Screen Calibration

Monitor brightness vs print Luminosity

Today’s ultra-bright monitors may misrepresent the brightness of your actual print. Colours are shown on screen via an array of light-emitting diodes (or conductors in LCD). Colours are represented on paper using pigments. By definition, this means there will be a change in luminosity between the two mediums. This will be more apparent on matt papers than gloss.

The issue of excessively dark Giclee prints can be attributed to various factors, predominantly related to colour management and calibration. In particular, the monitor used during the editing process may be excessively bright, leading to edits that appear balanced on the screen but translate as overly dark in print. Such issues can also stem from inadequate monitor calibration, where brightness and contrast settings are not adjusted correctly.

Furthermore, inconsistent lighting conditions during print evaluation can corrupt brightness and colour accuracy perceptions. To mitigate this issue, it is crucial to properly calibrate the monitor using reliable tools to ensure accurate colour representation.

Calibrating your monitor

The calibration of monitors is a fundamental step in ensuring the accurate representation of colours and optimal display quality in digital work. To accomplish this, it is necessary to have a reliable calibration tool, such as the ColorMunki or Spyder series, which are readily available in the market.

To begin the calibration process, install the software that accompanies the calibration device of your choice. Then, you can connect the calibration tool to your computer and follow the on-screen instructions. During calibration, your monitor will display a series of colours and tones. The calibration tool measures these colours and adjusts your monitor settings to create a balanced and accurate colour profile. During the calibration process, ensuring that you are in a well-lit room with consistent lighting conditions is crucial. External lighting can significantly affect your perception of colours.

Avoid manually adjusting your monitor settings while the calibration process is underway, as this can interfere with the results. After calibration, the software will save a colour profile that your operating system uses to display colours accurately. It is advisable to recalibrate your monitor regularly, primarily if you work professionally with colours, as monitors can shift over time.

Calibrating your monitor correctly instils confidence in your digital editing, ensuring that the colours you see on the screen are true to life and that your prints and digital artwork accurately reflect your creative vision.

If you have a laptop, we can calibrate your monitor for you - contact us for pricing and availability.

Soft-Proofing your images

There are variables you can control to ensure your print is as bright as you’d like. Once you've calibrated your monitor, you can look at soft-proofing your images.