or you could use a monitor calibration tool:
http://www.colorvision.com
(Spyder2express)
I think about US$80
It works like this:
- set monitor to factory defaults
- place sensor in front of monitor
- special software cycles through a range of
colours and intensities.
- sensor reads actual monitor output and
builds a profile that describes the response
of the monitor.
Once the monitor is calibrated, the easiest way to get matching prints is to:
- Use paper and ink made by the printer manufacturer.
- Download a printer calibration profile from the manufacturer
for the particular printer/paper/ink combination you're using.
The monitor profile is used by the OS.
It causes everything displayed on the monitor to confirm to a global standard.
The printer calibration is based on the same global standard, so once you have a calibrated monitor and a calibrated printer you have WYSIWYG (ish).
The "ish" comes down to inherent limitations of the printer, i.e. printers are typically not capable of displaying as wide a colour range as monitors.
hope that helps.
cheers,
DJDD