printer and computer question

[krisn]

1. Why is it that when I print my photos that they are so much darker than what they appear on my monitor? Which has the more accurate color the computer or the printer? Is there any way of correcting it?

2. I am looking for a new computer. Is it true that Apple is the way to go for photography?

[Trader]

You can calibrate your monitor to reflect the true colors. Here's a link to better explain that: How to Calibrate Your Monitor: 12 steps - wikiHow

With the current technology there is no major advantage of the best MacBook Pro and any Windows based computer. I do use a MacBook Pro because their 17 inch LED backlit monitor is very easy on the eyes and is the only notebook I know of that does Not run real hot. I like to recline and leave the notebook in my lap and the MacBook can run all day without getting hot.

[Carl911]

I have not long been down the calibration road as I had similar problems. My pictures looked bright & coulourfull on my monitor but printed off looking somewhat dark and brownish.
I started out by purchasing a Spyder2express which calibrates the monitor correctly and creates an icc file. This file contains information that will instruct your printer to see the same coulours etc as your monitor.
Once the icc file is installed into the right places on your computer you will be somewhere a lot nearer.
I say nearer, because its not quite done at that point.
You still may need to make some adjustments to your printers colour management settings which can be a little trial & error but more often than not, the main change you need to make to your printers colour management is to the colour intensity which is best set around -7 which lightens up your prints.
I found this to give me a pretty accurate print.
Be aware, you will never get a print to look identical to your monitor as paper does not produce colours in the same way that your monitor does so it will be close but not exact.
You will get it to a acceptable level that you will be happy with after spending a little time with adjustments.
Take it from me, its worth the time & effort once your prints look correct and you are not wasting a fortune on paper & ink wastage.

[adamcoupe]

Hi

Previous replies are on the money - it's amazing how many photographers don't calibrate their monitors. I'd recommend anything by Pantone that suits your pocket. You'll waste a lot of paper and ink even with a calibrated monitor if you haven't had a custom profile produced for your printer. Generic profiles for the make and model of your printer aren't worth messing around with as each print head on identical printers will behave quite differently - believe me I've been through this frustrating process. Find a custom profile producer (used to be £150 but now down to 10% of this cost) and then import the profile into your preferred image manipulation software (assuming it has colour management controls) like Photoshop.

Good luck

Adam

[dcclark]

As far as recommending a computer, it's like recommending a new camera -- finding one that feels right is going to be more important than the particular brand. I use a MacBook Pro because I love OS X and the flexibility that it gives me. Many others are more comfortable on windows. It's true that many artists use macs, but it is by no means a rule.