Although I have owned my Mac for several years, I continue to struggle with an inexpensive and simple solution to get colors to come out as true as possible on my printer. I own an Epson 740 and use colorsync calibration with OS 8.6. This difficulty is reducing my interest in a digicam, (But I'd like to get one!). For example, a color spot of blue in a graph in AppleWorks may appear blue on the screen but purple in the print. This is using the custom setting in the printer with colorsync mode as well. I have tried to tweek the colors selectors in the custom mode but the results are frustration with little change to the output. Does anyone have a little advice for a simple solution. Keep in mind, I'm not working for Playboy but I could enjoy blue for blue rather than an obvious purple. I'm sure you know what I mean. Thank-you very much for your time.

GLS

-- gary Snyder (gksnyder@prodigy.net), August 03, 1999

Answers

Gary-- My solution is neither perfect nor elegant, but it partially solves identical problems I've had: Create a simple color chart using small squares filled with basic colors. Do this in your photo-editing software. Design it in a horizontal or vertical format. Print it-- preferably on photo paper if this is where your final results normally go. Next, check your normal monitor settings for brightness, contrast, etc. Commit these settings to paper, not memory. Now, the next time you load a photo for editing, increase its "canvas" size so that it can accommodate your color chart. Load the color chart and place it where you've created the extra space by enlarging the canvas. Next, with the printout of the color chart next to you, adjust and tweak until you've gotten the color chart alongside your photo as close as possible to the printout.

-- Barbara Coultry (bcoultry@nycap.rr.com), August 14, 1999.

My fingers being quicker than my brain, I submitted the above before finishing. I wanted to add that, after a while, you may not have to go through the color chart business at all. I now find that all I need do is change things to what's turned out to be fairly consistent settings. The reason I told you to note down your normal monitor settings is that, if your experience ends up like mine, you'll have to change those settings whenever you do photo editing, but you'll want to change back when you're finished editing.

-- Barbara Coultry (bcoultry@nycap.rr.com), August 14, 1999.