Tilting screen gives better colour matching with print why did I need spyder pro?

Question

OK, that was not a serious comment but there is truth here, and it should not be?
Equipment:
Imac 10.4.11
Photoshop CS3
Canon printer
monitor callibrated with Spyder 3 Pro
Colour management policy accurate in theory,
Working space same as camera space same as embedded profiles from Raw.Adobe RGB1998,
working in 16 bit, minor adjustments in raw, and CS3.
paper used - Photo Paper Plus Glossy (PP101)
Printer profile set to SP2 (same as semi gloss unfortunatley)
Detailed setting used in apple print dialogue to highest which is 2 unfortunately, not 1.
Screen is set to Soft proof before print for above paper.
PROBLEM:
1. Blues and Greens always less saturated than screen
2. Prints generally slightly darker, This is problem with grays and shadows being darker than screen.
3. Oranges less saturated
4. Colours often, in general, are bland and lack the impact that I see even in the soft proof.
QUESTION:
What could be going wrong? I have used the channel mixer to compensate for colours, but this I was doing before i bought the spyder3 Pro. I should not have to do this. Does the printer convert on the fly a 16 bit data image to 8 bit, because I never convert before sending to the printer? In windows my printer shows the option to print using Adobe RGB 1998. But in my Mac I do not see this option, could it be that the printer is using s'RGB regardless of what CS3 sends to it?
I have been struggling with these issues for a few weeks now and can find no solution. EXCEPT, that when i tilt my LCD monitor upwards I get better colour accuracy, the darker parts of images are more in line with the photo. YET, i have profiled the monitor at least 15 times over the past 2 weeks.
I am Lost. Can anywhere help please?
thankyou, Chris.

Answer 1

Chris wrote:
>But as with marketing campaigns and advertising policies, maybe it is time for the "Teachers and lecturers" in this industry to make this point more clearly.
Yes, they certainly should emphasize how quality and the means to achieve it are also tied to better equipment. It's also necessary that the users become more competent, of course, but the quality of the materials and equipment is just as crucial in order to achieve quality results.
>It is only something that I am beginning to realise. for me a monitor was a monitor. The way that colour management hardware manufacturers talk is therefore un-balanced.
They do their bit, which also includes the necessary evils of hype and marketing. It's *our* job not to fall for the inflated claims and the manufactured enthusiasm -- to ask around, read the reviews and understand how to interpret the specs. NEVER buy ANYTHING just based on the say-so of the manufacturer!
>The way that Pantone and makers of colour cards rant on about colour is also un-balanced. What they should be adding is ....with a proper monitor designed for photos these products will work??
The matching of spot colors on a monitor display is a tricky business in itself. Of the 1100 or so colors in the Pantone Coated palette, about 140 are more than 3 DeltaE 2000 outside of the gamut of sRGB (using Relative Colorimetric) and about 185 are more than 2 DeltaE 2000 off. The peak color difference is at 13 DeltaE.
But many of the monitors out there don't even cover sRGB, which is a relatively small color space. My Apple Studio Display has a gamut 15% *smaller* than sRGB, for example: more than 200 of the Pantone coated colors are 3 DeltaE 2000 or more outside its gamut (with a peak at 11.4 DeltaE), and 265 are off by 2 DeltaE or more.
On the other hand, the newer higher-end displays from Eizo and NEC-Mitsubishi (and others too from Samsung and HP) cover gamuts that are far wider, enough to cover AdobeRGB or larger.
Only 35 Pantone coated colors are outside AdobeRGB by 3 DeltaE 2000 or more, and 65 by 2 DeltaE 2000 or more (the highest color difference is a much more moderate 6.2 DeltaE).
Not perfect, but a much better situation -- all due to using a better monitor (which, yes, is also more expensive).