Do you need a calibrated monitor?
If colour accuracy matters to you, yes — a calibrated monitor is the single most important step in getting prints that match what you see on screen.
The reason: every uncalibrated screen shows colour and brightness slightly differently. Calibrating sets your monitor to a known, neutral standard so it becomes part of a predictable colour workflow — meaning the file you edit will translate reliably to print and look consistent on other calibrated devices.
What you'll need
- A hardware colorimeter / spectrophotometer (a small sensor that sits on the screen and measures its output) plus its software. Software-only or by-eye calibration isn't accurate enough for print work.
- A reasonably stable editing environment — neutral, controlled room lighting helps a lot, since surroundings affect how you perceive colour.
Putting it to use
Once calibrated, soft-proof your work using theprintspace's downloadable ICC paper profiles so you can preview how each paper will reproduce your image before ordering.
When to order a test print
Calibration plus soft-proofing gets you very close, but a calibrated screen and a physical print are never identical. For a large or colour-critical piece, order a small test print on your chosen paper to confirm before committing to size.