Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 3/14/08 4:18:14 PM, hflockwood@... writes:


> I plan to buy an iMac as soon as the new models are available, and the 
> question of monitor
> calibration raises its ugly head.  I've done extensive googling and found 
> conflicting opinions. 
> I'd appreciate any advice from the members here, based on their experience 
> with existing
> iMacs.
> 

The smaller iMac uses a consumer grade LCD, and should not be considered for 
serious diplay-to-print matching. The larger iMac offers a medium grade 
screen, and is not ideal, but usable, for such work. The Cinema Displays would be 
considered a baseline professional graphics display, with more expensive options 
available from there on up. If you go with an iMac (and be sure its a 24 inch 
one!) then be aware that the luminance levels can not be dimmed very much on 
them. So you have to use them in moderate ambient lighting, or brighter, while 
ideal image editing happens at dim, or moderately dim, levels, which can not 
be matched by the iMac displays. And of course, you'll need to calibrate 
whatever screen you get, for screen-to-print control. Believe me, after a CRT, any 
new LCD will seem sharp, bright, and saturated. Choking it back to a state you 
can match is the challenge.

C. David Tobie
WW Product Technology Manager
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.datacolor.com/spyder3


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