I. Overview
X-Rite has begun shipping the new Pulse Color Elite System, an affordable, complete software and hardware solution for creating ICC profiles. This system can create profiles for your scanner, digital camera, printer, and LCD or CRT based monitors (with an optional Optix XR calibrator). One of the most unique features of this system is its ability to operate in an un-tethered mode for capturing target data remotely. X-Rite sells the Pulse system in 8 different versions which can make it a little confusing when choosing which to purchase. The three key questions you would ask yourself before choosing which Pulse Color Elite System is right for you are, 1) do I need to create CMYK profiles for my printers, 2) do I already own some sort of monitor calibrator that I am happy with, and 3) do I need a UV filter on the Pulse spectrophotometer?
The first question can be a little confusing but basically if you want to profile dye-sub (thermal) printers, digital photo printers like the Lamda and LightJet, or Epson inkjet printers using Epson’s standard driver then you do not need the ability to create CMYK printer profiles and can use the standard version of the Pulse Color Elite System. If you want to profile an Epson inkjet printer with a RIP in front of it (except ImagePrint), a press, or any other “proofing” device then the Pulse Color Elite Premier version will be required. The second question is easy. If you own and are satisfied with your existing monitor calibration system then you won’t need to purchase a Pulse with Monaco OptixXR bundle. Finally, the answer to the third question, do I need a UV filter, is easy also… yes! What are UV filters for? They filter “unwanted” light from the spectrophotometer caused by some papers that have optical brighteners in them. Some software applications take care of this within the software but X-Rite feels it’s better to do this in hardware right at the device since the filter cannot hurt or affect the accuracy for profiling.
We at DTG just received our Pulse system, the premier edition w/UV filter and the Monaco Optix XR monitor calibrator. Inside every Pulse box are the Pulse spectrophotometer, a software CD, a USB cable, the pathfinder guide, a 5x7 reflective IT8 target, and user manual. Obviously if you ordered the Monaco Optix XR bundled version it would include that monitor calibrator as well. It is important to note that the system does not include a transparency IT8 target for film profiling on scanners or a target for profiling your digital camera (GretagMacbeth color checker). Both Macintosh OSX and Windows (2000 and XP only) versions of software are on the install CD so you can use it on either platform. This testing/review was performed on a PC running Windows XP Professional.
II. Installation & Description
The installation of the software was very simple and hardware installation was just a matter of plugging in the Pulse spectrophotometer (and Optix XR if applicable) into a USB port. One thing we immediately noticed after reboot was that the Pulse software conflicts with the original Monaco Optix XR software we had installed rendering our monitor profile useless. All we needed to do was uninstall the original Optix XR software and re-profile with the Pulse software.
The software interface is an easy to use, wizard driven application that steps you through the process of profiling monitor, input, and output devices. You can also edit existing profiles. When you initially launch the application the main window shows four large buttons in the above mentioned order that start “wizards” for each task that you want to perform. A very nice touch with the software is the help. Every wizard window has a help button that when clicked, automatically takes you to that section of the manual in a PDF document. There are even links to video based training tutorials for performing some tasks.
III. Monitor Profiling
We started by clicking the “Display Profiles” button for the profiling and calibration of the monitor using the Optix XR. The Pulse software combined with the Optix XR did a great job with the monitor profiling. In fact, the Pulse uses the exact software engine and interface that the stand-alone Monaco OptixXR uses. You can read a detailed review about monitor calibration with the Optix XR in the review section of dtgweb.com. All in all, the monitor calibration took about 10-15 minutes to perform.
IV. Scanner Profiling
We next clicked the “Input Profiles” button to build an ICC profile for an Epson 10000XL flatbed scanner with the supplied reflective IT8 target. If you wish to profile positive film for your scanner then you will need to purchase a transparency IT8 target. DTG sells IT8 transparency targets on dtgweb.com. We scanned the IT8 target per the recommendations of the software (turning auto correction and profiles off) and saved the file to disk. After opening the target and then choosing its matched text reference file (the actual spectral data for the IT8 target), we clicked the “Create Profile” button, gave it a file name, and the software calculated the profile for the scanner. Once finished the software reports various measurements in Delta E for feedback on the accuracy of your device and profile. Since the Silverfast software for the Epson 10000XL can use custom input profiles we applied our new profile right in the Silverfast software. The results were very impressive. Default scans were very accurate at first scan with no correction indicating that the Pulse’s profile was a good one. As with most profiles I’ve built with scanner ICC profiling software, the files scanned using the profile, though accurate, appear a little flat. I think it’s just a matter of personal taste. As of this review I have not tested the profiling of a digital camera with the Pulse system. Look for an addendum to this review for feedback on the digital camera profiling portion of this software in the future.
V. Printer Profiling
The third main button on the Pulse software application window is the “Output Profiles” button allowing you to create RGB or CMYK (premier version only) printer profiles. We decided to create an RGB profile for an Epson Stylus Pro 4000 inkjet printer using Epson Enhanced Matte paper. The software allows you to profile an RGB printer using 343 or 729 patches of color. Wanting the most accurate profile we could get we chose the larger number of patches which required two 8.5 x 11 sheets of Enhanced Matte paper. We started the wizard, saved the target files, and then opened Adobe Photoshop and printed the target files per the software’s instructions (making sure the file was not altered in any way). Stepping through the wizard we then began reading the patches using the Pulse spectrophotometer and supplied pathfinder guide. Since the Pulse is a manual, handheld device that you must drag across a set of targets, the guide allows you to make nice smooth linear movements along a line of targets. Before starting the scan, the software gave us a warning to calibrate the Pulse device with the supplied white calibration target on the pathfinder guide. After getting used to the spectrophotometer (4 or 5 initial scans) and what it expected in terms of my hand speed, reading in the targets was a breeze. It took me about 10 minutes to read all 729 patches. After clicking next I was surprised that the Pulse software gave me the option of choosing a viewing condition illuminant. The choices were D50 (the ICC standard), D65, Tungsten, or cool white fluorescent. My $4,500 Monaco Profiler software doesn’t even allow me to do this. I then clicked the create profile button, gave it a name and generated the profile. Again, the software gives you feedback data in Delta E’s. I immediately tested the profile with my Epson 4000 and the Epson Enhanced Matte paper. The results were awesome. I printed several different test images and everything printed very accurately. When compared to the monitor’s soft proof the prints were nearly perfect.
When creating CMYK printer profiles everything is identical except the target patch number options and the profile building options. The target patch number options for CMYK are 530, 917, and 1485. Again, we would go with the largest number of patches for the most accurate profile. The profile building options give you the ability to select preset black generation options and maximum black ink limits. If you need to control the black curve more precisely then you would need a more robust profiling software package like Monaco Profiler.
The coolest thing about the Pulse spectrophotometer is its ability to read and store profiles internally allowing you to capture targets without being attached to a computer. Its internal battery and storage capacity can scan and store a little over 3000 patches. The Pulse’s battery can be charged with an optional AC power accessory or via USB 2.0. The device has a signal light and audible signal giving you feedback and success or failure results. I scanned, un-tethered, a set of targets for an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 and Hahnemuhle fine art paper and had no problems scanning or transferring the data into the software. One thing I was worried about was if I accidentally missed a scan line while reading a set of targets. Was the Pulse smart enough to signal me that I missed a line? The answer unfortunately is no, a disappointment.
VI. Editing Profiles
The last major feature and fourth button on the main application window to discuss is the “Edit Profiles” section. The Pulse Color Elite software allows you to tweak curves for printer profiles (though it does not allow you to tweak the soft proof part of the profile separately). These edits are pretty basic but they do allow you to edit or tweak a profile to your liking. You have curves for lightness and saturation as well as RGB curves (for RGB output profiles) and CMYK curves (for CMYK output profiles). The software shows you a comparison image with the look of the original profile and the same image previewing your changes to the profile.
VII. Conclusion
The X-Rite Pulse Color Elite System is an amazing value for what you get which is a true hardware spectrophotometer and high quality profiling software. The profiles were all very accurate and comparable in most aspects to profiles generated from hardware and software costing several thousands more. While the manual operation of the spectrophotometer can be laborious it is not nearly as finicky as other handheld systems we’ve used and works well. The software lacked some of the more advanced options for controlling ink levels and is limited in the number of target patches, but will work for all but the most demanding applications. We really would have liked some more feedback from the Pulse device when operating in un-tethered mode. All said and done, the Pulse Color Elite System starting at $989.00 is an extremely affordable and accurate color profiling solution. It is a valuable addition to the photographer, lab, giclee printer, or proofer who needs more flexibility and precise color control on a variety of printers and medias.
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