Printer Profiles
Discussion
OK all you knowledgeable lot....
So, having bought a new printer (it's only an Epson R300) I have:
a) photographed a test chart and printed it (from preset WB in camera and w/o bv$$3ring it up in PS)
b) created a new Photoshop from scratch using specified colours
(My intention is to work with sRGB from camera through PS, btw.)
What I want to know is ....
How do I get the printer to print the colours that it's instructed and which I can see on screen?
Currently the greys look a bit creamy, the red is definitely orange, magenta is pink and the cyan is blue.....black's OK
There are plenty of fancy adjustments within the print options, do I just keep tweaking these?
I appreciate there are colour management tools for prints just as there are for monitors, but there's no current budget for this!
And yes I am RTFMing (I know I keep on with this nasty habit) as well, but can't fathom a solution.....
So, having bought a new printer (it's only an Epson R300) I have:
a) photographed a test chart and printed it (from preset WB in camera and w/o bv$$3ring it up in PS)
b) created a new Photoshop from scratch using specified colours
(My intention is to work with sRGB from camera through PS, btw.)
What I want to know is ....
How do I get the printer to print the colours that it's instructed and which I can see on screen?
Currently the greys look a bit creamy, the red is definitely orange, magenta is pink and the cyan is blue.....black's OK
There are plenty of fancy adjustments within the print options, do I just keep tweaking these?
I appreciate there are colour management tools for prints just as there are for monitors, but there's no current budget for this!
And yes I am RTFMing (I know I keep on with this nasty habit) as well, but can't fathom a solution.....
OK, here we go...
You need to download the ICC profile from the Epson website for your printer. Though bear in mind the colours can look different on different papers...
Then you need to get your monitor calibrated. you can do this the cheapo way by using the Adobe Gamma utility you will find in Control Panel if you have PS installed, or you can do it the proper way by purchasing a calibration device such as a PANTONE Spyder.
Once your monitor and printer are calibrated properly you are done, and what is on your screen is what will come out of your printer, if you use an ICC aware package to print from such as Photoshop - I personally print using QImage, a fantastic piece of printing software and well worth the money.
Taking photos of colour charts is not the way to do this...
You need to download the ICC profile from the Epson website for your printer. Though bear in mind the colours can look different on different papers...
Then you need to get your monitor calibrated. you can do this the cheapo way by using the Adobe Gamma utility you will find in Control Panel if you have PS installed, or you can do it the proper way by purchasing a calibration device such as a PANTONE Spyder.
Once your monitor and printer are calibrated properly you are done, and what is on your screen is what will come out of your printer, if you use an ICC aware package to print from such as Photoshop - I personally print using QImage, a fantastic piece of printing software and well worth the money.
Taking photos of colour charts is not the way to do this...
A couple of threads where this has come up before:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=114188
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=115636
Basically, the first thing you should do is to calibrate and profile your monitor - this gives you a consistent baseline to work from.
The next step is to obtain a profile for your printer (these are specific for each printer/ink/paper combination). The driver CD with the printer should contain profiles for Epson paper, but it's probably best to check their website for later or extra ones. If you're using different paper (e.g., Tetanal), then you'll need to download their profiles from their website.
These profiles then need to be saved to the correct directory (c:windowssystem32spooldriverscolor for Windows XP) for them to be picked up by PS.
When you print your image, you'll need to select the correct profile under "Print Space", and ensure that "No colour management" is selected in the printer driver. Also note any settings that the print profile requires (e.g., type of paper, dpi setting etc...).
Note that if you are using profiles, then the preview image you get in PS will look wrong. This is good and shows that the profile is being picked up (the preview bit isn't profile aware).
Some profiles are better than others, but I've found Epson's ones to be very good, and I've been able to get extremely good matches between what I see on screen and what appears on the print.
In my experience, the profile making tools that use a normal scanner are a waste of money, and if you want to go down this route then you'll need to budget at least £1k for the software/hardware to do a proper job.
Also, Adobe RGB 1998 would be a better choice for a PS working space compared to sRGB, which is more device orientated and not as good for photo editing.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=114188
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=115636
Basically, the first thing you should do is to calibrate and profile your monitor - this gives you a consistent baseline to work from.
The next step is to obtain a profile for your printer (these are specific for each printer/ink/paper combination). The driver CD with the printer should contain profiles for Epson paper, but it's probably best to check their website for later or extra ones. If you're using different paper (e.g., Tetanal), then you'll need to download their profiles from their website.
These profiles then need to be saved to the correct directory (c:windowssystem32spooldriverscolor for Windows XP) for them to be picked up by PS.
When you print your image, you'll need to select the correct profile under "Print Space", and ensure that "No colour management" is selected in the printer driver. Also note any settings that the print profile requires (e.g., type of paper, dpi setting etc...).
Note that if you are using profiles, then the preview image you get in PS will look wrong. This is good and shows that the profile is being picked up (the preview bit isn't profile aware).
Some profiles are better than others, but I've found Epson's ones to be very good, and I've been able to get extremely good matches between what I see on screen and what appears on the print.
In my experience, the profile making tools that use a normal scanner are a waste of money, and if you want to go down this route then you'll need to budget at least £1k for the software/hardware to do a proper job.
Also, Adobe RGB 1998 would be a better choice for a PS working space compared to sRGB, which is more device orientated and not as good for photo editing.
Methanol said:What kit do you use for this? I'm looking at doing my own too, and would be interested to know what sort of results you get
beano500,
I can offer you a solution, a professional custom profile for 30 quid, money back guarantee.
p.s. how's the Tuscan - not seen you around recently!!
Hi Ed,
How's it going dude? I did want to come to the last meet but it was with Castle, a few bits and bobs. I picked it up on Friday last, all good now. I noticed yours there, nothing major I hope?
As for the colour profiling stuff, I use a Pulse Colour Elite and an Optix XR, works great.
I'll email you my number, if you want to have a word about it.
How's it going dude? I did want to come to the last meet but it was with Castle, a few bits and bobs. I picked it up on Friday last, all good now. I noticed yours there, nothing major I hope?
As for the colour profiling stuff, I use a Pulse Colour Elite and an Optix XR, works great.
I'll email you my number, if you want to have a word about it.
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