Datacolor User to User Support Group.

I have been a Spyder user for about 5 years and durimng that time had to have one spyder replaced, then numerous USB recognition problems. Bought another and then eventually gave up. I still use Colorvision kit for print calibration and this seems pretty good, but for monitor calibration, I went over to the opposition and have had no problems since with the 20 or so Macs and PC's that I calibrate.

I have been hanging around on this forum for quite a while now noticing the myriad of problems that others are encountering.

I am coming to the conclusion that the Spyder range of kit and software is fundamentally flawed. Cheaper yes, but in terms of stress, downtime and lack of confidence in the product, simply not worth the effort.

CT Tobie valiantly supports the product. Hats off to you and thanks for all the help that you have tried to render.

All the best

John Malcolm

>>I have been hanging around on this forum for quite a while now noticing the myriad of problems that others are encountering.

That's what forums are for. Reading the Epson printer forums would scare any potential user away; yet I've had dozens of Epson printer models and haven't experienced but a small fraction of those issues. 

The return rate on Spyders for technical reasons is down at a fraction of one percent, so your issues are not typical of user experience, even if they are typical of problems, if you follow my meaning. 

The Spyder 3 had proven to be our least problematic product ever, and we continue to improve on it with internal tweaks over time. In fact, I've heard a lot more people complain about problems with competing colorimeters in the last couple of years than with Spyders. 

C. D. Tobie
Global Product Technology Mngr.
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
Datacolor.com
CDTobie@...

On Sep 3, 2010, at 6:55 PM, "jjmalcolm2004" <johnmalcolm@...> wrote:

> I have been hanging around on this forum for quite a while now noticing the myriad of problems that others are encountering.

>>Graceful reply to what seemed an, at best, naive attack.

Thank you. I would like to think it was that. There has been a groundswell of what I will politely call "intentional mudslinging" on a wide range of forums of late... Which I always find quite disappointing. I enjoy a spirited discussion, but not with a shill. 

C. D. Tobie
Global Product Technology Mngr.
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
Datacolor.com
CDTobie@...

On Sep 3, 2010, at 8:34 PM, Sat Tara Khalsa <sattara@...> wrote:

> Graceful reply to what seemed an, at best, naive attack.

Had to look up what a "shill" was. What an interesting concept. A 'plant" to encourage a gullible crowd to buy a product - often employed by con-men, according to Wikipaedia. I am sure that's  not what was meant since others were suggesting that I was undertaking a naive attack. 

However, I WAS merely an ordinary customer reporting my experiences based on actual events which can be supported by an email audit trail and receipts. Hardly naive and hardly an attack - unless of course my comments were a bit close to a raw nerve then any suggestion of criticism would of course be a vicious and painful attack.

I am delighted to hear that the return rates for the Spyder 3 has improved. Having suffered with the previous two models I was not prepared to risk another. I am sure it is a fine product and an improvement.

Yes, Epson printers are a pain. I run 5 of them at different sizes and models. But when they go wrong it is pretty obvious. When calibration goes wrong, it isn't.

Meantime the PrintFix Pro solution continues to do stirling service.

All the best,

--- In datacolor_group@yahoogroups.com, Cdtobie <CDTobie@...> wrote:

>
> >>Graceful reply to what seemed an, at best, naive attack.
> 
> Thank you. I would like to think it was that. There has been a groundswell of what I will politely call "intentional mudslinging" on a wide range of forums of late... Which I always find quite disappointing. I enjoy a spirited discussion, but not with a shill. 
> 
> C. D. Tobie
> Global Product Technology Mngr.
> Digital Imaging & Home Theater
> Datacolor.com
> CDTobie@...
> 
> On Sep 3, 2010, at 8:34 PM, Sat Tara Khalsa <sattara@...> wrote:
> 
> > Graceful reply to what seemed an, at best, naive attack.
>

On Sep 8, 2010, at 8:07 AM, jjmalcolm2004 wrote:

> Had to look up what a "shill" was. What an interesting concept. A 'plant" to encourage a gullible crowd to buy a product - 

Sorry, didn't mean to become unduly literary... in this day and age the concept extends to those planted to do the opposite as well. Sadly, we see quite a bit of that on the web.

> Meantime the PrintFix Pro solution continues to do stirling service.

Glad you have at least one DC product you are satisfied with; and the one nearest and dearest to my heart, at that...

C. David Tobie
Global Product Technology Manager
Digital Imaging & Home Theater
CDTobie@...