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PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by firefly_9909

I've just purchased PrintfixPro 1.0 and I'm having calibration 
problems with the instrument.

After calibrating the Spectrocolorimeter if I then "measure" the white 
tile I get a reading (Lab) of 89.87 -0.92 -1.22 and the colour 
displayed on my screen is grey not white. I get the same reading from 
the white patch on the printed target.  
Why don't I get a reading of  100, 0, 0?  Is the Spectrocolorimeter 
faulty?

Any advice?

Thanks,

Robert

Re: [colorvision_group] PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by David Miller

>I've just purchased PrintfixPro 1.0 and I'm having calibration
>problems with the instrument.
>
>After calibrating the Spectrocolorimeter if I then "measure" the white
>tile I get a reading (Lab) of 89.87 -0.92 -1.22 and the colour
>displayed on my screen is grey not white. I get the same reading from
>the white patch on the printed target.
>Why don't I get a reading of 100, 0, 0? Is the Spectrocolorimeter
>faulty?
>
>Any advice?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Robert

Robert,

No, what you're getting is fine; the white calibration tile is not supposed
to measure as a "perfect" white of 100, 0, 0. Mine measures as 90.22, -0.97,
-0.99.

It's not expected that you'd get exactly the same reading from the paper
white for a given sheet of paper, but it's not impossible, either. Try
meausuring a few -different- kinds of paper and you should see the numbers
change.


Best regards,

-- 
David Miller
Senior Software Developer, Digital Color Solutions
ColorVision

Re: PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by firefly_9909

David,

Thanks for replying so promptly.  I guess what confused me is when 
I "measure" the tile or a white patch the colour displayed on the 
screen is "grey" not "white" as I expected.
I will continue profiling.

Regards,
Robert

Re: [colorvision_group] PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 7/10/06 9:27:20 AM, firefly_9909@... writes:


After calibrating the Spectrocolorimeter if I then "measure" the white
tile I get a reading (Lab) of 89.87 -0.92 -1.22 and the colour
displayed on my screen is grey not white. I get the same reading from
the white patch on the printed target.
Why don't I get a reading of 100, 0, 0? Is the Spectrocolorimeter
faulty?

Are you assuming that all paper, and white tiles, are perfectly white? Or that all ink is perfectly black? Neither is the case, and the results you are seeing are correct. Measuring the degree and color of the "not-whiteness" of paper, and the "not-blackness" of ink is an important function of using a spectro.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 7/10/06 10:14:30 AM, firefly_9909@... writes:


Thanks for replying so promptly. I guess what confused me is when
I "measure" the tile or a white patch the colour displayed on the
screen is "grey" not "white" as I expected.
I will continue profiling.



Your eye adapts to paper white; at least until you lay a "whiter" sheet on top of it. People love Entrada Natural, and claim the tone of it is fine with them, until you overlap a sheet of Entrada Bright (same paper, but with optical brighteners) over it, at which point the Entrada Natural looks both dull, and yellow. On screen, there are white elements that your eye anchors to as white, and the dimmer white of the measured paper looks gray by comparison. But if your whole screen were that tone, your eye would define it as white almost instantly. Hmmm... I seem to recall discussing this in terms of projector calibration, just the other day.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com

Re: PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by firefly_9909

I was assuming that the white calibration tile supplied with the 
device really was "white".
I assume it must calibrate to "90% white".

Regards,
Robert

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: PrintFixPro Calibration Problem

2006-07-10 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 7/10/06 10:46:44 AM, firefly_9909@... writes:


I was assuming that the white calibration tile supplied with the
device really was "white".

Creating white tiles that measure L=100 is highly problematic, due to the artificial whiteners involved. It is typical for the white tiles of even laboratory-grade devices (that cost more than my car) to be in the low nineties.

I assume it must calibrate to "90% white".

It calibrates to whatever tile it is trained to at the factory. There is a much more laboratory-grade device there which reads the white tile, and defines a value for it. The PrintFIX PRO spectro then reads the same tile, and calibrates to this factory value. This is, pretty much universally, how any device is trained to a white tile before being shipped.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Unit
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com

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