Why Doesn't My Print Match My Screen?

Have you ever wondered why an image you have printed sometimes never quite matches what you see on your monitor? If you have spent time editing your images and you want to reproduce them with some degree of colour accuracy, then some form of screen calibration is required.

If you require a very high degree of colour accuracy then a device such a colorimeter automatically brings the colour output of your monitor in line with standards set by the International Color Consortium.

For those whose only concern is to ensure that what they see on their screen will be reasonably close to what they have printed, then a quick check with the images below will give you some reassurance that the monitor you use is close to aim or not.

1. The first thing to look at is the greyscale, do you see the steps from 0 to 100, which represents pure white to pure black. You should barely see the break line between steps 95 to 100.
2. The Red Green Blue spectrum should be visible without any steps, if you can see stepping rather than a continuous tone then you are not viewing with the maximum colour available. You can adjust the number of colours that your screen displays to show from 256 to millions of colours.
3. Finally just do a quick visual check on the skin tones and contrast range of the two photographic images, do they look OK to you?

 

Is your monitor set too dark or too light? Look at the middle square and you should just make out the dark grey oval set on the black background.

 

If you have done these visual checks and you are happy with the result from your monitor then you can be reasonably assured that what you see on your screen will be close to what you have printed at Redcliffe Imaging.

Proof Prints and Soft Proofing

You should be ordering proof prints on your chosen media if you are really concerned about matching prints exactly, but remember that your monitor can show a much larger gamut or range of colours than any print can achieve. For example bright reds and deep blues often get clipped and will print less saturated than they appear on your screen, this is because certain colours may be out of gamut for CMYK printing.

Photoshop users can simulate how their images will look when printed by using the Soft Proof facility available in Photoshop, although it is important that you have calibrated your screen. For more information or advice on soft proofing and colour management, please call Tim Sale on 0117 952 0105 or use the contact form to tell us your requirements, we can suggest the most appropriate solution for your fine art printing needs.