Color management check list

As I stated once before, I am no expert when it comes to color management.  But, I have done quite a bit of reading about it and have evolved the following steps which I use

1. Use a color profiled monitor
   

   I use a the, now discontinued, Monaco Optix XR system for profiling my monitors.  Monaco has since been bought out by x-rite.  It's not formally supported under Windows Vista/7 - but there is a work around to get it to work.
   
   

   The biggest problem I have is that the monitor profile doesn't seem to stick. I'm not sure what causes this - if different applications load their own monitor profile or what - but I have found that I will need to run the MonacoGamma tool to reload the monitor profiles whenever doing photo work. This application is normally in the Startup folder; but, I've copied it to my desk top so that I can double-click on it whenever needed. It's pretty obvious whenever the monitor profiles have been overridden because my two monitors look very different when not using the color profiles I created.

2. Use paper that has an ICC profile specifically for the R2880 printer
   

   I've addressed this in another blog post titled ICC color profiles.  This can get confusing if you have a large number of ICC color profiles loaded.  Initially I bought several sample paper packs and had all of the different ICC color profiles loaded.  I've since deleted all ICC color profiles except for those for paper I specifically have on hand

3. Configure application to manage color and select the appropriate ICC profile for the paper being used
   

   For Adobe PhotoShop Elements, select "Photoshop Elements Manages Color" in the Color Management section of the print dialog window.  For Nikon Capture NX2 select "Use Color Management" on the Color Mangement tab on the print dialog window.  I usually use "Relative Colormetric" and select "Black Point Compensation".  I confess that I don't really understand what that all means - but it seems to be the generally recommended setting from what I've read.

4. In the print driver make sure color management is turned off
   

   On the Epson R2880 printer preferences window, under Mode select "Custom" and then "Off (No Color Adjustment)"

Something to be aware of is that a hardcopy print will never look exactly like it does on the monitor. This is because two devices (monitor vs printer) use very different technology to produce colors. The monitor uses red, green, and blue dots of varying intensities to produce colors. The printer lays down Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink in varying sizes.

One problem that is discussed periodically on the internet is applying color management twice. This can happen if you have configured the application to manage color and didn't turn it off on the printer preferences window. But, it can also occur with the monitor color profiles; for example, if you have used Adobe Gamma (a software monitor profiling solution) and a hardware based monitor color management solution.  There can also be differences in brightness and contrast between the monitor and print.

Other things that can affect color accuracy on the final print

• The color of the paper.  Not all whites are equal.  The color of white paper can range from having a slight blue tinge to a slight cream tinge, or even a slight gray tinge.  It seems like ICC color profiles should be able to compensate for this; but, my experience is that skin tones are difficult to render accurately on papers with cream colored tinge, often referred to as 'natural'.
• The quality of the ICC color profile.  Some paper manufacturers do a better job with their supplied ICC profiles than others. My, admittedly limited, experience is that Inkpress ICC color profiles do not render as accurate colors as those from Red River or Moab. I suppose the best solution is to have your own custom ICC color profiles for your specific printer and paper combination. There are a number of places that will do this for you for a typical cost of around $25 to $50.
• The lighting the print is being viewed under.  Colors look different under fluorescent light verses incandescent lights verses sunlight.  Often in our homes we can have mixed lighting - such as sunlight streaming in through a window and both incandescent and fluorescent artificial lighting.  This is particurly becoming a problem as CFL's (fluorescent) light bulbs are becoming more common as they come in different colors (warm, bright, cool, etc.) and can even exhibit a different color when they are first turned on verses having been on for a while.