Eizo fixes 'Jumping Mouse' problem with some Macs

We've recently become aware of a firmware update that can affect some Eizo monitors.

The symptoms are a 'jumping mouse pointer' on screen, when the monitor is connected to an Apple Mac using the Mini DisplayPort connector.

As far as we know, only certain models, and with certain serial number ranges are affected.

Applicable Monitors: FlexScan SX2462W, SX2262W, ColorEdge CG245W, CG243W, CG223W

Applicable Serial Numbers

Monitors	Serial Numbers
FlexScan SX2462W	Up to 46298080
FlexScan SX2262W	Up to 27256100
ColorEdge CG243W	Up to 21734080
ColorEdge CG245W	Up to 47094080
ColorEdge CG223W	Up to 25363070

Description
When connecting the DisplayPort of certain EIZO monitors with the mini DisplayPort of certain Macintosh PCs, the mouse pointer may jump.

Counter-Measure
Eizo are providing a software update for the monitor firmware that will improve this situation. Please read the user's manual included in the download file before installing the software.

Download Update Software (user's manual included)

Notes on Installation

Applying the software will require a Windows PC*. Please be sure to conform to the following notes or your monitor may have troubles.

• It is recommended that you install this software only if your monitor has a relevant serial number. If it does not, a failed installation may damage your monitor.
• Do not plug in any device to the USB downstream port of the monitor. The device may break.
• Quit all applications before updating the software and do not run any applications while it is being installed.
• Set the PC so that it will not go into standby, sleep, or suspend mode.
• Set the PC so that the screen-saver will not run.
• Do not turn off the monitor and the PC during the installation. It may damage the monitor.
• If you use a laptop PC to install the software, be sure to use the AC adaptor.
• Do not unplug the USB cables during the installation. It may damage the monitor.
• Do not operate the monitor when the software is being installed.

* Now you'll notice that although the problem only affects Mac's, the software that can perform the firmware update will only run on a Window's PC which is bizarre to say the least! Apparently Eizo only produce firmware updates (which are very rarely required), using Windows-based development software.

However, the good news, is that if you're based in the UK, Eizo UK will perform the upgrade free-of-charge for you under the warranty. If you would like to get this, please contact Eizo UK on 01344 355720 or email info@eizo.co.uk


You can see the official Eizo support page here.

How to use the SpyderCube

Here's the latest video from DataColor, explaining how to use the SpyderCube.



You can purchase DataColor SpyderCube from our online store at http://www.nativedigital.com/products/Datacolor-SpyderCube.html

RGB Media Tester

In the latest revision of our 'Custom Profiling' instructions, we refer to an RGB Media Tester file which you can download (details of the download are below).

The purpose of this file is to check that your inkjet printer is operating correctly and that the chosen media setting in your print driver is the ideal one for the paper you are using.

Use the RGB Media Tester to check for the following:

1. The blend from black to white will not necessarily be neutral, but it should be smooth.
2. The total ink test patches should show some differences and you should be able to read at least some of the numbers. If you can't, then too much ink is being used. Likewise the type should be clear and the fine lines visible.
3. Nowhere on the chart should the ink be wet after printing and you should also turn the paper over to check if the ink is coming through. If it is, then too much ink is being used.
4. The colour squares should all be smooth and flat with no patterns, unless your media is textured.

Output the RGB Media Tester several times with different media types selected and see which looks best. It's not an infallible test but it should give you a good indication of what media type works best for your printer.

You can download the RGB Media Tester here:
http://www.nativedigital.co.uk/downloads/rgb_media_tester.tiff

Let us know how you get on with it.

Adobe Color Printer Utility

For reasons known only to themselves in the last release of Photoshop with Creative Suite 5 Adobe omitted the setting in Print dialogue that let users output profiling charts and other images with the Colour Handling set to No Colour Management.

A number of work arounds were developed to enable profiling charts to be output without any colour management but none were entirely satisfactory.

Now, at last, Adobe have come up with a solution and have released an application specifically for printing profiling charts. The Adobe Colour Printer Utility can be downloaded for free from:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/834/cpsid_83497.html

You simply have to launch the application, load the TIFF file of the colour patches, select the correct page set up and then print. Of course you still need to set you printer driver options correctly to also do no colour adjustments and to use the right media settings etc.

New Canon Lens Mugs are back

We've just taken delivery of the latest Canon Lens Mugs (along with the Nikon ones too!). The main difference is that the new version has a stainless steel liner, like the Nikon one does, making it much mor suitable for hot drinks than the old, plastic lined version.

It also comes with a nice little 'drawstring' carry bag, complete with clip, so you can have it with you at all times! Buy online here for the Canon version, or here for the Nikon version.

 

Buy online here for the Canon version, or here for the Nikon version.

Going back to the darkroom

This article was written by Rob Griffith and has been taken from the latest edition of the book 'Practical Colour Management' - available as an e-book or hardcopy from the Native Digital website.

Just when you thought it was safe to come into the light this article is going to suggest that as photographers you go back into the dark to do your processing. I’m going to suggest some basic guidelines for ambient lighting around a computer workstation used for image editing and also to suggest how you can take things further and create ideal colour viewing conditions.

Monitor Viewing

Computer monitors are of course a light source. Our visual system adapts to any light source by essentially doing an automatic white balance. What happens when you take a photograph of a scene with multiple colour temperature light sources? The camera tries to balance the scene as a whole or perhaps the dominant light source and this can result in some parts of the scene looking correct and others having a cast. The same can be true if you face your visual system with multiple light sources, for example a monitor, desk lamp and window. So a simple rule if you want to view images on your monitor is to make it the dominant light source and keep the ambient lighting to a minimum. It doesn’t have to be completely dark, but just a lot dimmer than a normal office environment. There are a couple of ISO standards that deal with viewing images on monitors ISO 3664 and ISO 12646 both recommend a light level of around 32 lux or lower, typical office lighting can be around 750 lux.

So, pull those blinds, turn off the over head lights and your desk lamp. As well as the level of the light you should think about the colour temperature of the light. If you are calibrating your monitor to 6500K it makes sense to have any ambient light you do have to approximately the same colour temperature, a cheap option may be to just have a daylight balance bulb, or you can get florescent tubes that conform to a lighting standards called D50 or D65 that conform to daylight conditions.

Also think about your wall colours. One reason to have dim ambient lighting is to minimize reflection from walls. If you do have lighting that conforms to a standard then keep in mind that as light bounces off a coloured wall it’s wavelengths change. You can go to the extreme of buying special neutral paint.

Lastly, if you can’t create a totally dim environment then a good monitor hood will lessen light falling directly on a monitor.

Print Viewing

One of the most common support calls I get is from customers who have bought a monitor or monitor calibration solution from us, and maybe used our custom profiling service to profile their inkjet but still when they put the print next to the monitor they see a difference. There are good biological and physical reasons for this. Firstly, as I said above your eye adapts to light sources so as you flick your eye from the print that’s lit by the ambient lighting to the image on screen lit by the monitor back light your eye is trying to adjust but not being given the time to do so. Secondly a monitor is an emissive light source and a print a reflective one so the qualities of light from each differ widely.

The only real way to get a good monitor to print match that has both images in your field of view at once is to buy a specialist viewing booth that has a known colour temperature and probably the ability to vary in intensity. That way monitor and viewing booth can both be adjusted and calibrated to match. Such systems will cost several hundred pounds. For most users a better option is to view print and monitor independently.

Daylight is the best viewing light for most customers. It’s free and is always spectrally even (i.e it contains a good spread of wavelengths). The best way to evaluate a print to monitor match is to view the print under daylight for several minutes. Then go and look at the monitor for several minutes. Letting your visual system adjust to each light source should mean you see a closer match than if you flicked your eyes from monitor to print.

Sharpness of text on small, high resolution screens

I had an email from a potential customer today - we had been discussing suitable monitors for them (non-professional photographer with an upper limit of £500 - monitor also has to be suitable for general office work etc).

We'd come down to the Eizo S2243W being the most appropriate choice for them and they asked about the size and sharpness of text - the concern being that displaying 1920 x 1200 pixels on a 22" screen may mean text is too small.

As I personally use one of these screens as my day-to-day monitor, I thought I'd just take a photo of the display with a reference point (a biro in this case).

As you can see, I've used quite a small font size, but it's incredibly clear and sharp - the slight diagonal line or moiré effect is just a clash between the refresh rate of the screen and the shutter speed on my compact camera - you don't see this on screen with the naked eye!

My Eizo display is connected to a MacBook Pro 13" using a Kanex MiniDisplayPort to DVI adaptor and then a standard DVI cable. With this resolution, we'd always recommend using a fully digital connection as analog (VGA) connections, whilst possible, have a higher chance of signal degradation which can result in some 'fuzziness' particularly with text.

Update (Jan 11) - I now use a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable to link my Mac to the DisplayPort connection on the monitor.