I think I've read myself to insanity on the topic of calibration. Maybe I'm just being thick-headed and way over-thinking the subject, but, I am confused to the point of frustration. I desperately want to have a level of confidence that my prints will match my screen perfectly, because I am in the business of offering print products. and they need to be right!
So, I have an early-2011 MBP that I do all of my editing on, and a ColorMunki Display calibrator. I've followed your instructions to a tee.. several times. But, I still feel like I'm doing something wrong. So, I want to start over. (Note: I will be purchasing an external monitor because editing on a laptop sucks ass!)
I'm planning to reset the calibration on my MBP, edit some images to my liking, and order a handful of prints (half dozen 5x7s, and 8x10s, of varying color - including b&w). I have a couple of questions.
1) I have the .icc profile from Millers (which is who I use the most). What is the purpose of the profile, and what is the best way to make use if it?
2) If I edit images on a non-calibrated monitor (my MBP), and send them to the lab for printing, and then calibrate my monitor to match the prints I get back, won't they not match again?? In other words (because I'm pretty sure I sound crazy right now..), if I edit on a non-calibrated monitor, print, calibrate to match the print, edit another image on a now calibrated monitor, and print again.. won't they still no match? I hope this makes sense.