Why does my printout look quite different to my screen display?

R
Posted By
robertowalls
Dec 26, 2003
Views
785
Replies
4
Status
Closed
Hello,
I’m pretty new to photoshop, although I have been using it in a small way over the last few years. At the moment I’m trying to get into the more advanced features, but I have a problem.

I’m currently using a highspec laptop with a 1600×1200 res screen, Photoshop CS and have an Epson R300 printer. My digital Camera is a canon powershot s50. My problem is, I load the photo onto my computer and print, but the printout looks a lot different to the picture on my screen.
I’m assuming its something to do with my colour settings on my screen? Is there anything that can make these totally right? I tried with adobe gamma, but it seems a bit confusing. For example, a part where I must blend a square into a background…It never seems to be anywhere near the colour of the background!

Please can anyone help me out in anyway. I’d much appreciate it.

Robert Walls, Ireland.
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BB
brent_bertram
Dec 26, 2003
Robert,
You’re going to have a problem getting an accurate profile for your laptop ( Adobe Gamma wasn’t designed to profile LCD displays ). The profile is the primary thing seperating you from decent prints . You should read the tutorials on Ian Lyons’s site and product reviews ( especially those on Profiling software ) to see what you’re up against and give you a grounding in Photoshop printing.
Ian, too , is in Ireland ! <G>
<http://www.computer-darkroom.com/>

Brent
MM
Mick_Murphy
Dec 26, 2003
All is not lost however without profiles. One way is to create a series of test prints adjusting the colour and other parameters in your printer software until you get what you see on screen, assuming the R300 allows you to do this. Any of the Epson printers I have used do. A bit hit and miss but it works eventually.
I wish I was in Ireland. Miss the place sometimes.
CW
Colin_Walls
Dec 26, 2003
Robert

I didn’t know my family had Irish connections. Maybe this explains my instinctive penchant for Guinness. 🙂
M
mistermonday
Dec 26, 2003
Robert, one very important step with Epson printers, if you are not yet ready for working with custom profiles, is to start simple by making sure that your output is set for "Printer Color Management".
In PS7, you will find the setting in the window that comes up when you chose File>Print With Preview. Check the "Show More Options" box and select "Color Management" from the pull-down menu. Then from the "Print Space Profile:" pull down menu, select "Printer Color Management". This will allow the Epson driver s/w to correctly take your image output and manage the color translation itself. While it may not be perfect, it will generally be very close to your image providing your monitor / display is not way out of calibration.

With Epson printers, when the Print space is left at the default setting of "Same as Source", the prints are usually way way off and often downright ugly.

Rgds, MM

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