SpyderXPro monitor calibration

That 180 cd/m2 is the default brightness the Spyder calibrates to.  You don't have to accept it and so you can set whatever target brightness is appropriate for your needs.

The general rule of thumb monitor target brightness to match screen to print brightness is  between 80 - 120 cd/m2.  I calibrate my monitor to 80 cd/m2 which gives me a very close match between what I see on screen and print output.  I do mostly my own home printing with my own custom printer profiles.  Datacolor (Spyder manufacturer) also have SpyderPrint to build customised printer profiles if you're interested in doing your own printing.

Clive, I have adjusted my Spyder X settings to turn off the ambient light measurement. Its optional if you wish to keep it on. I think the reasoning is that if you have more light falling on the screen then the software will adjust the profile to compensate so you can see all the available tones. It might also take into account the colour temperature of the light falling on the screen. Datacololor support are very helpful if you have any technical questions.

The gamma adjustment has probably greatly improved the accuracy of your monitor. I personally have adjusted my monitor to 120 cd/m2 which works for me and gives an acceptable screen to print match. During photo editing, I sometimes check my histogram to check the brightness. After staring at a screen for a long time, tired eyes can easily change your perception.

I think its impossible to get a "perfect" screen to print match due to the fundamental difference between printed images and those seen on a monitor. It also depends in which light you are viewing your prints. However, after a while your eye gets a feel on how bright your image should be to get a good print. 


Kind regards

Chris 

When I first got my Spyder I calibrated my monitor to the default 180 cd/m2.  I found my prints were still a little too dark for my liking but much better than pre screen and printer calibration/profiling.

I then recalibrated my screen to 120 cd/m2 and my test print was much better after brightening up my test print in PSE to get the lightness I wanted but still not quite right for my liking.

I recalibrated my screen to 80 cd/m2 and my test print, after lightening a bit to get the lightness I want, was then very, very close to matching what I saw on screen.

As Chris correctly mentioned, you cannot get a 100% exact match between screen and print.  One significant reason is that the size of the colour gamuts between screen and printer are significantly different.  That is why you choose a Rendering Intent (relative colormetric, perceptual etc) to tell the printer how to handle out of gamut colours.