When Prints Don't Match Your Screen

When you print out your photos, you'll probably notice that the colors don't quite match what you saw on your screen. In some cases, you may find that the colors are quite different. Here's why:

Your monitor, printer, scanner - and even your digital camera are all calibrated to specific settings. But they may not be calibrated to the same settings.

For most of us, that's not really a problem. If our prints don't quite match what we see on-screen, it's no big deal. But for graphic designers and other professionals working with color, getting exact results can be critical. That's where color calibration comes in.

Calibration systems - which adjust your monitor to display colors correctly - used to be very expensive.Nowadays, though, prices have come down considerably. For example, PANTONE's huey™, a complete color calibration system, costs only $89.

Do you need to calibrate your monitor? Probably not. But if you're a stickler for accurate color, now you know how.