Eye-One: to UV Filter or No?

Martin Wasserman , Jul 23, 2003; 09:23 p.m.

I'm interested in purchasing a Gretag MacBeth Eye-One Photo system. However, as of late I've become extremely confused. It appears that there are two versions of this item--one with "UV Cut" and one without. The one with the UV filtering seems to cost more on the websites that offer this. However, not all websites even mention this option--The Apple Store is the biggest example.

What is this option? I was told by a photographer that it is no longer an option--that all new Eye-one pro devices now have this item built in. Are there any major advantages and/or disadvantages to the UV filtered (or Cut)?

I'm putting together a digital darkroom, and I'd like to know the answer as soon as possible, so I can begin calibrating my devices! (Epson 2200 printer and Lacie 19" electron Blue IV).

Thanks for the advice, in advance.

Responses

Sergey Oboguev , Jul 23, 2003; 10:00 p.m.

UV Cut has builtin UV filter that removes UV part of spectrum off light reflected from paper target and prevents it from disturbing measurement in visible part of the spectrum. Thus UV Cut is more precise for printer profiling, however it will not be able to profile monitor.

Your options is either

1) EyeOne non-UV version (works for both printer and monitor)

or, money no object,

2) EyeOne UV Cut for printer plus EyeOne Monitor (or whatever is the current name of the latter).

Martin Wasserman , Jul 24, 2003; 11:53 a.m.

An Answer from GretagMacbeth

Hello everyone. I thought that I'd post what this man from GretagMacbeth had to say.

Martin,

We received your email inquiry through www.gretagmacbeth.com, www.i1color.com, or disupport@gretagmacbeth.com here at the GretagMacbeth U.S. Application Support Center in Akron, OH.

The Eye-One device is indeed available in the UV Cut version however, it is not needed when used with our software. Our engineers determined that UV filtration is best handled through software and as such, both profiling software we have, Match and ProfileMaker automatically detect and compensate for UV brightners in media.

The UV Cut version is available because some third party software, such as Rip software, required a UV filter on a spectrophotometer for proper functionality.

If you have any further questions, feel free to call us at 877-628-6868 (9am-6pm EDT) and reference your Case id.

Regards,

Barry Ling Gretag Macbeth Application Support

Mark Skelly , Jul 24, 2003; 01:35 p.m.

UV brighteners are common additives to bright, neutral white or photowhite inkjet papers. They absorb invisible UV spectrum rays and emit them just within the visible spectrum. Anotherwords, they make the paper glow slightly so that it seems 'whiter' than it really is. The principle is identical to 'blacklight' paint that glows under a UV light, only more subtle. Its a clever little trick, however it throws the density readings off during the paper profiling process. This is no big deal now, as software detection and adjustment is fast becoming the norm. What is a big deal is what happens to the expensive, supposedly archival papers with said brighteners in them. They yellow. The paper stays neutral balanced, but the brighteners fail. This isn't a problem for the grist mill of the graphics industry that is fueling a lot of the inkjet revolution. But photographers beware, those archival prints you are selling probably aren't archival unless the paper specifically states no UV brighteners.

Sunando Sen , Jul 24, 2003; 05:26 p.m.

The UV cut version definitely works for display profiling. The UV filter only kicks in in reflective mode, and not in emissive mode in which Eyeone measures displays.

So, you probably want the regular Eyeone, unless the profiling software you are planning to use does not compensate for optical brighteners.

Martin Wasserman , Jul 24, 2003; 11:08 p.m.

Thanks for the responses. I ended up purchasing the Standard (no UV-cut) Eye-One Photo. I looked around for the best prices, and I ended up going with Colormall.com . One of the reasons for this is that John at Colormall was very helpful with answers. And secondly, I bought the case that is made for carrying the Eye-one stuff with it, and right now there's a deal where you get 5% off of the most expensive item you buy. It brought the Eye-1 down to $1300!

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