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Home >> Photography >> Digital Photography X-Rite
Pulse ColorElite System The X-Rite Pulse ColorElite System is the third printer and paper profiling package I’ve had the good fortune of reviewing, with the GretagMacbeth i1 Photo and ColorVision PrintFIX PRO being the other two. The i1 Photo was the first and that review is now a bit dated as the i1 has been updated since I first wrote about it a couple of years ago. The PrintFIX PRO is a very recent review of a product that just came to market at the beginning of this year and is one that excited me quite a bit. The PrintFIX PRO is a very cost effective profiling package that omits some of the features of the more expensive i1 Photo and Pulse ColorElite System, but gives the average digital photographer a shot at owning a quality piece of kit for producing custom printer/paper profiles. The
X-Rite Pulse ColorElite System is priced like the i1 Photo use
to be, meaning much more than the PrintFIX PRO, so it’s gotta
offer a lot to justify the higher price. Checking out Vistek’s
website (
My review sample is the highest priced CAN $2250 package for RGB/CMYK profiling, as well as including the Optix XR and Monaco EZColor software, which I have already written about separately here. Back when I reviewed the i1 Photo, it was priced at a similar level of CAN $2000, but didn’t offer the full range of options that the X-Rite package provides right away. For example, if you want to profile a scanner with the i1 Photo, you had to spend extra to activate that feature within the software, as the base package only provided access to monitor and printer profiling. With the X-Rite package you can immediately profile scanners, digital cameras, monitors, and of course the primary feature under scrutiny in this review, printer profiling. Another difference between the i1 Photo and the X-Rite is that the i1’s spectrophotometer comes equipped to profile CRT/LCD monitors, as well as being the unit to measure color targets for printer profiling. The X-Rite’s spectrophotometer does not calibrate and profile monitors, which is why the Optix XR can be bundled for a discount than having to buy both separately. With the higher cost of entry for the X-Rite suite, the very positive reputation X-Rite has developed for quality products and profiles created, I had some fairly high expectations for the X-Rite package. While CAN $2250 is a healthy price to pay for a custom profiling package, this is still within reason for someone very serious about color management, because profiling packages can be much more expensive to purchase. Some of the higher end X-Rite products can reach into almost five-figures, with CAN $9000 being the highest price I saw at the Vistek website. That’s pretty serious color management and is probably the suite that offers reading of color patches numbering in the thousands! About the Pulse ColorElite System
The key component of the Pulse ColorElite System is the DPT20 spectrophotometer that’s used to read the color patches. Also included is the Pathfinder, a plastic guide that looks a like a very oversized protractor, used to guide the DPT20 along the color patch rows for accurate reading of the patches. A generously long USB cable, instruction manual and software CD round out the rest of the package. Inside the box where the DPT20 sits is a custom shaped well for the optional Optix XR colorimeter to be stored, a bit of a hint that the two products go hand and hand for a full color management suite. In its basics the Pulse ColorElite System is not that much different than the i1 Photo package I reviewed, as the i1 also had a plastic guide similar to the Pathfinder to ensure proper reading of the color targets. The i1 does have a few more accessories, but those are primarily related to CRT/LCD calibration and profiling.
All three printer profiling suites I’ve used work in the same basic way:
Since the i1 Photo experience is getting a bit dim in my memory and because those profiles were only for my former Epson 1270 printer, I’ll be comparing the Pulse ColorElite System profiles with the PrintFIX PRO and Epson profiles in this review, but will do more detailed comparisons with a current i1 Photo in a follow-up review. What I can recall of the i1 process though is that the color patch target was limited to just one page with a little over 200 color patches available for reading. Once the target was read, the i1 software created the profile, but the software provided no additional ability to custom tweak the profile afterwards. Both the PrintFIX PRO and Pulse ColorElite System allow for custom tweaking of profiles post creation. It’s not a feature that I, a mere layman as far as color is concerned, would be too worked up about if not included, but I can certainly see the value for those that take color very seriously. With the X-Rite software though, you can also average a number of readings for a profile, kind of like multi-pass scanning to reduce noise and generate a superior quality film scan.
Another feature available from the X-Rite and ColorVision suites is a choice of targets depending on the quality desired. The X-Rite suite offers a choice of 343 or 729 color patches while the ColorVision suite offers 225 or 729 color patches. The smaller number of patches is printed on one letter sized sheet whereas the 729 patches are spread out over multiple pages (2 for the X-Rite suite, 3 for the ColorVision suite using letter sized paper). The color patch numbers for the X-Rite suite are specific for RGB profiles, as CMYK profiles require larger numbers with additional choices available. I chose the 729 patch targets for all the profiles created using the X-Rite suite. When you’re going to spend this kind of money on a custom profiling suite, why compromise on the quality. One feature that the DPT20 has that its competitors from GretagMacbeth and ColorVision do not, is battery power. I thought this was a gimmick, but I found myself loving this cordless operation for reading the color charts. The long USB cord is certainly nice to have because it affords more freedom than the PrintFIX PRO reader with its much shorter cord, but a cord is still a cord and it got in the way at times.
The battery operation was just splendidly slick to use after the DPT20 had been charged up using the USB cord connected to the computer (turned on of course, unless you use a separate outboard, powered USB hub). Once a reading has been made you just connect the DPT20 to the computer again using the USB cord and a window automatically pops up within the Pulse ColorElite System software to allow you to download the data and complete the profile creation process. The cordless, battery-powered operation means the freedom to do location chart readings that can be kept stored in the DPT20 until you get back to your own digital darkroom. An optional AC adapter is available for independent powering of the DPT20 from the USB connection and a powered-on computer. There is also an optional accessory pack that provides a useful backing board to clip the print target and guide for the Pathfinder to fit perfectly for proper reading. Without a backing board, blank sheets of the same type of paper as being profiled is recommended for placement under the print target. I did not receive the accessory pack for this review so I used a sheet of 13x19 Epson Heavyweight Matte paper folded up to ensure my dark colored desk would not be a factor in the profiling process.
The Profiling Process The following screen shots show the basic steps for creating a profile with the Pulse ColorElite System. Most are not as sharp as can be because they had to be reduced from their original size for posting here.
Print Evaluation and Comparison I profiled the Epson papers I use most often with only one third-party brand paper profiled this time around, Ilford’s Smooth Fine Art. I had hoped to have some Hahnemulhe Photo Rag paper for profiling, but as of this writing, I'm still waiting for a severely long backorder of this promising fine art matte paper and will likely have to wait for the i1 follow-up. Very quickly, I was quite glad to have had only 10 sheets of the Ilford paper, because it’s not one that endeared itself to me for its look and quality, especially given its high price. Epson Velvet is a much better paper for less money. The profile supplied by Ilford is also third-rate with prints coming out far too warm and saturated compared to the profiles created with the X-Rite and ColorVision packages.
I
used the PDI test image seen here for all the papers, as well
as an image of a factory fishing boat moored in
I produced fresh new prints using Epson’s own "special" profiles available for download at their website, as well as the custom 729 patch profiles created with the PrintFIX PRO. The critical comparison was done in my home office with either indirect daylight or a desk lamp with a daylight temperature bulb providing the illumination. The digital images were viewed on my Sony E540 CRT monitor that had been calibrated and profiled with the Optix XR and Monaco EZColor software – this is an important factor because I found the profile created by the Optix XR and EZColor to be more accurate than my previous reference, the ColorVision Spyder2PRO.
To cut to the chase, I found all three sets of profiles quite excellent in quality. Using the PDI test image, I had to look very closely at specific items in the image to see differences and how those differences mattered. One of the items I keyed on is the light green cup and saucer filled with chalk sticks near the top left corner. With the ColorVision prints the green cup and purple chalk were a just a bit too saturated compared to the monitor view. The Epson profile was less so, but still just a touch too much while the X-Rite profiles were pretty much bang on. Moving to the middle of the PDI image, I could also see that the aged leather case was also slightly more saturated and darker with the ColorVision prints than the X-Rite or Epson prints. Then at the bottom, the faces were again, just a touch more saturated with the darker skin tones showing the differences more easily.
These very minor differences were consistently seen on all the prints I made of the PDI image and my own photos, from glossy to semi and luster to matte. I don’t want to make too much of the differences, because tweak the ColorVision or Epson profiles by the hair on a gnat’s rear end and you should end up with similar accuracy. But it does speak well of the quality of the X-Rite spectrophotometer and software that they can immediately produce more accurate profiles using default settings. For what the X-Rite suite would cost, you would expect…you would demand such accuracy and the suite does deliver. However, it also speaks very well of the ColorVision PrintFIX PRO to be so competitive at one-third the cost of the X-Rite suite. So, I want to ensure that everyone understands that while the X-Rite profile is more accurate, the difference isn’t what I’d say is reflected in the difference in cost between the X-Rite suite versus the ColorVision suite. BUT, where the X-Rite has it all over the ColorVision suite is in ease of use and convenience and this is where the difference in cost can be justified to an extent, especially for those where time is a big factor, or, in other words, time is money.
After completing the print tests and evaluations I had to ponder why it was that in my previous tests and review of the PrintFIX PRO, I had found those profiles so similar to the Epson profile and in some cases, better than the Epson profiles. It dawned on me that my previous tests were with the Sony CRT calibrated and profiled by ColorVision’s Spyder2PRO, which profile I found was not as good as calibrating and profiling my Sony CRT with the Monaco Optix XR and EZColor. It brought to mind the world of high-end audio and the debate about whether the source is more important or whether the transducers (speakers) are the key component (think of the monitor as your source and the printer as your speaker). Some argue that the speakers are the most important part of the hi-fi chain because this is what you actually hear the music through; whereas the source first people argue that you can never improve upon something downstream if the upstream source is spewing out garbage. In the color management world, I’d have to say that we should all be source first people and ensure that our monitors are properly calibrated with a good package in order to properly evaluate something happening downstream of it, like printer and paper profiles. To me, this review clearly revealed just how inadequate a visually-based process like Adobe Gamma is like throwing sewage into your stream. Or, suggestions of printing something first and then adjusting your monitor to match is, again, just so much sewage in what should be a clean and pristine stream of color management. To that end, I love the Monaco EZColor profile for my CRT. Speaking of Monitor Calibratation... Monitor calibration in the Pulse ColorElite System software works the exact same way as the Monaco EZColor software, so I'll refer you to that review for the basics. And of course, you need the Optix XR colorimeter in order for the monitor calibration feature to function. I do not have a worthy scanner (flatbed or film) at the moment, so no testing was done for scanner calibration. Viewing Gamut The software CD also comes with Monaco's Gamut Works, a utility that allows you to view and compare profiles in 2-D and 3-D environments. It also allows you to softproof images and see how different profiles work for the image. It's bit of Microsoft's Color applet combined with Photoshop's softproof view in a standalone application, but I'm sure this utility pre-dates Microsoft's applet.
Conclusion If money wasn’t a concern, I would definitely have the full X-Rite Pulse ColorElite System with the Optix XR on my shortlist. With its convenient battery-powered spectrophotometer and superior CRT profiling quality, it's actually already at the top of my shortlist. But, in my world, money is always a concern, especially after I recently spent a small fortune buying a couple of state of the art Nikon D-SLRs, three new lenses and an Epson 4800 printer. Because my needs aren’t that complex, living in the RGB world where ideally, I work in a closed-loop environment where I capture images digitally, edit and then print myself using two Epson K3 printers, the X-Rite suite offers a few more features than I would need. However, I do appreciate the ease of use, speed, convenience, and of course, the quality of the profiles created by the X-Rite suite. Now
of course, readers may question why anyone would want to spend
money on buying the X-Rite when the Epson profiles are almost
as good, which is a very good point, but not every photographer
wants to use Epson papers. While most third-party paper brands
supply custom profiles for their papers, those profiles are not
necessarily of the best quality, as the Ilford Smooth Fine Art
example revealed to me. There are plenty of photographers choosing
to use fine art papers from
For full time professionals that operate in the RGB and CMYK world, the X-Rite offers a compelling solution for custom profiling needs that the less expensive PrintFIX PRO can't match, and of course, full time pros have more tax advantages available than those of us having to spend after-tax discretionary income. The X-Rite suite is priced high enough that depending on the printer that a pro or serious amateur photographer uses, a custom RIP, such as ColorByte’s ImagePrint, is a serious option to consider. However, you wouldn't have the flexibility of creating your own custom profiles as quickly as 10-minutes of receiving a delivery of the newest fine art papers, and to keep up to date with the newest ImagePrint profiles, you would have to pay a fairly hefty maintenance fee. There's a compelling case for both options, but push comes to shove, I'd prefer creating my own profiles with the recommended X-Rite suite. Expensive, but highly recommended, if I ever win that lottery... May 28, 2006 - Color Management Shoot Out - ColorVision, GretagMacbeth, and X-Rite/Monaco products compared with my rankings. |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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The
Pulse ColorElite System comes nicely packaged in a box about the
size of a shoebox with all the accessories nicely packed away
for safe keeping.
The
X-Rite and ColorVision suites also offer the ability to create
profiles that are specific to a particular ambient light viewing
condition (I seem to recall the i1 also offered this, but I'll
confirm in the follow-up). This can be quite a valuable feature
if you know beforehand that your prints will always be viewed
under very specific conditions. You can easily create a custom
profile for daylight, warm or cool indoor lighting conditions.
I kept things simple and used the standard D50 daylight setting
for the profiles I created using the X-Rite suite. My ColorVision
profiles, used for comparisons later on, are also standard daylight
profiles.
The
other papers profiled were:
At
best, I take about 30 minutes to manually read all 729 patches
one-by-one with the PrintFIX PRO process. With the X-Rite suite,
maybe five-minutes at most to read the 729 patches on the two
sheets of paper, or, the same time it took to profile all six
papers, as it did to profile one with the ColorVision suite.
