Do you really get both monitors perfect?

[Frank Petronio]

Trying to calibrate twin monitors for the first time, the NEC P221W with Spyder 3 Elite 4, and have them close but slightly different in green-magenta. Just enough to notice... probably either one alone would be fine.

Any tips for getting them really really close?

[Lenny Eiger]

You're coming up against it... Monitors don't match, neither do printers, scanners or anything else. They get closer than not doing all the profiling but they don't match. The possibility that you could print something on your printer, and have me print it on mine, without any adjustment and match exactly is 0.
Depending on the color space, a really small one perhaps, like sRGB or CMYK, they can be close, but if you imagine they match, then the tolerance of your eyes is not so good.
I have gobs of color management equipment and experience, and as one example, the best thing I did to get monitors to match between a mac and a pc was to put the same manufacturer's monitor on both.
If they are close, be happy. do the adjustments with your eyes and make some great prints.

Just my 2 cents,

Lenny

[Jim collum]

I have two monitors, one a high gamut Eizo, the other a 'normal'. I try to keep the image being edited on the Eizo, and use the other for controls and such.. In this case, I only end up needing to calibrate the Eizo... letting the other fall where it may

[Frank Petronio]

Yeah I figured as much. These are the cheap NECs, not Eizos, and I am, umm, amused to see it sort of "wash" from green to magenta across a single screen (subtle but I can see it).

[Kirk Gittings]

I only use the second one for my PS tools so I don't give a hoot much what it looks like. I usually dim it down some so it doesn't compete with the calibrated monitor.

[Ron McElroy]

I do the same as Kirk. Photoshop tools, email etc sit on the "old" monitor and I only try to keep the primary monitor calibrated.

[Kimberly Anderson]

I have run a dual monitor system for years now. I am an old-school Sony Trinitron CRT Snob...

I am currently running a 24 inch Trinitron CRT next to a 21 inch Trinitron CRT. Both are calibrated with an Eye-1 calibrator. I can have a window spanning the two monitors and it is almost impossible to distinguish the difference.

[Ed Richards]

Might work with two monitors of the same version, as Michael has, but I sure have not been able to get two different types to match. Try to get one close to your printer. It is easier if you only print black and white.:-)

[Peter De Smidt]

My understanding is that you can match two monitors, but then neither will show a color that the other one cannot produce. This is limiting them to the lowest common denominator. It's preferable to simply calibrate each monitor. They won't match, but they will give the best version of the file that each of them can give. Like Kirk, I use one as my main editing monitor and another for all of my palettes.

[D. Bryant]

I have two NEC Spectraview monitors and use the Spectraview software which makes everything Easy-Peasy. For details visit the Spectraview web page(s).