0 Replies Latest reply: Dec 2, 2008 2:32 PM by cgrscott RSS

    Calibrating Color in Windows XP to view PDFs from a Mac

    cgrscott Community Member
      I have a customer in another city and all of their staff, who work with me, use Windows XP on Dell desktops with Dell LCD flat displays.

      Four the past four years they have been happy with reviewing my designs as Review PDFs, exported from InDesign CS, CS2 and CS3, and initiated for review and comment with Acrobat 7 Professional. They have been satisfied with the color representation from viewing my PDFs on their screen, with free Adobe Reader, and they like the speed and cost cutting that results from not requiring a printed calibrated color proof to sign off on before going to press. When I export to PDF from InDesign, I make my Destination Profile "U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2" and I include the Destination Profile.

      Then I designed a poster for them that was mostly teal (a color between green and blue. They saw the color as medium blue on their screens and approved job to go to press. They were disappointed to find the final printed pieces looking teal.

      I know there is expensive third party calibration software out there but is there adequate color calibration for my non-technical customers using Windows XP on Dell LCD Displays?

      I use Apple CRT Displays an I use the OS X System Preferences/Displays dialog to set my color temperature to 65000 and my Gamma to 1.8 and then I use the slider controls to adjust for the ambient light in my office. The color I see on my monitor is the same color I get when my design projects come off the printing presses.

      Does Windows XP have software monitor controls to give the Dell workstations basic generic color calibration? Does XP let the user adjust the color temperature and Gamma settings?