cmarshall - 9:16 pm on Feb 13, 2007 (gmt 0)

The only way to get predictable color is to have each user calibrate their own monitor. Expensive monitors can have more consistency than cheap ones, but they can express a great deal of variance, as was noted.

The answer is to use a design with "broad brush" colors. Depend on line and form more than color, and keep it fairly simple. Always have a fair bit of contrast between adjacent colors, unless you are deliberately seeking a smooth or invisible transition.

I test all my sites on a colorblind simulator [colorfilter.wickline.org]. There's no way to get colors that will appear the same to everyone, even on a calibrated system.

Embrace this limitation, because it will lead you to design more attractive and usable sites anyway.

All that being said, I use calibrated monitors on all my machines. I also calibrate my printers. However, this is not something you can expect site visitors to do.