what about the Eizo S2433 monitor. Is that better then the U2410 from Dell. Difference between CG and the S versions is the hardware calibration at the SC series. The SC are too expensive.

Harry.

Kari.

I do indeed backup my computer’s internal drive. I backup my startup disk to an external drive and I also backup my most important files online! I recommend Acronis True Image Home for backing up Windows computers. Mac users can easily backup their internal disk with a dedicated hard drive, or disk partition, and Apple’s TimeMachine software. Personally, I prefer Carbon Copy Cloner though.

I think that both Apple and Microsoft deserve some credit for integrating backup utilities into their operating systems. Windows 7′s backup utility and Apple’s TimeMachine utility are adequate but neither program is as full-featured as Acronis or Carbon Copy Cloner. Carbon Copy backups, for example, are bootable should your internal disk completely fail. Acronis is so elegant that it can even turn your computer off when its done backing everything up!

The important part though is not the software but the results. Every hard drive will eventually fail so back it all up!

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David Marx

I think that you get what you pay for! The Dell U2410 is the lowest priced wide-gamut monitor on the market. It’s not the best but it is less expensive then its competitors. If I had the money right now I would probably shop for either a NEC MultiSynch 2690WUXi2 or a LaCie 324 Widescreen LDC Monitor. Both of these monitors offer their own calibration systems too which is very convenient although I would probably spend my money on a X-rite ColorMunki instead.

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David Marx

I absolutely love how dedicated you are to this post and helping other photographers and designers find info on the best displays for them. It’s really wonderful!

I worry about the other reviews on seen on Amazon.com and CNET about these monitors because they were quite negative. Especially the color calibration and pink or green tinting in the corners or edges of the screen for the U2410. I’m just afraid of getting a lemon of a display.

I think that the X-Rite Eye-One Display 2 system is a good choice for the your monitor. If you want to get into printer profiling then I would get the ColorMunki Photo – Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler system.

Profiles from the manufacturer are sometimes good enough. It depends on what printer, what inkset, what paper, and how different your printer is from the one that was actually used to make the profile. There are a lot of variables in inkjet printing and few absolute answers. For more advice on inkjet printing I suggest George DeWolfe’s Digital Photography Fine Print Workshop.

Best of luck,

David Marx

P.S. I had the chance to work with an HP DesignJet Z3200ps printer recently and was blown away with its internal printer color management accuracy. Of course the monster costs a fortune but the results were superb.

I have a 27″ iMAC — would you still recommend the Xrite Eye-One Display 2 to calibrate my monitor?

Would I need to calibrate my printer as well? Or does using the profiles provided by the various paper manufacturers be good enough to ensure accurate prints on my inkjet?

Thanks!

I think that I would give you the same advice that I gave Heidi a few months ago. I would go for a Dell UltraSharp U2410 Widescreen Flat Panel. These monitors are even better than the Dell’s that I used to recommend. They have a much wider gamut which means that they can display more colors and a higher contrast ratio.

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David