Further Assistance - Print Output

Now that your display is calibrated, will your prints also be color managed? Unfortunately, no, as it requires some more steps to have a consistent color reproduction on your entire workflow. 

Your printer needs a calibration as well. Actually, for each printer-paper-ink combination you have to create a dedicated printer profile. You can download standard profiles from the paper manufacturer's homepage or create your own dedicated printer profiles with the Datacolor SpyderPRINT.

When comparing your prints with the colors you see on your screen, there are a couple of steps you need to follow. First of all, be sure you look at your prints under standard daylight. You can do this with a standardized light box or installing a daylight bulb. 

When looking at the colors on your screen, you still have to do it under the room light with which you calibrated your display with the room light compensation of Spyder / SpyderPRO.

Also, as the monitor works with additive colors and the printer works with subtractive colors, you have to compensate this fact with a soft proof. Several design tools offer an option to do a soft proof with a printer profile (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.), which means that it will simulate the color reproduction of the printer-paper-ink combination.

Your Spyder / SpyderPRO software also offer a softproof function. See this support article.

Please also keep in mind that not every software on your computer is color-managed. While most photo software supports your monitor profile (Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, etc.), not all image viewing tools do. Please verify this in the software manual or through a web search.

How to compare prints correctly with your monitor view:
Activate soft proof and view your print under standard daylight.

For a detailed documentation on the whole workflow of color management, please have a look at our Spyder eBook.

Do you need additional help?

Please submit a support request (ticket) here.