Calibrating Dell 2209WA

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Dan1502

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Dan
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I've recently bought one of these and am using it with my new Dell Vostro Desktop which has an Nvidia GeForce G310 512Mb graphics card.

I don't have a calibrator/software but wondered if someone who has calibrated their machine could let me know the settings.

My apologies if this not possible but I'm thinking that if it is then surely it should get the settings more or less right or at least better than as shipped. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

All I've done so far is reduce the brightness from 50% to 25%.

Thanks

Dan
 
If running Windows 7 there is a callibration option included. However most use a Spyder or similar device. There are other options but will depend on your output.
 
There are no "settings", as every monitor is unique, hence the need for calibration devices. :)

A single monitor can be different from week to week as LCD monitors generally "warm up" with age, which is why borrowing one to calibrate once as a one-off is counter productive (especially on a new monitor that's never been powered up before). After a month, the settings are going to be way off simply due to initial use on a new monitor.

Your best bet is just go to Google images, and search for calibration images (one with colour bars too), and tweak your settings til you see each of the gradients in each of the different colours.

That at least will give you a good starting point to keep you going until you can sort out a proper calibration device if it's important for you to eventually get one.
 
Thanks guys.

I'll try the Windows 7 calibration first (if I can find it!)

I only realised the full extent of the differences between monitors today when I edited an image on my personal laptop then emailed it to my work laptop which was right next to it. Both are Dell 17" Trulife screens but the difference was huge. That said, dropping the brightness by 25% on the newer machine made a big difference.

I can see that calibtration is important and presumably if my screen is properly calibrated I should get better prints if I send off for them (though I guess this depends on the printer at the other end being properly calibrated).
 
Having tried the Windows 7 calibration using the monitor adjustments rather than the graphics card (would using the Nvidia adjustments be better and setting that to control everything?) the only adjustment I could tell that was needed was reducing brightness to the minimum.
 
Neither of the above two are as good as a Spyder other calibration tool but better than nothing. You could be lucky and find it works but I'd try and get some sort of colour chart to compare too. I have one and check daily just incase the wrong profile has been loaded.
 
snapzz said:
Neither of the above two are as good as a Spyder other calibration tool but better than nothing. You could be lucky and find it works but I'd try and get some sort of colour chart to compare too. I have one and check daily just incase the wrong profile has been loaded.
Click to expand...

Where do you get a colour chart from?
 
Dan1502 said:
I've recently bought one of these and am using it with my new Dell Vostro Desktop which has an Nvidia GeForce G310 512Mb graphics card.

I don't have a calibrator/software but wondered if someone who has calibrated their machine could let me know the settings.

My apologies if this not possible but I'm thinking that if it is then surely it should get the settings more or less right or at least better than as shipped. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

All I've done so far is reduce the brightness from 50% to 25%.

Thanks

Dan
Click to expand...


Hi Dan

Just about everything that others have said, I would agree with.
However, here are my settings which may still be of interest to you.

Brightness: 0
Contrast: 74
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Mode Selection: Graphics
Preset Modes: Custom (RGB)

Sam-D
 
snapzz said:
Neither of the above two are as good as a Spyder other calibration tool
Click to expand...

I'm not going to get into an Spyder vs. Eye One debate, but having just switched from a Spyder to an Eye One (the version of the spyder I had only supported a single monitor setup, and I needed one that supported multiple monitor PCs), my screen is virtually identical now to my calibrated prints, where it used to be a little too warm and saturated with the Spyder.
 
Kaouthia said:
I'm not going to get into an Spyder vs. Eye One debate, but having just switched from a Spyder to an Eye One (the version of the spyder I had only supported a single monitor setup, and I needed one that supported multiple monitor PCs), my screen is virtually identical now to my calibrated prints, where it used to be a little too warm and saturated with the Spyder.
Click to expand...

Personally I couldnt argue one for the other but the Spyder3 does support multiple monitor calibration.
 
Sam-D said:
Hi Dan

Just about everything that others have said, I would agree with.
However, here are my settings which may still be of interest to you.

Brightness: 0
Contrast: 74
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Mode Selection: Graphics
Preset Modes: Custom (RGB)

Sam-D
Click to expand...

Thanks, mine is brightness 0, Contrast 75. I'll check the other settings.
 
snapzz said:
Personally I couldnt argue one for the other but the Spyder3 does support multiple monitor calibration.
Click to expand...

Would that be the Spyder3Express? Spyder3Pro? or Spyder3Elite? :)

There isn't only one version of each Spyder, nor only one version of the EyeOne, and not all of them support multiple monitors.

I was aware that there were versions of the Spyder that supported multiple monitors (the "Express", that I previously had, doesn't), but when I was looking to switch to a device that did support multiple monitors, I'd observed better results from the Eye One, so made the switch as I needed a new device anyway.
 
I am now considering whether or not to buy a calibrator myself but am still unsure of what I need and how easy the process is. I want to calibrate my screens and also caplibrate my home and work printers and/or have my screen calibrated such that professional prints should come out as on screen.

If this is a massive question I am asking, a tutorial, guide or other thread that covers all this would be good.

All I know is that I have gained a little knowledge and the more I delve into it, the more complex it becomes.
 
snapzz said:
If running Windows 7 there is a callibration option included. However most use a Spyder or similar device. There are other options but will depend on your output.
Click to expand...

When I installed W7 on my laptop the calibration option made the screen much more useable, previously it'd been horrible.

HTH

David
 
Just calibrating screens is easy and cheap, and you can get calibration devices anywhere from £80-150 that just do your monitor. If you want to do your printer too, you're looking at about £300+ for a kit that includes printer calibration.

But, there is an alternate solution for printers. Remote Printer Calibration, basically you print off a test sheet following their instructions to the letter, mail it off to them, and they calibrate it and email you an ICC profile. This needs to be done for each paper/ink combo you use.

When I bought the Eye One Display 2, I got it from Native Digital, and their price includes 2 free remote printer profiles, so I had my Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl and Harman Crystaljet Luster papers done for my Epson printer.
 
Kaouthia said:
Just calibrating screens is easy and cheap, and you can get calibration devices anywhere from £80-150 that just do your monitor. If you want to do your printer too, you're looking at about £300+ for a kit that includes printer calibration.

But, there is an alternate solution for printers. Remote Printer Calibration, basically you print off a test sheet following their instructions to the letter, mail it off to them, and they calibrate it and email you an ICC profile. This needs to be done for each paper/ink combo you use.

When I bought the Eye One Display 2, I got it from Native Digital, and their price includes 2 free remote printer profiles, so I had my Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl and Harman Crystaljet Luster papers done for my Epson printer.
Click to expand...

Regarding ICC profiles, if I set the application to control printing and set it to an ICC profile that matches the paper and printer, then it should then be correct? I know there is a list of ICC profiles in photoshop and I think I have one for the office printer but am not sure if it is paper specific.
 
Dan1502 said:
Regarding ICC profiles, if I set the application to control printing and set it to an ICC profile that matches the paper and printer, then it should then be correct? I know there is a list of ICC profiles in photoshop and I think I have one for the office printer but am not sure if it is paper specific.
Click to expand...

it is

My plan is to use the printer calibration people for my dye sub and the rest is sorted by getting the profiles from the labs
 
david1701 said:
it is

My plan is to use the printer calibration people for my dye sub and the rest is sorted by getting the profiles from the labs
Click to expand...

Couldnt be easier.

Firstly calibrate your monitor. This will give you a standard to work from. (Free if using W7 calibration
For dye sub or any other local printer go here for a custom profile: http://www.pureprofiles.com/ Prices from £13.95

If using a third party lab then ask them for a sample print with embedded profile. (Again free)

Job done :thumbs:
 
snapzz said:
Couldnt be easier.

Firstly calibrate your monitor. This will give you a standard to work from. (Free if using W7 calibration
For dye sub or any other local printer go here for a custom profile: http://www.pureprofiles.com/ Prices from £13.95

If using a third party lab then ask them for a sample print with embedded profile. (Again free)

Job done :thumbs:
Click to expand...

So, assuming your monitor is calibrated correctly and you have the profile for the printer/paper, do you then have to do a soft proof or set PS in some way for the screen to look like the print will look and make adjustments accordingly?
 
Dan1502 said:
So, assuming your monitor is calibrated correctly and you have the profile for the printer/paper, do you then have to do a soft proof or set PS in some way for the screen to look like the print will look and make adjustments accordingly?
Click to expand...

Yes.
Windows should save your monitor calibration and set it as default. If using a pure Profile they will instruct you how to install it. If using various profiles for different outputs then you will have to ensure the correct one is selected for that output. Make the selection in your prefered editing software.

In my case I only use my dye sub on my laptop so that profile never changes. For lab prints I have their profile installed in CS and I check daily against a colour chart. Although I dont have a profile for my inkjet I do have a setting saved in CS for it.

If using Pure Profiles check for discounts on ordering multi profiles. Be aware changing of inks/paper may make your profile incorrect as can different media sizes with dye subs. I use 7x5 & 9x6 media in my Mits printer but have never noticed any difference but thought it worth mentioning.

You can chuck a fair bit of cash setting your system up correctly but it is possible to do quite cheaply too :thumbs:
 
david1701 said:
gonna go spider as I was playing with the win 7 tool this morning and it was really hard to tell.
Click to expand...

Even with a spyder calibrated monitor I'd still recommend match/checking with a colour chart. Although my monitor is spyder calibrated I found the Win7 tool easy to use but does depend on your eye.
 
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