Using the Datacolor SpyderX Pro for the first time

OK, I will admit it, I am a complete newbie when it comes to calibrating a monitor. I know I SHOULD be doing it, but I am sometimes a bit tech shy. I sometimes get a little frustrated that my printed images don’t always look exactly like my screen images. But I pay and trust my color lab to fix it. Do they always get it right, though? No, which means I reprint, wasting time and money.

I remember a few years ago I had a major exhibition happening and I was very upset my images were actually much darker than I thought and not quite the colours I anticipated. I assumed it was my cheap generic monitor and went and bought a fully calibrated Eizo monitor. It fixed the problem, or so I thought. But I digress. So when I was asked to review the SpyderX Pro, of course, I put my hand up.

Datacolor SpyderX Pro

Datacolor claims the SpyderX Pro is the fastest, easiest, most accurate monitor calibration system around ,with groundbreaking technology and intuitive advanced options. OK, so let’s put it to the test!

Unboxing the SpyderX Pro, there is the SyperX Pro unit itself and a little card with the instructions for the software. This is your first spot to go. Read through the instructions on the page and get yourself ready to calibrate your monitor. Download the software only took a minute and installing not much more.

How to calibrate your monitor

The first time using it I was prompted to register my SpyderX Pro. I used the serial number which appears in the bottom of the packaging (under the actual SpyderX). Once that was done, I was set to calibrate!

Not even knowing what I was doing and taking a bit to read everything and fiddle with my monitor settings, the process still only took three minutes (I set a timer), so I am pretty sure next time it would be under two minutes. There were a few questions I honestly had no idea what the answer was, but there were default suggestions.

What were my results?

I found my monitor was actually slightly darker than it apparently should be, so I adjusted to match. There was an option to set a reminder for 1 month to recalibrate, so I selected that as well. Interestingly, I also found out my screen is more yellow than I thought. All in all, it actually wasn’t too far off.

According to my color profile, it seems to be pretty spot on sRGB, at 99%.

My conclusion

Considering the price of $169.99 (AUD$300 for me), it’s not a bad investment in your prints. I was nicely surprised and relieved that my main monitor was not too bad. What I did find interesting is that when I ran the SpyderX Pro on my second monitor (my old monitor). In this case, I could not get the brightness up high enough, and then looking at the side by side, there was an obvious difference. So I guess upping the anti and buying an Eizo monitor, for me, was the right choice.

Now with a SpyderX Pro and my monitor I can be confident that images will now appear as they should. It was exactly as they claimed, quick and easy. I was very happy to use the SpyderX Pro and plan to calibrate my monitors monthly, as they recommend.