Datacolor User to User Support Group.

As far as I am aware PrintFix is not a substitute for printer calibration. Neither is ColorBase 
is substitute for printer profiling. ColorBase is used for printer and profile optimum 
performance, either on a single printer or as you mention equalising several printers and 
using same profiles on all. Bellow is a citation from Rob Galbraith site:

"Get better results from the ICC profiles included with the printer. Since the goal of 
ColorBase is to make the colour of your printer match that of the printer Epson used to 
create the bundled profiles, prints made through those profiles should have more accurate 
colour. Or at least colour that's much closer to what Epson was intending when the 
profiles were created.

By being able to return a printer's colour output to a known state, even when swapping in 
new ink cartridges or paper (of the same type but from a different media lot), it may not 
be necessary to generate a new custom profile as frequently. Instead, ColorBase can be 
used to bring the printer back to a state that closely resembles when the custom profile 
was made, by accounting for colour differences resulting from the new ink or media lot, 
changes in temperature and humidity, a shift in printer output after it has been 
transported and more."


ColorBase does not discriminate against third party profiles and printer optimisation apply 
regardless of profiles source.  If PrintFix profiles are created after printer calibration with 
ColorBase that means subsequent calibrations will bring the printer in the same 
performing state as it was before profiling with PrintFix. This is confirmed by Michael 
Reichmann experience posted on his site. To quote,

"So, if the Pro printers are calibrated at the factory, what on earth is ColorBase for, and 
why would you need it?

My own testing shows that the visible difference between printing with the calibration file 
active, and not, with both Epson's provided profiles and my own created with Gretag 
Macbeth's Eye One for my 4800, are very slight, but visible. On Enhanced Matte, my usual 
paper, I can see a slight increase in red density, as the most obvious difference."

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
>
> I don't really expect this will be superior to simply profiling the 
> printer with PrintFIX PRO, or Spyder3Print. The place where ColorBase 
> would be useful would be if you owned two or more printers of the same 
> model, that did not print similarly, and you wished to match them to 
> each other, so that you could print interchangably to them using the 
> same profile...
> 
> C. David Tobie
> Product Technology Manager
> ColorVision, Inc.
> CDTobie@...
> www.colorvision.com