I dunno.  when I open my render images on my dayjob monitor, the image always look darker.

Is this a gamma thing?

My work monitor gamma tab says 2.4(HP L1750).  My home monitor gamma thingee says 2.2 (Hanspree).  In Cararra, there is a gamma correction tickbox that says 1.8.

no idea.. my 3 Syncmaster 731b's only have Gamma Mode 1,2,3.... (set them to 2)

That is where I see my settings.

come to think of it, I'm not sure if gamma has more to do with the monitor or graphics card.

I'm hoping to figure out how gamma works before I waste more money on proof copies.
the prints are coming out too dark.  

The app settings should match your monitor settings.  In this case, your work monitor with Gc=2.4 will project a darker image.  However, newer monitors are shipping with higher Gc values these days.  You should untick the Gc=1.8 in the Carrara app and go with your native settings.  It appears that Carrara was set to match MAC monitor settings rather than PC.  If you are using PoserPro or using Gc shaders within Poser 7, set Gc according to your monitor output.

My Poser7 doesn't have any gamma options that I can see.

I render on my home setup in . png.  Mostly in Poser7.

Then bring the images to work to convert to grayscale and .pdf format, which insists on .jpg.

Even looking at my work on Amazon's search-inside, some of the grayscale looks too dark. 

embedding my home monitor's gamma settings doesn't seem to help, either.

maybe, I should just retire and sew tea cozies for a living.

The only feasible way to work Gc into your Poser workflow is add Gc nodes into all your models within the Material Room.  Fortunately, Bantha has uploaded a script which does that automatically, however you would need to make the necessary node connections.  Keep in mind, Poser versions prior to PoserPro rendered images linearly which, if displayed on a linear calibrated monitor, produces a very bright picture.  Since our vision cannot discern shades of gray on the brighter end of the light spectrum, a gamma correction is applied to shift the dark- and mid-tones to a point where we can recognize more detail at a sacrifice of high end values.  True black and white are unaffected on the curve. 

The problem rendering with earlier Poser versions is viewing the linear image on a gamma corrected monitor.  The image will appear darker; the temptation is to increase the intensity of your light which will, subsequently, result in specular blooms.  By applying Gc to your render, light intensity requirements will not be as demanding, meaning lower intensity values.

On a PC with a standard monitor set your gamma to 2.2; most PC apps will assume a gamma of 2.2, and I don't think Poser is any different.

The MacOS has recently changed it's default gamma from 1.8 to 2.2 too.

There are circumstances where you would deviate from these settings, but if you were considering doing that, you'd know why you were doing it.

Have a look here and here if you want to improve the accuracy of your monitor.

I vote for retiring. I really could use a tea cozie if you end up with too many.

A trick for getting your monitor set up for looking like what the print will is to make your black, black with brightness control. Then Adjust your tint until the white looks like the white of the paper your going to print on. I think I got that from Adobe Photoshop 4 manual.

Quote - I think I got that from Adobe Photoshop 4 manual.

That's a good reason not to follow the advice. It may have been the best solution at the time (1998), but that is ancient!

These days we have a platform- and application-independent colour management standard (ICC).

Don't blindly fiddle about with your monitor settings. Use one or both of the links in my post above to get a rudimentary monitor calibration / profiling app. If you have Adobe Photoshop, use the Adobe Gamma control panel. They're all free. If you want to go further, you'll need a hardware solution - these start at just under $100 (search online for 'Monitor Calibration').