Color calibration...

[Arin]

First off, I dont know where to put this, but the main bulk of work is in photoshop 7 so I'll post it here.

I work for the state in the photogrammetry department, which is all Aerial photography and mapping. For some of the work, clients request documents to be scanned mapped edited and printed on computer paper rather than photo paper. When they do this, they run into a huge color calibration problem. Nothing looks right…. The scan looks different on the scan monitor, then from the print, then from the image in photoshop, then from the printed image! EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT! So I tried to correct the colors today but the state locks the machines down so tightly…. I have to wait till the admin is in so I can do my work….

But, I need help with profiles and how to set it all up. I don’t know what profiles I should run to get the most accurate results across all the screens and mediums. Here is what we use:


Scanner monitor – Integraph 21sd115
Scanner integraph PhotoScan TD (zeiss)
Photoshop 7 Monitor – Integraph 21sd95
Printer – HP DesignJet 5000ps
Printer – oce 9400 (not really important)
Printer – DesignJet 750c plus (not really important)
CAD / Stereographical monitor – integraph interview 28hd96
Scanner software – Z/I imaging corp photoscan operational software 4.0.0.14

What do I need to do? Should all the monitors, photoshop, and the pinters be setup on the same color profile? IE Adobe RGB or, since the printer is CMYK the SWOP cmyk standard profile?

What should I do?

BTW… they scan Color diapositive and negatives both Kodak.


OH, I remember reading a while back that there was software that will calibrate EVERYTHING to be exactly the same. Is this stuff real? I think it was used by wedding photographers.

[alda.b]

If this is of any help to you, read this brief about color calibration --> http://www.dye-sub-printer-review.org/color_management_color_standard/color_management_calibrate.html.

It would seem to me your company should invest in a system... the first thing that popped in my mind was GretagMacbeth (http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/) That's their homepage, they have another site at --> http://www.i1color.com/

I hope this helps! :)

[mystic82]

I havent seen through the links that alda gave ya now, but when working with print images you should always work with CMYK color profile!

[Koobi]

nice link alda

care to post more on printing? :) im just blank when it comes to print...alll i know is that it should be in CMYK at 300 dpi :(

[monk]

here's another nice link, it's a taster for a book but if your serious about color management its well worth the buy - http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/19500.html



*edit* oh, it's not always the case that you need to use cmyk, some printers, especially running digital machines prefer rgb, and if you print them yourself, there may be a color profile specifically for your printer, it depends on how serious you want to get about correctness, cmyk for the most part will not cause any problems so it's seen as the safer bet

[Koobi]

excellent! thx for the link and info monk...i have soooooo much to learn about print :(