And better monitors need, and deserve, better calibrators. The Spyder5s just don't seem to last as long as the i1Displays (see below), and it's very common for folks on their imaging journey to realise they need a better monitor as part of their long term progress.
![spyder 4 elite before after spyder 4 elite before after](https://www.slingmods.com/image/cache/customerphotos/uploads/PXL20201006041442857_u2c-500x500.jpg)
That said, we generally think this cheaper option is a false economy in the long term.
Spyder 4 elite before after full#
Displa圜AL treats the Spyder5 (or rebadged Spyder 5s, like the Eizo EX3) as a full Spyder5 sensor, without artificially imposed limits on settings etc, and is thus the the vastly better software option for use with the cheaper members of the Spyder5 series. If the budget is tight, though, then the best budget answer is probably a Spyder5 Express (around $200) - but used with the free after-market Displa圜AL software - this is because the included Spyder5 software is not great at all, and it 'software limits' the Spyder5 Express unit to be far less good than it actually can be. For significant improvement, your budget will climb to $300+ - but you'll get a much better, more accurate device and much better future proofing as well. Basically, if you want the cheapest option that is any good, you'll be spending around $200. There are two answers - the budget answer, and the best answer. So - the question then becomes - which monitor calibrator to buy? This is so out of the gates you're using the best approach. To this end, we also include a free printer profile - normally $50 - with every monitor calibrator purchase over $200.
![spyder 4 elite before after spyder 4 elite before after](https://i.redd.it/q0gxv6vd675y.png)
![spyder 4 elite before after spyder 4 elite before after](https://renovomd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/filler_renovo_md_before_and_after_5.jpg)
(If you're really experimental with your printing and want to try lots of papers, then the Munki is the best choice unless you have a much larger budget).
Spyder 4 elite before after plus#
We recommend this because the quality of results you get with this approach significantly exceeds the quality of results you'll get with a mid-range combined monitor plus printer calibrator solution like the ColorMunki (which is pretty good) or the SpyderPrint (which we've found to be not really very good at all). As a rule, we recommend most folks buy an excellent monitor calibrator and (if they're doing their own printing) - use our custom profile service to make profiles for their favourite papers, as opposed to buying calibrators which can handle both monitors and printers.