Monitor Calibration with Spyder3 Express for printing with Mpix:

I've been working with this for a couple of weeks now. That is, trying to get optimal monitor calibration with my Spyder3 Express for printing at Mpix (http://www.mpix.com/). Let me say I believe the Spyder3 is a very good product and the software it comes with is fast and easy. Mpix does a great job printing and their customer service is superb in my experiences with them. If you have a problem contact them and they will work with you. I don't have a high end monitor but a good one for a TN TFT ( Viewsonic VX2640w). I paid around $400 for it. I think price is  proportionate to quality when it comes to monitors so I'm taking all of this into consideration here. Another point I'd like to make is there are many variables regarding the calibration of your monitor for printing on a specific printer that can affect your results.

Basic Calibration to Print Variables:
1. calibration device/software
2. monitor
3. monitor viewing environment
4. how you proof your prints
5. printer
6. print paper
7. print viewing environment
7. your eye perception
8. ICC profile integrity

Setting up your Spyder3 Express:
It's actually quite simple. Pretty much load your software, plug in your device and follow the on screen instructions. You place the device against the screen and a series of colors and B/W tones are displayed. The calibrator reads the colors and creates a profile which is automatically loaded into your system on start up.
Results of Calibration: You'll most likely see an immediate change in your color hues and shades for the better.

I will continue this post as time permits.....

Lenses:

Discussions relating to lenses. Examples: lenses you like or dislike, recommendations, problems, lens care, what lens should you buy for your needs, etc.

Cameras:

Discussions related to cameras themselves. Examples: features, specifications, problems, things you like or dislike about your camera, new models, new camera features etc. Things relating to camera technique for a specific type of shooting should be posted under postings such as: Shooting Portraits, Shooting Landscapes, Shooting Sports, etc. 

Monitor Calibration:

Discussions related to monitor calibration and the implications it has on your photography. Examples: how you calibrate your monitor, calibration devices, problems you may have calibrating your monitor, etc.

If you take your photo viewing and editing even moderately seriously you need to calibrate your monitor. This may be the first and most important step if you plan to color manage your photos. I avoided this initially, but after some printing and viewing my photos on other peoples monitors I soon realized it's importance. If you're going to edit your photos for color correction don't even bother if you haven't calibrated because corrections you make most likely will only look good, as far as color goes, on "your" monitor.

Monitors:

Discussions related to monitors used for photo editing. Examples: personal experiences with given monitors and their relativity to photo editing, issues you may have with your current monitor, suggestions for purchasing a monitor, monitor technology, etc.

One of the components that plays a role in color management is your monitor. Some people still claim the old CRT monitors, were, and maybe still are to some one of the best options for photo editing because of viewing angle, color purity and contrast but quality lcd monitors are match. So for the sake of this post I'll be talking about lcd monitors.

Color Management:

Discussions related to the use of color management as a means of achieving your final goals for your photos. Examples: Workflow, working in different colors spaces, ICC profiles, problems with print colors or online posted photos vs. what you see on your screen, proofing photos etc. 

I started out taking photos happy with what I saw on my screen and liked some of them enough to go out and buy some photo paper and print some of my favorites. I was really excited with my results. Just that the fact that they looked pretty close to what I saw on my screen was enough to drive me on. After continuing for some time (at the expense of a lot of ink, that's another story) I soon realized that some came out better than others. The outcome a result of playing with printer settings and some basic editing. Throwing "bad" copies in the trash was just the price of printing yourself and hoping the next one would be better.