X-Rite CMUNPH ColorMunki Photo Save 11% off

I''ve been giving the ColorMunki a workout for several weeks and find that it is easy to use and my print colors have never been more accurate. It replaces a first generation Pantone Colorvision Sypder I bought in 2002. My desktop is year old quad core PC from HP running Windows Vista Ultimate, an Acer Ferarri 20-inch LCD monitor and photo printer is an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer. I''ve seen a number of negative reviews here that leave me baffled, so I offer some advice.

1) Before you install ColorMunki software, be sure to un-install and/or disable other color management software, like Adobe Gamma. On Windows, I''d recommend using a good registry cleaner, like RegCure, to insure no color management applications are being loaded in the background.

2) Check to make sure your graphics card software is set to the defaults. Some games and photo editing software might "tweak" the color management settings.

3) The ColorMunki "Easy" mode calibration requires a good, late model graphics card and software controllable graphics monitor. For best results, use the "Adanced" mode and check both "Optimize brightness" and "Optimize Luminance" boxes.

4) Don''t calibrate you in monitor in "Advanced" mode a darkened room. A fairly high level of ambient light is needed to set reasonable levels of brightness and luminance on your monitor. This is likely the source of comments that brightnees on iMacs and other LCD monitors can''t be turned down enough to make the ColorMunki happy.

5) When creating paper profiles a) allow test prints to dry at least two hours before you scan them and b) make sure you scan the strips on top of a white card or stack of like paper. My fist calibration of Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Matte paper was a little off because I scanned it directly on my blonde wood desk.

6) Most laptop displays really cannot be calibrated adequately for critical color work because they use an integrated GPU with limited capability. Results are going to be disappointing if the laptop does not have a dedicated GPU, like the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 or nVidia GeForce 9600M GT and fully adjustable display. Only high end laptops meet this criteria, like the new MacBook Pro or HP Pavilion X16-1040.

7) Take your time. The brightness and luminance readings take about 30 seconds each time you make a change.

(written after two months of use)

PROS:

* Probably the most reasonably priced spectrophotometer on the market. Colorimeters are cheaper, but inferior.

* Extremely versatile in its ability to profile screens, projectors, printers and measure ambient light intensity in a single piece of hardware.

* Color profiles produced are very accurate, even profiles I''ve made for one printer using aftermarket inks significantly different from OEM in gamut and intensity.

CONS:

* Design of hardware is stylish, but at the expense of being practical. Rotating wheel can be difficult to turn and it is very easy to depress the button unintentionally.

* Software too simplistic and not likely to change. There are no true advanced options. The only "advanced" mode exists in monitor profiles, where it will measure ambient light and adjust display intensity accordingly, in addition to the color profiling.

I have a case where my printed photo profiles, while accurate, are too dark for intended viewing conditions. There is no way to tell the software to use a different tonal curve or tweak anything else, such as ink density, when the profile is made. As a result, I have to manually adjust every one of these images in photoshop before printing, which is a huge hassle. Even after lightening in ps, sometimes images are still too dark.

Note that this problem I have seems to vary with media type. Some media profiles do not exhibit this problem at all; it appears to be most pronounced in coated glossy photo paper.

I also fear X-Rite will never make the ColorMunki compatible with any of their more advanced software to prevent competition with their more expensive hardware. After all, why would all but the most serious photographers spend 3x + more on the next step up profiling hardware for a small incremental improvement in the hardware itself?

* Printer profiles can only be made on 8.5 x 11 or larger media due to the way it prints swatches for measurement. If you have smaller media, such as 4x6, you need to purchase larger of the exact same paper to get an accurate profile. Unfortunately, with media such as CDs, you''re out of luck. X-Rite should make media profiling more flexible in this regard.

* Printer profiles have to be created one at a time, and the software cannot be closed during the process. The printer profile process works as follows: you print the initial set of swatches (will always be the same for any media or printer), give sufficient drying time, read the swatches with the ColorMunki, print a second set of swatches automatically generated and based on the results of the first scan (these swatches will vary depending on media, etc. and can have slight variations even using the same media, printer and initial swatch printing), allow sufficient dry time for the second set then finally read this second set with the ColorMunki. The problem is if you are using media with very long dry times (or wish to provide long dry times) or need to profile many different types of media. The initial set of swatches can all be printed in advance, with appropriate dry times given, but once the second set has been printed, closing the application will require you re-print the second set; your progress cannot be saved and resumed later.

I suspect this was an intentional software design to prevent using this device for remote profiling, although anyone providing such services should be using high-end, professionally calibrated equipment.

* A minor quibble, but the zipper on the cloth zippered case with the counterweight broke two weeks after purchase. Since the case is somewhat necessary for monitor profiling (you can hold the device up to the screen, but must be careful not to press it on an LCD display). The case should have a more durable design, such as Velcro flaps for the enclosure and riveted hooks to attach the counterweight, rather than the (now broken) zipper.

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Alright, no one wants to listen to me ramble or wax poetic, so here it is, short and sweet: I have used other monitor profiling hardware in the past, and all of them work to some extent, but nothing, regardless of cost, can compare with the X-Rite ColorMunki Photo. It is the most accurate and predictable piece of equipment like this I''ve ever used, and if all it did were accurately profile my dual displays, so that they finally matched for the first time since being purchased, that would be reason enough to be completely satisfied.

However, the real reason that I love my ColorMunki is that it also accurately profiles my Epson large-format printer. For the first time since buying this expensive puppy, what I see on my monitor actually appears on the prints that I produce. Regardless of whether the paper is watercolor, semi-gloss, glossy, or professional velvet, when the appropriate profile is created and then selected, the results are always 100% accurate and predictable. When you''re spending approximately $15 out-of-pocket for every print that comes out of this machine, mistakes are costly and amount to considerable money very quickly. In the first month since acquiring it, I have easily paid for my ColorMunki in paper and ink savings alone, to say nothing of the enormous amount of time and frustration that has been saved. Recently, I created a dozen large-format prints that I had orders for using only twelve sheets of paper. Previously, I would''ve used between thirty-six and forty-eight to end up with perfect final products. That means, from this one print job alone, my ColorMunki saved me between $360 and $540!

Buy your X-Rite ColorMunki Photo with absolute confidence, but don''t second-guess the setup or calibration procedure in any way. Follow the steps exactly as they are outlined in the extremely simple onscreen tutorial and your results will always be spectacular.

Read Best Reviews of X-Rite CMUNPH ColorMunki Photo Here

I''ve used a number of color calibration tools, and find the munki to be about the best for the money. (I use it on a Mac Pro with a 30" monitor and an HP B9180 printer.)

Color profiles are very tricky to use on the Mac, and even trickier on Windows. Basically, you need to make very, very sure that you''re not correcting the image twice. In Lightroom, for example, there''s a pulldown for whether LR or the printer manages its colors. Make sure your setting matches the printer driver''s setup! (This is somewhat done for you on the Mac, but not on Windows.)

Lightroom is the easiest tool to use for printing, at least in my experience. Doing it from Photoshop is harder, and you often have to wrestle with the various settings to get it right.

Anyway, I believe this double-correction issue has more to do with the negative reviews than any problems with the device itself. The munki is very, very easy to use. A lot of stuff that would be a lot of work in other tools (e.g. color calibration targets) is all integral to the device, and well managed by the munki software. The profiles themselves are absolutely great -at least for my setup.

Finally, if you care about getting photographs right -both on screen and on paper -a tool like the munki is essential. Editing photos on a well calibrated monitor will help ensure your photos will have a life beyond your current computer or screen. Imagine the trouble if you notice all your old pictures look a little greenish on your next computer. Which was right, your new machine or your old? And will you enjoy editing 5,000 pictures to fix the problem?

Bottom line: great tool for the dedicated amateur photographer. Everyone should at least calibrate their monitors. If a munki seems a little rich for your blood, then consider a Pantone Huey instead: Pantone huey MEU101

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Several issues with this product, all software related. I haven''t gotten far enough to qualify the icc results. First of all, the CD you receive has nothing on it except a small application that downloads the actual software. So, no internet connection, no calibration. I was installing on a laptop, and luckily was at home. Second, you only get three machine activations of the software.. after that I guess your Colormunki becomes an expensive paperweight. Good thing my camera isn''t restricted to 3 machines, or I''d really be in trouble. You also need that internet connection to "activate" your software. Under OSX it seems to only activate it for a single account. Thirdly, I was only able to calibrate one of my two monitors, the software produces an errors for the second. I''ll finish testing, but the 3 machine software installation limit for an expensive piece of hardware is asinine, and will most likely result in a return... especially since I have 4 machines at home.

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