Quote Originally Posted by a.paul View Post
My screen brightness is turned to zero, and the monitor is calibrated towards 5000 kelvin --but the monitor is still a ton brighter than the paper.
This would be why your prints are way too dark compared to the monitor. You would need to solve this first in order to get things to match closer. Here are a few options for you as I see it:
  • Shades. This is a clever little program that can indeed reduce the brightness on your screen, by directly accessing the LUT tables in your video card. You can apply this correction after you make your i1 profile - however it would in fact "invalidate" your profile. It changes your monitor from the state it was in when it was profiled. Bottom line: it might not give you the high-precision results you need for a color-critical work.
  • GretagMacbeth ProfileMaker suite. (Not really an option as it costs ~$3000+ but it is capable of reducing screen brightness in the video card.)
  • ColorEyes Display Pro. (This is one of the best software packages around for calibrating monitors. You can get the software-only version since you already have an i1 Device, for less than $200. This is the only other piece of software I know of that will reduce the brightness using the video card if you run out of room with the monitor controls.)
  • Increase the lighting situation where you work (get a lightbooth) to match the brightness of your display.

I wish I had some better options for you!

-Pat Herold
CHROMiX