest possible depth. Millions of colors if possible for accurate reading of tonal and hue information.
There is actually a reason for boring grey computer desks – they reduce the light reflecting into the monitor therefore altering your perception of the colors. In fact lighting plays an important part in ensuring that you are seeing true colors. The monitor can pick up colors reflecting form clothing, walls, and objects on the desk or any other large items nearby. Non-directional lighting assists in seeing colors more accurately – a bright light over the desk, light bulb, halogen or fluorescent lighting will all cast a color over the monitor.
Clean the monitor screen regularly with recommended substances. The static the screen generates attracts a thin film of dust.
Gaming affects your monitor’s performance, particularly game guns because of their intensity. Consider having a separate monitor for gaming.
Update your graphics driver to ensure it is running at peak performance. You can find the manufacturer information of your graphics driver by choosing Active Desktop> Customize my desktop> Settings > Advanced> Graphics.
In a Windows system you can make manual changes to your monitors color profile by right clicking on your desktop and choosing Active Desktop >Customize my desktop. Then choose settings. You can make changes to color display here. Click on Advanced to make further adjustments or view current settings. It is not recommended you make any changes unless you know what you are
doing.
To get consistent color from your printer start with basic maintenance. Make sure your printers rollers and print heads are clean.
Using only genuine ink for your printer will increase the chances of accurate color printing as will the use of paper types that are recommended specifically for your printer. E.g. If using an HP printer, using genuine HP ink and paper will give you the best results.
Select the correct option when printing from your printer’s options. This applies to both the quality of print e.g. photo vs. draft and the type of paper e.g. matching the type of paper correctly.
Update your printer driver if necessary by checking the manufacturers website.
Investigate the printer’s settings for tone and color. You can print out a sample of common colors that you use for reference when creating a page so you know what a particular color will look like.
After you have investigated the above options if you are still not satisfied by the results you are getting then it is recommended you look into purchasing software that is specifically designed to help with the color calibration process. Owners of Photoshop and PhotoShop Elements have a head start as the program contains a plug in called Adobe Gamma that assists in color calibrating – look in your program’s help files for more information. There are also other software programs available - run a search on color calibration software – to find a program that may be useful. There are also professionals who for a fee will provide color calibration services. It is recommended if you are using color calibration software you should recalibrate every month or so to ensure that the system remains accurate.
To reduce the occurrences of color conflict and International Color Consortium was formed which established ICC profiling. ICC profiles are small text files attached to an image that tell the computer the original color data and how best to interpret the colors given the specific device. This has not resolved the entire issue however but is important to be aware of.
Hopefully taken the steps outlined above will give you better results with your digital scrap booking.
Reference: Better Digital Magazine Issue 11 2003
*First published in SBB TidBytes November 2003*
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