Review: Eizo ColorEdge CE240W

Having worked on a CRT monitor throughout my professional career, I was looking forward to trying out Eizo Nanao”?s new 24-in. ColorEdge CE240W LCD display to see what the differences would be. The ColorEdge CE240W carries the “CE”? or “Creator Edition”? designation, and as such, is aimed squarely at the graphic-arts marketplace. It”?s also available in a 21-in. version (the CE210W).

When the display arrived, I could see right away that there would be a difference just in desk space versus my LaCie CRT (a 22-in. Electron Blue III). It was quickly evident that the Eizo”?s footprint was much smaller”?I found parts of my desk I thought were gone forever. The LCD was also significantly lighter in weight than the CRT, weighing in at just 17.2 pounds (without stand; 22.5 pounds with it).

Setup for the ColorEdge CE240W was very easy”?basically plug-and-play. Input from the monitor has an analog and digital option depending on which computer is being used; since I have a Power Mac G5, I opted for the included digital signal cable.

Once I turned it on, the next thing that became immediately apparent was all the newfound room I would have on my desktop. Its 16:10 wide-screen format is significantly different compared to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio I had been accustomed to using. After working through just a single magazine production cycle, I appreciated the ability to view page spreads and still have room for all my program palettes.

Color accuracy is also an important feature of the ColorEdge CE240W and, as you might guess, it offers several features aimed at both color accuracy and color control. Eizo”?s ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) provides 14-bit color processing for smooth color across images, combined with its 1920 x 1200 native resolution. I noticed that it really allowed for rendering well in the dark areas of an image.

In addition, the display is bundled with the company”?s ColorNavigator CE calibration software, which is compatible with Macintosh (OS X 10.2 or later) and Windows (2000/XP). The software interface is easy to use by just selecting target values for brightness, color temperature, etc., and these can be calibrated with GretagMacbeth”?s Eye-One, X-Rite”?s Monaco Optix, or the ColorVision Spyder. Using this information, the ColorNavigator CE software allows you to directly access the monitor”?s 10-bit LUT (Look-Up Table) for accurate calibration. Once satisfied, you can save the results as a ColorSync or ICC profile.

Three other features of note:
“? The CE240W comes with an ArcSwing 2 stand. This offers a smooth arc-shaped movement to adjust the monitor higher, lower, and tilt to get the best position for you. The base also swivels, giving you the added flexibility to display images for coworkers during presentations.
“? The controls on the front of the monitor are touch-sensitive, offering a smooth and reliable operation.
“? Two high-speed USB ports on the display”?s left side allow for quick connections
to digital cameras, storage devices, etc.

With its overall brightness, color accuracy, and fantastic wide format, the Eizo ColorEdge CE240W is an ideal solution for any graphic artist, digital photographer, or print shop.

Price: $1699 for the 24-in. ColorEdge
CE240W; $1199 for the smaller CE210W. Both are available in black or white/silver.

Jaxon Cook is the art director for The Big Picture magazine.