What's going on with print profiling products? The inexpensive version of color munki seems to not work well for many users. What are the choices under $1000? If I pay for profiling, what should I look for in a vendor? Thanks.
I'm in same boat. Still looking for info. CM doesn't impress. The Spyder3 Studio or Print unit gets good reviews - but you need to take your time with measuring patches. The i12 Photo Pro (NOT LT) or whatever the hell X-rite is calling it this week (seems to change weekly) is considered best, fastest but also 3-4x the price of the Spyder3 (rebate price under $500).
Try northlight-images.co.uk/reviews.html for reviews of various systems
The ColorMunki Photo is ornery at times and has painful software but generates excellent profiles quickly if you can tough it out. The Spyder3 Print is slow and does no error checking but usually generates usable profiles if you have time, patience, and a watchful eye. (On the other hand, Colorvision's Spyder engine also sometimes does some very bizarre things even with a clean read.)
Them's the options, so pick whichever short straw you like.
The only painless option if you're not looking to drop $2000 on an i1 Photo package is to pay a profiling service. Unless you're using some skanky printers or switch to brand new papers on a daily basis, it's also going to be the most cost-effective option.
