Digital BW, The Print

>> Any thoughts or opinons on the Colormouse or Digital Swatch book
>> (which is the same price as the Spectrocam.)
>> 
>> Martin
> 
> Sorry Martin, my photospectrometer experience begins and ends with the
> Spectrocam. Dan had a Digital Swatch book, I
> think he liked it.
> Tyler

Still have it and still like it.  Dependable and easy to use.  But I have
never tried the Colormouse so I can't really compare the two.  However, the
Digital Swatchbook came with Colorshop software which has some very nice
tools like graphical and delta e spectral comparison, 2d gamut mapping,
densitometry, and dot area readings in addition to the Lab patch readings it
can export.  You may want to compare listed features and tools of the
software packages for the two devices even if the accuracy of the devices
and costs are similar.    I use the Swatchbook rather then the DTP-41 when I
need things like dot area readings and single patch color matching or
density matching since the autoscan DTP-41 is awkward to use on a small
number of patches.

By the way, Colorshop was the software developed by the original makers of
the old Colortron II device and X-Rite thought enough of the software to buy
the Colortron (and the obligation for maintenance of old units) just to get
rights to the software.  For a really cheap device designed by ergonomic
sadists (and I do mean "cheap") I think you can probably pick up a used
Colortron II for under $200.  But given an annual recalibration/rebuilding
fee of about $200 (if you want to maintain accuracy) I no longer recommend
the Colortron even at that price.  It was the only affordable device in its
day and worked well enough but other better products are now available.  The
Digital Swatchbook seems to remain accurate with no factory help as does the
DTP-41 so perhaps a used one can be found at a reasonable cost.  If you
email X-Rite perhaps they will have a list of dealers who sell used devices
(the X-Rite rep is the one who turned me on to the ColorOK retailer for good
prices on new X-Rite products).

Dan Culbertson