ok, i have a canon IP5000 and a canon i865 and im running PS CS2 as well as Ulead Photoimpact 11 (which i actually prefer due to speed... that and its compatibel and does pretty much everything PS does.. but there are jsut some thiengs PS shines at which PI jsut cant touch.. but thats another story.. )

Now when i print contact sheets using the canon SW, they come out as i see them on screen, however, when i use other programs the colours are slighty off...

so what im wanting to do is obviously calibrate the screen with each repective printer.

anyone know how i can do this? or does anyone know of "colour profiles" i can use for a monitor and printer. Ive looked into the settings of each app, but im yet to get decent results. I know i can mess with the output curves, but as i use a variety of papers, saturation can fluctuate and i am yet to find a decent solution where i can say "yup, im using THIS paper, with THIS printer and THIS program today... so make it all work before i shoot myself.. "

any thoughts? ideas?? Suggestions?

There is more to it than I have the energy to explain here, but your first step should be to calibrate your monitor--with a colorimeter, such as those made by Colorvision, Monaco Systems, or Gretag-Macbeth. Read all the gory details in Bruce Fraser's "Real World Color Management". Do it right and invest in the proper hardware. Finally, find out whether Photoimpact supports color management, otherwise you will be wasting your time.