Making a printer profile by using your digital camera

[martin0reg]

"Innovative new color management" for printers by using a digital camera:
..only in german so far..
http://www.colymp.com/

I made a quick test and here is my first experience:

Workflow:
- install the programm "colymProfiler" * (a free test version is available online, making prints with "white stripes")
- print the testchart out of the software with your printer
- take a photo of this print with your camera (settings neutral, manual WB on the white borders)
- save this photo and let colymp calibrate it.
The result is a calibration or printer profile for photos of this camera printed with this printer setting + ink + paper.

Now there will appear a virtual printer in your windows system called "colymPrint", you can print out of all editors.
But you can also export ICC profiles from your calibrations for use with adobe and co.

The quality of the profiles depends much on the quality of the photo of the printed test chart. Pay attention on exposure and white balance of the camera (no "vivid" or similar settings) and on neutral, uniform lighting too.
If the camera gives neutral colors, the profile could also match other cameras more or less.
You can shoot more than one photo (of the printed test chart) and use them for one profile, colymp will calculate the average.

In my opinion it is an interesting approach, if you don't have a spyder print or colormunki.
I posted a few more info's here:
http://www.dslr-forum.de/showthread.php?t=1179409&page=2
with a test photo of two prints, using canon driver settings and colymp profile:
http://forum.colymp.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5281


PS:
Now I have read something on the download site of colymp, that I don't really understand:
"...Download, purchase and use of colymp are permitted only within Europe..."
Sorry for that...I will ask the author in the colymp forum...

 

[Grandad35]

An interesting concept, but doesn't it assume that your camera is calibrated? Even if you like the results, they would only be valid for the specific lighting used when taking the photo of the print.

For the 69 Euro price (if I read it correctly), wouldn't most people be better off using a traditional profiling service?

 

[martin0reg]

Yes - the camera is included in the profile.
So it is actually a profile for the printer+ink+paper AND the camera.

My first attempts ended in slightly cold and bluish prints.
But after taking more attention on the lighting and the WB while shooting the printed test chart, it is getting better.
And after making one profile with photos of more than one camera (and different lighting) the profile is getting more "universal", usable with not only one camera.

Printer Profiling is not an easy thing, but for now this seems to be easier than measuring hundreds of color fields by hand.

 

[martin0reg]

Old thread .. but as I am using the software lately more and more, here is a result of profiling an inkjet paper in a canon A4 printer with 3rd party ink, using two cameras:
http://forum.colymp.com/download/file.php?id=14&sid=45ea8a6726023b458d59cc421183bdd1

So once you have found the right camera model with neutral settings and lighting (for me it's a sony RX100) the resulting profile surely can be used not only for photos of this camera ... and your workflow is getting easier
Beside this the software has a "virtual printer" module, which makes it very easy to choose a certain ICC profile, although the printer (like most A4 models) has no color management and does not support the choice of ICC profiles...

 

[cls]

It's only for Europe since there is a patent. (german Verfahrens patent für technischen Anlauf) Since it's registered in the USA and maybe other countries it would possibly be illegal to use it. Lol

I ddi software had a similar piece of application. (Qimage developers) I might be wrong about it but I am almost shure

 

[George in Georgia]

It's only for Europe since there is a patent. (german Verfahrens patent für technischen Anlauf) Since it's registered in the USA and maybe other countries it would possibly be illegal to use it. Lol

I ddi software had a similar piece of application. (Qimage developers) I might be wrong about it but I am almost shure

You're thinking of ProfilePrism http://www.ddisoftware.com/prism/ I used it with considerable success with my Epson R 1800. You need a decent flatbed scanner, I used my Epson V700, and of course a properly calibrated monitor. If you follow the link you can learn more.

 

[martin0reg]

The concept of profiling with a scanner I know from "vuescan"...I tried it with no success and could not find the reason.
With colymp I found the reasons of bad results - and was able to avoid them (more or less honestly)

BTW profiling a printer by itself depends NOT on a profiled monitor.
A good profiled monitor may be important for correct editing of your photos and also for matching more or less the printer contrast and colors ("soft proof")
But the profiling of a printer (with colymp as well as with colorimeters like colormunki) itself does NOT take in any account the monitor - and vice versa..

 

[cls]

martin should I borrow you one i1 Pro? to do it once put properly?

 

[martin0reg]

Only as a gift...I am stingy otherwise would have bought me a colormunki long time ago..

 

[George in Georgia]

The concept of profiling with a scanner I know from "vuescan"...I tried it with no success and could not find the reason.
With colymp I found the reasons of bad results - and was able to avoid them (more or less honestly)

BTW profiling a printer by itself depends NOT on a profiled monitor.
A good profiled monitor may be important for correct editing of your photos and also for matching more or less the printer contrast and colors ("soft proof")
But the profiling of a printer (with colymp as well as with colorimeters like colormunki) itself does NOT take in any account the monitor - and vice versa..

I stand corrected. But without a calibrated monitor many of the benefits of developing profiles are lost.