Calibrating is important if you care about the colors you display or print.
Richard Hughes
richard@hughsie.com
Rodolfo Ribeiro Gomes
rodolforg@gmail.com 2011

# Why do I need to do calibration myself?

Generic profiles are usually bad. When a manufacturer creates a new model, they just take a few items from the production line and average them together:

Averaged profiles

Display panels differ quite a lot from unit to unit and change substantially as the display ages. It is also more difficult for printers, as just changing the type or weight of paper can invalidate the characterization state and make the profile inaccurate.

The best way of ensuring the profile you have is accurate is by doing the calibration yourself, or by letting an external company supply you with a profile based on your exact characterization state.