Equipment:

Spectrophotometers: GretagMacbeth’s i1 Pro/iO and iCColor 210

Profiling Software: GretagMacbeth’s ProfileMaker Pro 5 (PM Pro)

The i1 Pro and the iCColor are paired to a serialized calibration tile.  They both use their calibration tile to perform a self-initialization test at start-up and self-calibration tests prior to measuring each target and during the target measuring process to assure each measurement is accurate.  If the spectrophotometer does not pass any self-test the software will not measure a target.  If a self-test performed during the target measuring process is failed none of the measurements can be used to make a profile.  The manufacturer requires each spectrophotometer be serviced and calibrated by a certified technician at regular intervals. I maintain my spectrophotometers as recommended by the manufacturer.

The i1Pro/iO and iCColor are equally accurate and both are semi-automatic.  Once the target each page of the target has been properly positioned in or on the spectrophotometer the patches are automatically measured.  After all the pages of the target have been measured I am given the choice of making a profile or saving the measurement data. I save the measurement data, so I can use it to make multiple profiles and also the date will be available later for troubleshooting purposes if you are not satisfied with the results you achieve with your profile.  The differences between the i1Pro/iO and iCColor are:

    1.  The i1Pro/iO is an X-Y table with a hand-held i1 Pro in the arm.  It is more flexible than a strip reader, it can measure a wider variety of media as well as a wider variety of target sizes than a strip reader such as the iCColor 210.   The i1 Pro can also be removed and used as a hand-held device to measure and calibrate monitors and transmissive targets and the ambient lighting in an area. 

    2.  The iCColor 210 is a strip reader. The target is fed into a slot in the front (similar to feeding a document into a fax machine) the target is measured and comes back out the same slot.  The iCColor requires less skill to operate and takes minimal space on a desk. 

Workflow:

When using the iCColor the target is trimmed on the dotted lines and fed into the spectrophotometer. The solid dark bars at either end of the target are alignment bars used by the software to properly align the target and locate each individual patch. Each patch is measured a minimum of three times and the measurements are averaged together.  The iCColor takes the measurements against a neutral measurement plate to assure the color of the media as well as light color patches of the target are accurately measured.

When using the i1Pro/iO the target page is placed on the surface of an X-Y table and held there by static-electricity.  3 of the 4 corners of each page of the target are manually identified for the software and the software is started.  The software automatically measures the page, each patch is measured a minimum of 3 times and the measurements are averaged together. The iO X-Y table has a neutral  measurement surface that assures an accurate measurement of the color of the media as well as all the light colored patches of the target are accurately measured.