SpyderPrint - anyone use this?

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

In article , Bill W
wrote:

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

it works but the real question is why do you think you need one?

how often do you change paper/ink/printer combos?

if you do that a lot, then you can justify your own calibration tool.

if you're like most people and use one type of paper with genuine inks,
you would be better off having a custom profile made for a lot less
money.

or just used the canned printer profile, which is good enough for
non-critical work.

the big win is calibrating the display.

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

To start with what printer are you currently using for producing high quality
prints?

What paper(s) do you use, or intend to use?

Is your display/monitor correctly calibrated?

Does the software you use for printing facilitate using custom specific
printer/paper icc profiles?

The time you truly need this is when a paper manufacture does not provide
specific printer/paper icc profiles. Then you will have to build your own
custom profiles with a tool such as SpyderPRINT.

Personally, I use Epson, Red River, and Ilford papers, and they provide
printer/paper icc profiles for their various paper types. Those are freely
available from their web sites.

The SpyderPRINT might be a great tool for folks who truly need it, but your
money would be better spent on a display/monitor calibration system from
either DataColor, or X-Rite.

--

Regards,
Savageduck

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 22:58:39 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , Bill W
wrote:

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

it works but the real question is why do you think you need one?

how often do you change paper/ink/printer combos?

if you do that a lot, then you can justify your own calibration tool.

if you're like most people and use one type of paper with genuine inks,
you would be better off having a custom profile made for a lot less
money.

or just used the canned printer profile, which is good enough for
non-critical work.

the big win is calibrating the display.

Admittedly, "non-critical" describes all of my work, and there isn't
much value in getting things just right. I'm just curious right now,
but at some point I'll have more time again to get back to
photography.

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 20:23:30 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

To start with what printer are you currently using for producing high quality
prints?

What paper(s) do you use, or intend to use?

Is your display/monitor correctly calibrated?

Does the software you use for printing facilitate using custom specific
printer/paper icc profiles?

The time you truly need this is when a paper manufacture does not provide
specific printer/paper icc profiles. Then you will have to build your own
custom profiles with a tool such as SpyderPRINT.

Personally, I use Epson, Red River, and Ilford papers, and they provide
printer/paper icc profiles for their various paper types. Those are freely
available from their web sites.

The SpyderPRINT might be a great tool for folks who truly need it, but your
money would be better spent on a display/monitor calibration system from
either DataColor, or X-Rite.

I have the Spyder Pro display calibrator, and use it. I use only
common papers - Canon & Epson mostly. Like I told nospam in another
reply, I'm not doing much of anything at the moment with photography,
and I really haven't had many issues with printing. I don't get
exactly what I see on the display, and some prints drive me up the
wall, but nothing I've done is important in any way. It's a hobby, but
when I get the time again, and if I think I have the money to burn, I
was considering getting a tool to get the printing right. But after
reading the few recent reviews I could find, I'm not at all convinced
that I'll be able to get things right with this, either.

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 19:54:03 -0700, Bill W
wrote:

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

I used it in the days of (I think) Spyder 2. That was in the days of
my Epson Photo1800 which I sold about 8 years ago. Since then I have
used the Epson 3800 and now their PC 800. I have mostly only used
Epson papers with the printers and have always used only Epson inks.
With the two more recent printers I have found the color accuracy of
the Epson profiles is such that I feel no desire to calibrate my
present printer. For that matter I don't recall any 'gee that is
different/better' experience when calibrating the 1800.

If you are using printer X with paper Y and ink Z you almost certainly
benefit from profiling your output. But if you are using a printer
from a manufacturer with a reputation for quality prints, with their
own inks and papers, then you may find you will get no benefit from
profiling your printer.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 20:23:30 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

To start with what printer are you currently using for producing high
quality
prints?

What paper(s) do you use, or intend to use?

Is your display/monitor correctly calibrated?

Does the software you use for printing facilitate using custom specific
printer/paper icc profiles?

The time you truly need this is when a paper manufacture does not provide
specific printer/paper icc profiles. Then you will have to build your own
custom profiles with a tool such as SpyderPRINT.

Personally, I use Epson, Red River, and Ilford papers, and they provide
printer/paper icc profiles for their various paper types. Those are freely
available from their web sites.

The SpyderPRINT might be a great tool for folks who truly need it, but your
money would be better spent on a display/monitor calibration system from
either DataColor, or X-Rite.

I have the Spyder Pro display calibrator, and use it.

Good. Keep up the practice.

I use only common papers - Canon & Epson mostly.

That is fine. Just remember that both Canon and Epson have a few exotic
papers which do not have generic profile support in their respective drivers.
those you might have to hunt down.

Like I told nospam in another
reply, I'm not doing much of anything at the moment with photography,
and I really haven't had many issues with printing.

So, what printer do you use?

I don't getexactly what I see on the display, and some prints drive me up the
wall, but nothing I've done is important in any way.

Do you use any “soft proofing� feature on your software print dialog?
I find that occasionally soft proofing can give you the opportunity to make
subtle adjustments for the print output.

....and just how many prints do you think you will print once you get your
mind back to photography?

It's a hobby, but
when I get the time again, and if I think I have the money to burn, I
was considering getting a tool to get the printing right.

It really isn’t that necessary for us hobbyist types. Especially when most
printer papers from the printer manufacturers are well matched if you use the
appropriate profiles provided in the driver. So for Epson papers I use the
profiles provided in the driver dialog. For Red River and Ilford papers I
download and install paper/printer specific icc profiles from their web
sites.

I use Lightroom for most of my print work, the remainder are done using
Photoshop.

But after
reading the few recent reviews I could find, I'm not at all convinced
that I'll be able to get things right with this, either.

That depends on what you call “right�. Whatever happens I can guarantee
that you will be $$$ out of pocket.

--

Regards,
Savageduck

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 21:34:07 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 20:23:30 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

To start with what printer are you currently using for producing high
quality
prints?

What paper(s) do you use, or intend to use?

Is your display/monitor correctly calibrated?

Does the software you use for printing facilitate using custom specific
printer/paper icc profiles?

The time you truly need this is when a paper manufacture does not provide
specific printer/paper icc profiles. Then you will have to build your own
custom profiles with a tool such as SpyderPRINT.

Personally, I use Epson, Red River, and Ilford papers, and they provide
printer/paper icc profiles for their various paper types. Those are freely
available from their web sites.

The SpyderPRINT might be a great tool for folks who truly need it, but your
money would be better spent on a display/monitor calibration system from
either DataColor, or X-Rite.

I have the Spyder Pro display calibrator, and use it.

Good. Keep up the practice.

I use only common papers - Canon & Epson mostly.

That is fine. Just remember that both Canon and Epson have a few exotic
papers which do not have generic profile support in their respective drivers.
those you might have to hunt down.

Like I told nospam in another
reply, I'm not doing much of anything at the moment with photography,
and I really haven't had many issues with printing.

So, what printer do you use?

Canon Pro 100 & Pro 9000. They were both close to free after rebates
(one of them doubled by mistake).

I don't getexactly what I see on the display, and some prints drive me up the
wall, but nothing I've done is important in any way.

Do you use any “soft proofing” feature on your software print dialog?
I find that occasionally soft proofing can give you the opportunity to make
subtle adjustments for the print output.

I use it in LR, but it's not much help. I didn't dig into it, though.

...and just how many prints do you think you will print once you get your
mind back to photography?

No idea. I started going through all my photos looking for some to
print, and that was a mistake. The drudgery of it is one of the
reasons I shifted my focus to some other hobbies.

It's a hobby, but
when I get the time again, and if I think I have the money to burn, I
was considering getting a tool to get the printing right.

It really isn’t that necessary for us hobbyist types. Especially when most
printer papers from the printer manufacturers are well matched if you use the
appropriate profiles provided in the driver. So for Epson papers I use the
profiles provided in the driver dialog. For Red River and Ilford papers I
download and install paper/printer specific icc profiles from their web
sites.

I use Lightroom for most of my print work, the remainder are done using
Photoshop.

But after
reading the few recent reviews I could find, I'm not at all convinced
that I'll be able to get things right with this, either.

That depends on what you call “right”. Whatever happens I can guarantee
that you will be $$$ out of pocket.

In article .com,
Savageduck wrote:

It's a hobby, but
when I get the time again, and if I think I have the money to burn, I
was considering getting a tool to get the printing right.

It really isn’t that necessary for us hobbyist types. Especially when most
printer papers from the printer manufacturers are well matched if you use the
appropriate profiles provided in the driver.

If you've put $1k plus in printer gear then this or the some of the
competitions offers should be a put in consideration. Especially if the
the profiles supplied by printer and/or paper manufacturers don't make
you happy even with ocular based adjustments.
--
teleportation kills

On 6/18/2017 12:34 AM, Savageduck wrote:
On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

On Sat, 17 Jun 2017 20:23:30 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Jun 17, 2017, Bill W wrote
(in ):

Does anyone know anything about this device? I didn't look through all
the details, but I guess it calibrates your printer (by creating ICC
profiles), much like their display devices calibrate those. If it
actually works, it might be very helpful. I just can't seem to find a
lot of consistent, persuasive reviews.

http://www.datacolor.com/photography...w/spyderprint/

To start with what printer are you currently using for producing high
quality
prints?

What paper(s) do you use, or intend to use?

Is your display/monitor correctly calibrated?

Does the software you use for printing facilitate using custom specific
printer/paper icc profiles?

The time you truly need this is when a paper manufacture does not provide
specific printer/paper icc profiles. Then you will have to build your own
custom profiles with a tool such as SpyderPRINT.

Personally, I use Epson, Red River, and Ilford papers, and they provide
printer/paper icc profiles for their various paper types. Those are freely
available from their web sites.

The SpyderPRINT might be a great tool for folks who truly need it, but your
money would be better spent on a display/monitor calibration system from
either DataColor, or X-Rite.

I have the Spyder Pro display calibrator, and use it.

Good. Keep up the practice.

I use only common papers - Canon & Epson mostly.

That is fine. Just remember that both Canon and Epson have a few exotic
papers which do not have generic profile support in their respective drivers.
those you might have to hunt down.

Like I told nospam in another
reply, I'm not doing much of anything at the moment with photography,
and I really haven't had many issues with printing.

So, what printer do you use?

I don't getexactly what I see on the display, and some prints drive me up the
wall, but nothing I've done is important in any way.

Do you use any “soft proofing� feature on your software print dialog?
I find that occasionally soft proofing can give you the opportunity to make
subtle adjustments for the print output.


Soft proofing can work to give yo a pretty close idea about the final
proof. .
IMHO the problem with soft proofing is similar to the problem with using
a 4x6 as a test proof. We can rarely be certain what the final viewing
conditions will be.




--
PeterN