Maybe that one printer is very typical in its printing tolerances. However, you will be very lucky if your printer is an exact match for the one that created the profile. It will look reasonably accurate, but it will rarely be an exact match.

If the profile is created using a number of printers, then you've got a better chance of a more accurate match (providing your printer is not at the extremes of the printing tolerances). But there will still be compromises. Colour shifts are averaged, and the gamut of colours that your printer can print will be restricted. This can make all the difference at the extremes of the gamut.

So that leads us to custom made printer profiles. This is the ultimate step for getting the best out of your printer, and will result in the best looking prints that you can achieve. The advantages are :

• Profiles YOUR printer with the paper you want to use. Variations in colour shifts and the gamut with pre-made profiles based on a different printer is no longer a problem.