Start with a display colourimeter suited to your monitor’s technology and editing mode: an SDR-focused device may cover a conventional SDR setup, while a brighter or newer display calls for a closer check of supported technologies and measurement range. For lab prints, soft-proof with the lab’s applicable output ICC profile when available; if you print at home, display calibration alone cannot profile your particular printer, ink and paper combination.
If you edit on a screen and send files to a print service, prioritise display profiling and check whether the lab supplies an applicable output ICC profile for soft proofing. Adobe describes soft proofing as a way to preview output colours on screen.
If you change paper, ink or printer settings, the output profile becomes a separate consideration from the monitor profile. Calibrite and Datacolor describe printer-profiling tools for creating profiles for print workflows.
If you edit on mini-LED, OLED, QD-OLED or Apple XDR hardware, check the calibrator’s stated display support and measurement range against the exact monitor and mode you use. Calibrite and Datacolor specify different capabilities across their display devices.
Identify the display and editing mode you need to profile, then decide how you will obtain an output profile for the intended print. A lab-supplied profile and a tool for creating profiles for your own printer serve different workflows.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Screen-to-print workflow | Confirm that the calibrator can create a display profile on your computer and that your editing software can soft-proof with the print provider’s applicable output ICC profile. | If I send edited files to a lab, I want a useful preview before ordering rather than relying on the monitor alone. Roughly 36% of consumers would put this workflow first. |
| Printer, ink and paper profiling | Check whether you can use an existing output profile or need a tool that creates profiles for the combinations you print with. | When I change paper or ink at home, I need to account for the output combination as well as the screen. Around 29% of consumers would make printer profiling their primary concern. |
| Display compatibility | Compare your monitor technology and editing mode with the device’s stated support and measurable luminance range. | With a mini-LED, OLED, QD-OLED or Apple XDR display, I do not want to assume an SDR-focused device suits the mode I use. Approximately 21% of consumers would prioritise display compatibility. |
| Straightforward SDR setup | Confirm SDR support, computer-software compatibility and the preparation required for a stable measurement. | If I am profiling a conventional SDR screen for the first time, I want a setup I can follow without selecting capacity I do not need. Roughly 14% of consumers would put SDR simplicity first. |
A display profile describes the screen, not a particular printer, ink and paper combination. That distinction matters most when you make your own prints on changing media.
Before buying, decide whether you can use suitable existing output profiles or need equipment to create your own.
Creating printer profiles also takes chart-printing and measurement time, and uses ink and paper.
Calibrite and Datacolor specify different measurement ranges and display-technology support across their devices. An SDR-oriented choice should not be assumed to cover a high-luminance editing mode.
Check your exact monitor technology and intended mode against the device maker’s stated support and luminance range.
Changing brightness, dynamic display modes or direct light can make a measurement less repeatable.
Prepare the room and display according to your device’s instructions. Datacolor’s SpyderPro guidance calls for a 30-minute monitor warm-up.
Adobe describes soft proofing as an on-screen preview using colour profiles; the physical print and its viewing conditions remain separate factors.
Use the correct output profile and consider a test print or lab proof when colour is critical to the job.
Calibrite offers display-calibration devices for SDR and higher-luminance workflows, alongside ColorChecker Studio for display and printer profiling.
Datacolor’s Spyder range covers monitor calibration, while its separate Spyder Print product addresses printer, ink and paper profiling.
No. A monitor calibrator profiles the display; predicting a print also requires the applicable output ICC profile and a colour-managed workflow. Adobe describes soft proofing as an on-screen preview, not a guarantee that a physical print will look identical.
Consider printer profiling when you make your own prints and need output profiles for particular printer, ink and paper combinations. If a print lab supplies an applicable profile, you may instead be able to use it for soft proofing without creating that output profile yourself.
Follow the instructions for your calibrator and monitor, and keep the display and room conditions stable during measurement. Datacolor’s SpyderPro setup guidance specifies a 30-minute monitor warm-up; check its guidance on sensor placement and dynamic display settings if you use that device.