The following advice is free. Anything else you pay for!
Last updated November 2008
NOTE: While we try to be fair and accurate, some of these reviews may be incomplete or flawed and may be removed or edited at any time. If you disagree or think something's missing, feel free to contact us, but we don't guarantee a response.
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Color e-stores
Color measuring hardware
Profiling software
Color analysis software
Books
Other useful stuff
ColorMall
The one-stop shop for all your color management needs.
CHROMiX
A wide range of color management tools and e-profiling services.
Barbieri
Virtually unknown in the USA, Italian Barbieri make automated spectrophotometers in x-y table and roller-feed formats. Their unique x-y transparent spectrophotometer is used to individually-measure the HutchColor HCT Precision Scanner Target.
Techkon
German manufacturer Techkon makes an attractive hand-held spectrodensitometer, a video plate reader, strip-reading press-side units and other devices. Techkon's SpectroDens is the first serious challenger to X-Rite's equally good 500-series hand-held devices, with the benefits of switchable polarization, easier positioning and longer battery life (so long as you don't pack it with the large green switch depressed!)
X-Rite
Having successfully swallowed their main competitor - GretagMacbeth - (or was it the other way around?) the next challenge for X-Rite is to get acceptably-similar readings from multiple instruments with diverse origins.
The GretagMacbeth Eye-One iSis (now made in USA) killed the DTP70 and offers more reliable sample feeding and switchable UV / non-UV illumination.
The world's best value in color management hardware is the little Eye-One Pro - a compact, USB-powered spectrophotometer which can profile printers, monitors and projectors, and even measures ambient light.
The Eye-One i/O base unit is a cheap way of reading targets quickly, but we've seen unacceptable Delta E errors between two measurement files when the same IT8.7/4 target was rotated 180 degrees between measurements!
Most of X-Rite's investment since merging with GretagMacbeth has been in the lower-priced ColorMunki, which we have not yet tested.
Agfa ColorTune
Agfa's ColorTune Pro makes excellent ICC profiles but is hard to get hold of unless you're an Agfa customer. Being PC-only limits its appeal to mainstream ICC users, at least in the USA.
basICColor
German basICColor makes very good scanner, camera, monitor and printer profiling software. BasICColor Display makes gamut-compressed monitor profiles, which reasonably display colors outside the monitor's gamut and allow custom white points tuned to the local viewing source, instead of just "D50", "D65", etc
ColorVision
ColorVision are best known for the Spyder measuring device and OptiCAL monitor profiling software, but also make printer profiling, profile editing and other tools. ColorVision products are relatively inexpensive, which helps bring color management to a broader base of low-budget users.
Fuji ColourKit
Fuji ColourKit comes from the same folk who made Crosfield drum scanners and pioneered many of the principles of ICC color management. ColourKit offers a rich set of high-end CMYK features and excellent profile editing tools. It makes very high-quality scanner profiles when used with the HCT scanner target.
Heidelberg
Originally developed by Linotype when they owned Hell, Heidelberg's PrintOpen, ScanOpen and ViewOpen have consistently offered some of the best, most versatile profiling and color analysis software available. PrintOpen's market penetration is lower than deserved, perhaps because it is PC-only in a Mac-dominated field.
Integrated Color Corp
Integrated Color Corporation (ICC - get it?) make the unrivaled ColorEyes 20/20 camera profiling software and target - widely considered the Rolls-Royce of camera options.
ColorEyes Display monitor profiling software is a good replacement for MonacoOPTIX Pro. In fact X-Rite's decision to drop OptixPRO has made CED our top recommendation for monitor profiling, although it could be faster.
PerfX
TGLC make a full line of ICC profiling and processing software. No test results or other details available at this time.
Qualux
Out of the Hong Kong blue comes an elegantly-designed full-suite profiling package also available as affordable modules. Testing is still under way but early results look very promising. Qualux's thorough documentation is unusually well-written and clearly illustrated. It's nice to see such a professional new entry in a market where R&D withers without competition.
X-Rite (GretagMacbeth)ProfileMaker
Originally created by the German Logo company, then bought and improved by GretagMacbeth and now flying the X-Rite flag, the latest version (5.8) makes above-average CMYK profiles with the nice option of custom-measured light sources to reduce metamerism failure. Another plus is its ability to painlessly accept virtually any type of custom printer target.
ProfileMaker's weaknesses are so-so gamut mapping and limited GCR. The only Gamut Mapping option of any worth is LOGO Colorful (Chroma Plus and Classic should have vanished long ago). GCR (called "Black Width" in ProfileMaker) is no match, even at 100%, for MonacoPROFILER, for example sacrificing saturation in dark wood tones where PROFILER triumphs.
Scanner profiles seem to sacrifice precision for smoothness, which can be a blessing on lower-quality devices, but very dark colored areas sometimes over-saturate, which can be a problem when opening up under-exposed shadows.
ProfileMaker's camera module offers a staggering array of options and at least three different types of target - a bit bewildering for most users.
Monitor profiles are good, but lack the ability to measure or easily match a custom white point.
The ProfileEditor module is marginally useful and, like most competing products, dangerous in most hands.
MeasureTool is a great little app that can drive many measuring devices, create custom targets and compare samples or characterization data sets.
X-Rite (Monaco)PROFILER
X-Rite's' MonacoPROFILER 4.8 is excellent software in workmanlike clothing. It comes in two price levels - gold and platinum (see web site for details). Go for the gold unless you need Platinum's hi-fi color or special camera profiling features.
PROFILER has the best GCR algorithm we've ever seen and a very satisfying gamut mapping algorithm, both of which make it our preferred CMYK profiling package.
Monaco scanner profiles are usually very accurate, especially in shadow areas, but curiously rendering intent-sensitive. Converting to working RGB from a Monaco scanner profile can blow out highlights with Perceptual and can look dark with Relative (safest option, especially if you scan in 16 bits per color).
You can pay extra for Monaco's camera profiling package but we prefer to use the scanner module, which produces good, consistent camera profiles.
If you don't need printer or monitor profiling, Monaco DC Color makes great camera and scanner profiles at a budget price (if it's still available).
MonacoOPTIX Pro (once available separately and still embedded in Profiler 4.8) has for years been our favorite monitor profiling software, but X-Rite killed it after the GretagMacbeth merger, replacing it with the inferior (in our opinion) i1Display.
Monaco Tweak, like ProfileEditor, is flawed, crash-prone and dangerous even in expert hands. The good news is that carefully-made PROFILER profiles just don't need editing.
X-Rite ColorPort offers roughly similar target creation and measuring capabilities to MeasureTool, but lacks MT's data comparison features. Creating targets is hampered by a confusing user interface. Editing ColorPort's .xml reference files is not for the faint of heart, but heck, it's free.
Alwan ColorPursuit
Alwan ColorPursuit is the best software we know of for assessing the quality of ICC profiles, devices and workflows. Pick a color or an image with ColorPursuit and see numerically and visually how well it is rendered. Essential for anyone serious about profile quality.
CHROMiX ColorThink Pro
If you don't already own Steve Upton's brilliant ColorThink Pro profile visualization and repair software, buy it IMMEDIATELY. Don't argue, just buy it. Then put on some Floyd and take a trip through color-space.
To see the world's first mind-altering RGB color space, download MaRGBta and display it rotating in 3-D. Disable the "Tone using L*" option and reduce the dot size a little. (Lemon and Lime supported - you supply the salt.)
Left Dakota Link-o-lator
Left Dakota’s Link-o-lator software turns your ICC profiles into custom ICC 'device links' that bypass LAB and generate direct CMYK-to-CMYK transformations. Link-o-lator is THE definitive link builder, with industry-leading options to fix the most common problems caused when two profiles are connected through a normal CMM.
Real-World Color Management
Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, Fred Bunting
Peachpit Press
An essential resource for anyone trying to implement a color-managed workflow. Packed with good explanations and advice (most of which we agree with), this is the one book to buy if you can't afford any others.
Back to topUnderstanding Color ManagementDr. Abhay Sharma
Thompson / Delmar Learning
Covers the theory of color management with clear explanations on everything related to ICC profiling, as well as some interesting product comparisons.
The GATF Practical Guide to Color Management
Richard M. Adams, Joshua B. Weisberg
GATF Press
The first book ever published on ICC-based color management. Now in a new edition (2008).
Measuring Color R.W.G. Hunt
Fountain Press
If you want to understand the theories behind color vision, color spaces and color measurement, this book is excellent, but be warned, it's all science and math, NOT practical color management.
Bruce Lindbloom
A valuable source of spreadsheets, formulae, and other information on color-related topics. Bruce is a well-respected color scientist and author of several profiling software packages, including the old Candela suite.
Medical College of Wisconsin
If you think you understand the human eye, take a look at the continuing investigations and discoveries being made even today about humankind's most priceless sense. Powered by Drs. Jay and Maureen Neitz at the Medical College of Wisconsin
