I have been sent this list of colour management tips by Colour Confidence, I have added a few additional comments, these are in blue (Italic). photo-i will be starting a new section on colour management and will include video tutorials on how to create profiles and get the best results from your printer.

Top Ten Tips for Colour Managing your Digital Photography

1. Understand the theory of colour management. (The Colour Confidence Guidance to Digital Photography will help ).
   
   
2. Calibrate your monitor with a piece of hardware; do not rely on your eyes. Accurate devices such as the Monaco OptixXR, Gretag EyeOne or ColorVision Spyder are ideal and essential for total accuracy.
   
   
3. A monitor will change over time. Re-calibrate it every 2 weeks(CRT) and every 4 weeks (LCD). Allow your monitor to warm up for at least one hour before calibrating,.
   
   
4. Stick to one RGB working space (sRGB or Adobe RGB) and make sure this is set as the default in your digital camera and graphics applications. sRGB is suitable for web graphics and other on screen displays, Adobe 1998 is best suited for printing and sending your work for publication, If you are not sure which to use then try them both and see which produces the better result with your equipment.
   
   
5. Remove Adobe gamma alias from the start up folder before profiling your monitor. If it is left in place then the Adobe Gamma settings may override your custom profile.
   
   
6. Keep to a neutral background colour on your desktop. Bright Wacky colours will effect the way you see colours on your profiled monitor. Keep ambient lighting to a minimum, a bright light on red wallpaper can cause havoc on your brain (even at the best of times)
   
   
7. When taking digital photos, always ensure you have the correct exposure. This may seem obvious, but an accurate exposure will keep the detail in both highlight and shadow areas.
   
   
8. View your final results under a constant light source (north facing window or viewing booth). Allow your print to dry for at least 30 - 60 minutes before making a judgment, colours will shift as the print dries.
   
   
9. Ensure you use the correct settings in the printer driver to get the best results from your ink/paper combination. This rule applies to using manufacturers own inks and media, when using third party media and inks you will need to create a custom profile for greater accuracy.
   
   
10. For optimum results, get a printer profiling package to optimise your printer’s results. There are several good packages available. With an entry level package you can use your flatbed scanner to read a reference target. For professional level profiles use a Spectrophotometer to read the printed target. photo-i will publish a video review of the x-rite Pulse
    
    
    
11. Invest in camera profiling for studio photography, such as the Gretag EyeOne SG package. Due to the variation of lighting conditions, camera profiling is perhaps best left to the studio photographer.

For more information on all things colour management, please go to www.colourconfidence.com