Hi, thanks for posing the question.
I have just purchased a new Epson r1800 and have the same problem with CS2. Letting CS2 do all the colour management, and the prints are substantially darker on the output than they are on the monitor.
I have tried using the correct ICC profile to match the media, same deal. Has anyone figured this problem out. I am sure that I am not setting something correctly.
I am wondering if I need to convert the profile of the file to the ICC profile before I print with preview. Previously when I try tried the ICC profile my shots were looking very green.
Any help would be appreciated.
RB
Hi, I have posted the same question as you and after a brief investigation I think I have found the answer, I converted the profile of the file in CS2 to the ICC file (edit => convert to profile) then selected the profile to match the media I am printing on it worked like a charm, printed image matches perfectly to the output on the screen. I am still testing the consistancy on this, the file that I good results with was a jpeg that I saved from a raw file, unsure if this has any bearing on it. More later …
I am sorry to tell you that the problem is with something you are doing and not the printer.
Printers like the 1800 are not forgiving of calibration/profile errors. I use an R1800 with CS2 and I assure you that if you are having problems with prints being too dark, and are following the basic Photoshop/Epson driver settings for color managed printing, then you have a problem with your monitor profile or the settings you have chosen for color management in Photoshop. I suspect it is both of these as there is no reason to be converting profiles like you describe. If you are using an LCD, even with a calibration device, it is likely that the LCD is too bright, contrast may be off, even though you have created a monitor profile using a calibrating device. After creating a profile you may still have to tune the monitor to the print until you achieve reasonably predictable results. If you are using a CRT with an external calibrating device then your procedures are in error as color/brightness matching should be reasonably accurate if calibration and software settings are done correctly.
I have owned an Epson Photo Stylus R800 for a little over a year. Prints are always much too dark. I called Epson and they talked me through a battery of printer tests and checked all print and driver settings which were correct but test prints were again much too dark. They then suggested that I try to print the same image via Windows Fax and Photo Viewer and Microsoft Photo Editor, both prints were perfect and matched the monitor display. I called Adobe Expert Support; they concurred all settings and profiles were correct, and suggested alternative settings but to no avail. They are unable to suggest a remedy for the problem. Can anyone?
I am a reasonably-experienced Photoshop user, I have recalibrated my monitor, tried a wide variety settings in Photoshop. Consulted and followed recommended settings in several good Photoshop books. I use WindowsXP and Photoshop CS2
Can anyone assist me, thanks,
BK
I have fixed 99% percent of the problems now using the Epson R1800. With the exception of one .TIF file all my prints come out exactly as I see them on the screen. What fixed the issue in my case, was converting the profile to the correct setting.
I use a Spyder2 Express device to calibrate my screen, and setting my images to use this profile fixed my problem.
After seeing so many posts concerning the R800 & R1800 printing dark images I have to ask this question. If the file prints with correct colors but is simply too dark, why do you not make an adjustment curves or levels layer to lighten? While learning correct color management is certainly the only true answer to this problem, an adjustment layer is a reasonable work around.
Let’s face it, some people simply can’t grasp color management. Again, if the color is correct and only density is off, an adjustment layer that lightens should produce a fine print.
Just my thoughts and I know color management is the real answer.
Q
Um, your images should not be using your DISPLAY profile! They should be using an independent profile.
Then you convert to your printer profile when printing.
Have solved this problem now.
My Camera is setup for Adobe RGB – Nikon D70s, calibrated my monitor, setup the workspace on CS2 for Adobe RGB, all images get converted to this.
For printer output I down loaded all the ICC profiles to match the Epson media, plus the new driver for the printer (not sure if this has had some postive effect but it can’t hurt).
Here’s where I went wrong. I had always been using the ICC profile but erroneously assumed that the output on the screen when using ‘print with preview’ was actually what you would get on the finished product, so each time I got to that stage I abandoned it, thinking it was not working correctly, as the shots looked very green and over exposed, ignore this, it’s not the case, just carry on printing. Getting excellent results now.
Interesting that Epson UK couldn’t point me in the right direction, their template response was embarrassingly poor. They just told me to let the printer do the colour management!
