The Spyder2Pro is a colorimeter, or monitor calibrator. It will perform measurements and will calibrate your monitor so that colours are correctly and consistently represented. The Spyder2Pro can calibrate CRTs, LCDs, and projectors. There’s even a version that will calibrate a TV set.

ColorVision delivered a Spyder2Pro Studio and after using it for a couple of months, I must admit I was sold to the product. I was until I read the Seybold Reports white paper that compares many different monitor colour profiles created through various methods, among which the Spyder2Pro. The deltaE for the profile generated with the Spyder2Pro was just as high as what you would get from visually calibrating your monitor with Mac OS X built-in display calibration tool.

The Spyder2Pro software is continuously updated with features being added regularly. The last feature that got added was ambient light measurement. Ambient light is very important for determining if your LCD screen is going to reach its predetermined gamma setting.

The feature did not work correctly --the software kept complaining about ambient light circumstances being too extreme in my working place. In fact, that’s true, but the calibration software claims it cannot calibrate my monitor within specifications. An Eye-One Pro has no problems with that, despite the fact that it too will measure ambient light.

You can turn ambient light measurement off and avoid the complaints from it. The software also offers a spot colour measurement function, which basically allows you to select a colour from Apple’s colour wheel and then have all the relevant colour values read out in a window.

The hardware is nice and looks sturdy enough, and the softwareis easy to use, although it takes considerable time to finish calibration. The Spyder2Pro’s measurement results, however, are far from what you need to use your monitor as a softproofer. The conclusion therefore is that it is a useless calibration tool at a not so terribly competitive price.

Many desktop publishers will love the idea of having a calibrated monitor without having to pay an arm and a leg for the measuring device. If they want that, they should turn to either X-Rite or GretagMacbeth. Quality always comes at a price.