Printer profile: Colormunki native software vs ArgyllCMS

[pharmacist]

I have been producing many printer profiles for different ink sets for my printers using my Colormunki Photo and a few years ago I tried ArgyllCMS. It was quite cumbersome to type in the cryptic commands to produce the different files and finally to obtain the printer profile. I can say the results are fantastic.

The normal X-Rite Colormunki software uses a two-step method to produce a printer profile: first you will have to print a target of 50 patches, read the patches from which the software calculate a second target, which depends on the measurement obtained from the first target and it calculates the final printer profile from this two step method. The results in most cases are quite good.

You can however optimize this profile. I use a two step method, based on a variety of pictures: one picture containing real world pictures like trees, wood, water, air, stone and a second one containing out of gamut colors, a black and white picture with 256 grades of grey and facial expressions from all the major ethnic human groups. This way the X-Rite printer profile can handle all these critical colors, especially grey tones, out-of-gamut colors (to obtain a satisfactory perceptual rendition of this colors), buildings, trees, stones and skin tones.

The second method I use, which now I favor more and more is the 480 patch target based method using ArgyllCMS. After experimenting with different patch size up to more than 1500 patches spread over several pages, I came to the conclusion this 480 patch target gives me the best results and only using one sheet of A4 paper and see the results for yourself:

Printer: Epson 1500W using a generic Dye CcMmYK ink from Aliexpress.com (for L800 printers)
Left: printed with profile produced with X-Rite Colormunki native software with 2 optimizations
Right: printed using ArgyllCMS method based on my 480 target profile.

(both printed with perceptual intent + black point compensation on)

As you can see the black and white rendition is better with the ArgyllCMS method and more neutral than the left side, which tends to be warmer and more sepia. Also the skin tones are better with the ArgyllCMS method. Also the gradient from white to black is more gradual (the circle and the square from white to black)

 

[Umberto Gladys]

I've done about 40 paper profiles with ArgyllCMS on both HP and Epson large format printers. I saved all my targen, printtarg, chartread, colprof commands to a text file and it's very easy to modify old ones for new paper with just a few changes. I use a Logan ruler to help the Colormunki align to the patches and very rarely have a misread strip. I've gone up to 2500 patches but there is really no need to go above 500.

ArgyllCMS is a great free solution and I've donated to his project several times. As you've shown above the grays are more neutral with the ArgyllCMS profile and that is my finding as well.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

It is interesting to see how good a Color Munki profile can already be with such a small number of patches. And it may be interesting as well for comparison how such printouts would look with an ArgyllCMS profile based on 100 or so patches. Color Munki appears to be quite a good profile starter package to get into profiling.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

I have been producing many printer profiles for different ink sets for my printers using my Colormunki Photo and a few years ago I tried ArgyllCMS. It was quite cumbersome to type in the cryptic commands to produce the different files and finally to obtain the printer profile. I can say the results are fantastic.

You have convinced me.

I am somewhat satisfied with my Colormunki and have always hankered after upgrading the i1Pro2, but quite frankly the expense if a bit too much for my strictly serious amateur needs. Plus I have just concluded a six week dispute with Xrite and do not feel inclined to support them further. But that is another story.

I tried the ArgyllCMS about 5 years ago and had difficulty installing and getting it to recognize my spectrophotometer. I think at the time I was using Data colour Spyder Print, and it was before I changed to Colormunki.



My Questions:

How complicated is the install and set up?

Do you have any links to the best download, documentation, and FAQ sites?

Any sage advice for a new adoptee? Not being a "techie" I have always been somewhat leery of open source products.



rs

 

[pharmacist]

Hi Roy,

About setup: for the latest Windows versions driver without digital signature (ArgyllCMS), you will have to:

Hold the shift key while clicking on Restart
Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart en choose item 7 (I believe, something concerning driver installation).

This is something you will need to take into your mind when you want to install the ArgyllCMS to replace the X-rite driver.

And have a look here:
https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...p-argyll-cms-profiling-on-your-computer.8570/

The Hat made a comprehensive guide and also the 480 target set can be downloaded.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

Hi Roy,

About setup: for the latest Windows versions driver without digital signature (ArgyllCMS), you will have to:

Hold the shift key while clicking on Restart
Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart en choose item 7 (I believe, something concerning driver installation).

This is something you will need to take into your mind when you want to install the ArgyllCMS to replace the X-rite driver.

And have a look here:
https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...p-argyll-cms-profiling-on-your-computer.8570/

The Hat made a comprehensive guide and also the 480 target set can be downloaded.

Thanks for the info - very useful and I will start to explore it.

Getting it working will be my winter project instead of going outside at -25 degrees and taking photographs. Too quick we get old, and too slow we get smart.

rs

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I found an article for the interested comparing ColorMunki and ArgyllCMS accuracy
https://www.ludd.ltu.se/~torger/photography/argyll-print.html

 

[stratman]

I found an article for the interested comparing ColorMunki and ArgyllCMS accuracy
https://www.ludd.ltu.se/~torger/photography/argyll-print.html

One helluva ArgyllCMS tutorial! Good find, ISF.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Good find, ISF.

Actually by accident - (or should I say by intelligence of the search engine ?) - neither ArgyllCMS nor ColorMunki were the keywords for the search, the search was just remotely related to profiling/color management.......

 

[palombian]

I found an article for the interested comparing ColorMunki and ArgyllCMS accuracy
https://www.ludd.ltu.se/~torger/photography/argyll-print.html

Great article.

Maybe I should switch to Argyll also.
Hope I can get rid this way of the mandatory calibration in the Xrite software since my Colormunki position switch has become very erratic (and Xrite kindly refused to replace ).