Datacolor User to User Support Group.

OK, I installed the PB version of Spyder3 Print and, finally, profiled the Epson Velvet Fine Art paper. A bit more comment about the "finally" below. Results - outstanding! By that I mean the print is about as close as you could hope for between hard copy and the monitor. My monitor, as I mentioned a day or so ago, I profiled with the Spyder3 Elite. Really, the system works, at least with this (difficult in the past) paper, just great.

On the "finally" part what I can offer is just patch measuring learnings by a newbie with the Spectro.

First, after I screwed up 2 or three patch measurement series, and the profiles that went with them, I started to pay attention. Always a last resort - I know. A few observations for those just starting with the equipment.

1. The recommendation in the dialog to turn the paper sideways is a good one. It just helps with the movement of the Spectro from patch to patch.

2. You have to have the Spectro "snout" aligned better than I at least first thought.

3. A good way to make sure you are aligned properly is to use the supplied "Print Guide Rule" even though, evidently, experienced users don't need it - or maybe they just say they don't?. 

When you use it you will be perfectly aligned on the patch row and only need to pay attention to the patch to patch alignment within the row. I finally got the patch to patch alignment right by looking at the "snout" on the paper and after moving it past the nearest white divider between patches then moving it back slightly in past the divider onto the patch, then maybe a little more. 

In other words, cover up the nearest white divider of the new patch with the snout and then move back in slightly just past the white divider. It's easy to see that way. Then click the Spectro or hit return as is your preference. I find clicking the Spectro is easier for me.

3. On occasion, after clicking the Spectro, or hitting return, you will get only one audio "click" from the computer, rather than two. I don't know why. In that case with the arrow keys I move the red triangle back and "reshoot" that patch. Maybe unnecessary but who want to take a chance. This happens to me only now and then.

4. So far, for me, I have settled on the "measured" view of the patches during measurement. After coming upon the system described in (2) above I find looking at the measured patches, not the split, and after finishing each row comparing it to the hard copy being measured, tells me if I have shot a good row. On occasion, maybe 3 or 4 of the 225 patches I use I will see one that despite your best efforts needs to be tried again. In my very much limited experience it's easier to spot those if you review after each row rather that at the end of the whole thing looking at the whole array of patches.

5. In reviewing the measured patches as in (4) above, pay little or no attention to the brightness or completely exact color. Often it won't be exactly the same. It's just that if the comparison shows a nonsense measurement you can see it. I think a nonsense read is because of slopping over onto the white divider between patches - but who knows?

Happy as a clam so far with the Spyder3 Studio. My next step is to redo the Epson Premium Luster profile I did. Did that yesterday in hurry just after installation. The print was ok - acceptable - compared to the display. But this was before I had major issues with my first attempts with the Velvet Fine Art today, then started paying attention with the patch measurements, etc.

I'm sure when I redo the profile for the Premium Luster it'll be even better. It may sound like my little newbie patch reading system is too much but it probably takes maybe 30% more time than doing a sloppy job - which with color profiling is a job not worth doing - no?

Moving right along and happy with the new equipment. And I thought the Spyder2Express was good. It was, but little did I know.

Pat