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What if cars were designed and built by the oil companies that supply gas? I imagine they’d be more affordable, but would get only four to five miles per gallon. That way, oil companies could triple their gas sales (and profits).
Fortunately, these industries are separate, which is one reason we have a choice between gas-guzzling SUVs and fuel-efficient compacts. But the opposite is true with color printers: nearly all inkjet and dye-sub printers are made by the same companies that sell ink and paper. They suck you in with a fantastic deal on the printer, but then leave you on your own—clueless about how to make a print that matches the image on your computer monitor. Eventually, after several attempts at color adjustment and ripped-up failures, you get the hang of it. But every time you change papers, you go through the same trial and error, all the while wasting expensive paper and ink. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to fine-tune your printer to improve its “mileage?” There is—it’s color management.
| Your choice: Waste time and $$$ (on paper and ink) with the traditional trial-and-error print method (left), or learn how to use color management (CM). Without CM, it took me five tries in Photoshop Elements to get an acceptable print from a Canon S900 printer. With CM, the first print was a keeper. |
Without CM
time: 25 min.
cost: $6 |
With CM
time: 5 min.
cost: $1.20 |
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