Monitor-to-Print Calibration
When calibrating a Monitor to "match" Print output, the recommendation is to calibrate the Monitor's Contrast Ratio to the intended Print Contrast Ratio, (under the intended Viewing Light - for this let's use a 5000K Viewing Light booth at P2, 500 lux) -- the question then, what is the typical Print Contrast Ratio range for Moab fine art papers with typical inkjet printing?

-- with an i1Pro spectrophotometer, how does one measure the Print Contrast Ratio, measuring PaperWhite & Maximum Inking (TIL/TAC) to arrive at the Contrast Ratio?

thanks for your help --Glenn

Glenn-

When trying to have a monitor to print match, there are 2 main goals:

1) the color of the paper needs to match the color of white in a color managed application on your computer

2) the brightness of paper that you are printing on matches the brightness of a white document in a color managed application on your computer.

Contrast isn't something that is measured in this scenario, and if you follow the 2 above goals you should be good to go.

Andy

Thanks Andy for the info -- however the question has to do with Print Contrast Ratios of which Monitor Luminance is a part; the other part being Monitor BlackPoint -- the question remains, what is the typical range for Moab fine art papers, for Print Contrast?
-- Print Contrast being the difference between PaperWhite brightness and maximum inking, referred to Total Ink Limit or Total Area Coverage, using prepress terms
-- calibrating only to PaperWhite & paper reflection brightness under the Viewing Light does not address the Monitor-to-Print Calibration for Monitor Contrast Ratio - to do so we need to know the target Print Contrast Ratio -- does Moab measure this & have this data available for its customers? -- thanks again -- Glenn

Glenn, which monitor profiling solution are you using that recommends this? I am not familiar with the method that they are recommending.

Andy -- the issue with Monitor Contrast is addressed in a number of Monitor Calibration/Profiling Apps; Color Eyes Display Pro; basICColor Display 4; Color Navigator (Eizo); SpectraViewII (NEC); Quatographics, etc; there isn't a specific setting in XRite i1Match3 & some others, however one addresses Monitor Contrast by configuring Monitor Luminance level & Monitor BlackPoint; if one is working with an 8-bit VideoLUT system (Software Calibration method), then the only "control" over Monitor Contrast is via the Luminance level; with the MonitorLUT system (Hardware Calibration), we address the Monitor Contrast with the corrections applied to the Monitor's internal LUTswhich can support a more direct specification setting -- some Apps, like CEDP, have a specific setting for Monitor Contrast with an option to specify by requesting a Monitor Contrast Ratio or by specifying a Monitor BlackPoint; so the answer to your question is, yes there are direct configurations for Monitor Contrast Ratios, as well as indirect configurations for Monitor Contrast Ratios -- in either case the issue with Monitor-to-Output Calibration is knowing the Target Print Contrast Ratio(s) that one is Simulating with their Softproofing Condition(s), which could include RGB fine art inkjet output(s) as well as various CMYK outputs -- if Moab has a protocol for measuring Print Contrast Ratios it would be most helpful to know your routine -- Print Contrast for CMYK analog Press work uses solid Ink density to 75% tint ink density in order to know how much ink can be applied before the shadows plug up; analog photography uses a Dmax scaling system; monitors use cd/m2 ratio of Luminace to BlackPoint; any unit of measurement will work, however given what the Monitor Calibration Apps are looking for, (x value :1 ratio) we should be calculating Print Contrast in the same manner; ie: PaperWhite "Brightness" to Solid Black (maximum inking); such as 100:1
-- hope this helps -- Glenn

Glenn, I wish I had an answer for you, however it appears that you are much ahead on the knowledge curve than am I.

Hi Andy -- I have found that Monitor-to-Output Calibration, regarding Print Contrast for use with Output Targeting, is better optimized by measuring Solid-Black, (maximum inking, TIL/TAC) against Minimum Neutral Highlight, although Minimum Highlight Dot can also be useful - we just need to define what the measurements are referencing when reporting the Contrast Ratio; we also need to include measurement info as to using a UVcut filter or not including a cut-off filter; and lastly we need to include info as to referencing PaperWhite Reflectance or applying an "Absolute" measurement reference (without first measuring PaperWhite Reflectance) -- all of this is fairly quick to do with the right tools

-- if it would help, I could do some measurements for you & Moab; what is needed is: a Photoshop Image with sample swatches representing the target points for both Solid_Black & Highlights, then printing this file on the target output device, in the intended Output Condition, with the target PaperInk set, & related Output Notes; then making the measurements (I average 4 sets of measurements of 4 Channels [C-M-Y-K] and then use the averages to come up with the Print Contrast Ratio, (averaging measurements provides a more accurate read out as there can be slight variations with any measurement routine) -- the final results would then be published along with the measurement routine so that the User understands the meaning

-- I have the Photoshop files for several standard RGB Working Spaces [sRGB, AdobeRGB, eciRGB, eciRGBv2, LStarRGB, PhotoGamutRGB, for example (I can email them) as well as several spectrophotometers (with & without UVcut); what I would need from Moab would be the optimized Output Prints & related Notes

-- Moab Users would be interested in such info when fine tuning their Softproofing Systems

-- Softproofing is based on Monitor Calibration; with the newer graphic LCDs that support MonitorLUTs, we (the photographic, fine art & design communities), have the ability to build multiple Monitor Calibration Sets, one for each workflow condition; (RGB Editing, RGB Output Targeting, CMYK Editing & CMYK Output Targeting); so any of us who are involved with fine art output (ie: artists & my BetterLight Users group for example), as well as commercial work, (US typical CMYK is SWOPv2 still, however GRACoL & FOGRA targets are also viable), will find that these two output conditions are not close enough to be able to calibrate the monitor to just one condition for optimal editing & Softproofing

-- one of the reasons this can be helpful is that there is a fair amount of conflicting information floating around as to Print Contrast Ratios, (ie: 500:1 vs 100:1 or less for fine art inkjet); such differences stated by people regarded as experts in our photographic community has resulted in a lot of confusion -- those of us who work with Moab papers do so because we are committed to high quality work, which incorporates a high quality workflow & related Softproofing System, which means Multiple optimized Monitor Calibrations Sets

-- I'm writing a book & syllabus in which Softproofing is one Chpt, (I was an Associate Editor with Digital Imaging Mag - Cygnus Publications out of NYC for several yrs where I had a column on Color Mgt & also did numerous articles on related digital imaging subjects; I was also the Technical Editor on Lee Varis book, Skin ... & have also written various articles for other digital imaging publications over the years) -- the point being that doing the measurements for Moab would be helpful to the readers; the first target reader groups are BetterLight Users, Hasselbald USA Users, & then the general photographic, fine art, design communities

-- please let me know -- thanks --Glenn