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How to make prints match your screen

The short answerPrints look dark or off-color mostly because the screen is too bright and uncalibrated. Calibrate the monitor with a colorimeter, lower its brightness for print work, use the paper maker’s ICC profile, and soft proof before you press print.

By Marius. Listing data pulled Oct 30, 2026. Page built Nov 1, 2026. How I rank printers.

Step 1: calibrate the monitor

A colorimeter measures your screen and writes a profile so Photoshop, Lightroom and the OS show colors accurately. This does more for print accuracy than a printer upgrade.

Pairs well with: Monitor calibrators

Step 2: lower the brightness

A screen set far brighter than the room makes prints look dark by comparison. Many photographers set a print-matching brightness well below the factory default. The calibration software will suggest a target.

Step 3: use paper profiles and soft proofing

Paper makers publish ICC profiles for specific printers. Choose that profile in the print dialog, let the application manage color, and turn off color management in the printer driver so it isn’t applied twice. Soft proofing in Lightroom or Photoshop previews the paper’s limits before ink is spent.

Step 4: judge in the right light

View prints under a light with similar color temperature to where they’ll hang. A print that looks right under a warm kitchen bulb can look cold in daylight.

Questions people ask

Do I need a calibrator for a 4x6 dye-sub printer?

It helps but isn’t critical for snapshots. The bigger value is on 8 x 10 and larger prints.

Should I turn off the printer’s color management?

If the application manages color with a profile, yes. Applying both makes colors wrong.

Keep reading: Best Photo Printers for Photographers Best photo paper for inkjet printers