Editing the Printer Profiles

The ability to edit printer profiles was first introduced into MonacoEZcolor at version 2. The actual tools don't appear to have changed along the way, but it is still worth highlighting some aspects of the workflow.

Generally "output" profiles contain information relating to how the data being sent to the printer should be altered for optimum results and a second component that ensures the Softproof on our monitor properly reflects how this print will appear. Both components of the profile must be accurate, but quite often it will be the case that they are not the same. MonacoEZcolor provides the tools to enable the user to edit both components of the profiles independently (Figure 6). 

 

Figure 6

 

If we find that our initial profile produces a print that does not reflect what we see in the Photoshop Proof Preview mode then it is likely that the preview component of the profile will benefit from some fine-tuning. Basically we will be editing the profile so that the PREVIEW on our monitor matches the print. This is achieved by selecting Method 1 from the dialog shown in figure 6 above. Figure 7 below shows the dialog that appears when method 1 is selected.

 

Figure 7

 

However, if we find that the print matches the Photoshop preview but is unacceptable due to colour cast, brightness, contrast, etc. then we should choose Method 2 (Figure 8)

 

Figure 8

 

Method 2 allows us to edit the profile so that the final print looks the way we want it. For example the original may well have printed with an excessive yellow cast; in which case we edit the profile to remove the yellow cast. Likewise if the print is dark compared to the preview we must increase brightness and so on. Strictly speaking we MUST be satisfied that the results from method 1 are to our satisfaction (i.e. the preview MATCHES the print - not better and not worse) before moving onto method 2.

The screenshot below (Figure 9) shows the actual profile editing dialog with Before and After images displayed (After available in Method 2 only).

 

Figure 9

 

Given that MonacoEZcolor is not intended to be a high-end-all-singing-and-dancing solution the editor is reasonably complete in the tools that it provides. The preview screen can be resized to suite your needs and the Editing tools placed anywhere on the desktop.

Conclusions

As with version 2.2 and subsequently 2.5  I found visual profiling of the monitor to be acceptable, but the NEW MonacoOPTIX XR (not to be confused with the original OPTIX puck shaped colorimeter reviewed elsewhere on this site) is definitely the way to go, especially if using an LCD type display. MonacoEZcolor 2.6 has many  unique features; all of which make the process of creating and editing ICC profiles easy.

Profiling scanners and displays with MonacoEZcolor 2.6 was pain free and I doubt that many would be justified in being critical of the results. However, as with all scanner based profiling applications MonacoEZcolor 2.6 has its moments when it comes to printer profiles. The biggest limitation is the dependence upon the flatbed scanner for capturing the printed targets. Scanners were never designed to be used as spectrophotometers and so there will always be aspects of the printer profile that doesn't quite meet expectations. I found that like previous versions of EZcolor version 2.6 handled the majority of media and ink types quite well, except when printing on Epson's Enhanced Matte paper, which still tended to have odd hue shifts in saturated blues. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that this is an anomaly caused by my scanner rather than any defect in EZcolor, but it's still annoying. The profile editor is a nice touch and I found it to be intuitive and very easy to use.

During my testing I found that major edits could be undertaken without any significant detrimental impact on the overall quality of the resulting profile. The ease with which the user can edit the softproof preview component of the profile makes simple an aspect that is normally very complex.

MonacoEZcolor is fully compatible with Windows and Macintosh computers. The package itself comes in various flavours: a software version upgrade for $99.00, a full software only version for $299.00, a bundled version that includes the MonacoOPTIX XR colorimeter for $548.00. For further information on MonacoEZcolor and other products from Monaco Systems simply click the following link http://www.monacosys.com