photobook/color correction for screens

[12sndsgood]

Okay we went to disney last week and I took a bunch of pics, want to have them sent out and made into a book for the wife. have read some reviews of a few places that do this (anyone that has some exp. or info with that please share) and reading in a magazine review it said don't send in pictures unless you have had your moniter color corrected so its accurate.

Here's my main question. is there a cheap way of correcting your screen? I saw a device you can buy for $400 bucks, im not a pro or getting paid for my pics so it would be hard to swallow spending that kind of money just to have a $50 book printed out for our vacation pics. And if I dont have it done can there be some major issues. I have printed out pics at home to frame some photos and they come out good to me and most who see them. (granted im partially color blind which doesnt help matters) but will printing from another company have allot diffrent effects?

 

[IgsEMT]

quality vs everything else.
Pro labs, would definitely do the job for you but would charge you for their quality. They'd also request proof that you're a photographer/photo studio to even start working with you. The other labs that print $0.50 cents a page, might do the job well or might not. For something in the middle, look into Adorama printing service, MPIX (not pro), just to name a few. Costco, is cheap but NOT consistent (person to person).
You shouldn't have to buy calibration devices just be willing to spend a drop more then $0.06 for a 4x6 (for example) to get a quality print.

 

[Big Mike]

You can buy a decent color calibration kit (hardware + software) for less than $100. Spyder3Express - Datacolor - Global Leader in Color Management Solutions

But yes, you can have a good lab color correct your images for a small fee.

I do think that anyone who is serious about digital photography, should calibrate their monitor, but the reality is that (I'd guess) about 98% of people don't have a calibration device and most of them are satisfied with prints they get. They may not be extremely accurate, but that is less important than the memories that the photos hold.

 

[12sndsgood]

adoramama is one i will be looking at. i also read Kodak makes a real high quality book. just didnt want to send something out and then receive a book where all the colors are off from what i saw an edited. im not a pro so pro labs would be out. id like to get my moniter color corrected. just trying to avoid dropping allot of coin for it at this time.