Datacolor User to User Support Group.

Seeing all of the postings about guides for reading patches, I decided  
to see what I could make with simple tools and scrap materials.

It took me about 30 minutes to make the guide shown in the picture I  
just uploaded.

I drew a line across a piece of *thin* Plexiglass (no more than 2mm  
thick, and thinner if you have it available) with a thin marking pen,  
set it on top of a printed target and marked the left-hand edge of  
each patch on the line (the edge is easier to find than the center).   
Then I drilled 3/8" holes centered on each of the marks, using an  
electric drill and a brad-point bit. If you go slowly, friction will  
melt the Plexiglass and the hole will be fairly neat. Then I smoothed  
up the holes and edges with a piece of 150 grade sand paper.

The Plexiglass has to be thin or the reading snout on the reader will  
not sit flat against the target.  The thinnest I had lying around was  
2mm, but I'm pretty sure something thinner is available.

You can also make the guide from aluminum or other thin metal, but  
being able to see through it is probably an advantage.

I haven't tested the guide in the heat of battle, but it certainly  
does eliminate the head-almost-on-the-table bad posture I normally  
exhibit when reading patches.

Myron Gochnauer