 Todd Bennett |
Printing Question I have a Nikon D70S and I am using an Epson 1280 printer to print my photos. I took a portrait of my wife in a black evening dress in front of a slate grey marbled backdrop with three 250 watt photo floods. When I view the picture in either Nikon's software that came with the camera or in Photoshop 7 everything looks fine. When I print out the picture the dress looks like a dark burgundy, not black. My white balance on the D70 was set to incandescent. Every other photo that I have printed comes out looking exactly like what I see on the screen. Is black a no no? What am I doing wrong?
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David Earls |
This sounds a lot like a color management problem. Color management is the way you generate predictable, consistent prints that also look like what you see on the camera LCD and on your monitor. First thing I'd look at would be the combination of paper and printer settings, i.e., are you selecting the proper paper profile for your printer. Different paper stock absorb and reflect inks differently from the same printer. Your colorspace settings can also affect printer output.
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Kip T. Berger |
also make sure you aren't low or out of black ink.
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Todd Bennett |
The ink cartridge was completely full. Put them in yesterday. It is strange, I can print pictures of houses with black roofs, a dog with a black nose, etc but the one of her in a dress comes out looking like crap. I read through the section in Photoshop for Dummies on color management to no avail. Looks like I may need to get a book on color management.
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Chuck Sanchez |
In photo shop use your eyedropper and see what cmyk color values are on the dress area of the image. If you see any magenta you need to adjust your curves or selective color function and take the magenta's out of the blacks. Also getting color to print correctly, especially black and white photos are next to impossible without RIP software. I have a 1280 as well and I've tried color calibration, but it is diffulcult. You must examine your images in more detail before outputting to your printer. Rember that in CMYK, which is what your epson prints, creates blacks from a combination of all those colors. So what looks black might be a cyan-black, or a magenta or yellow toned black. Chuck
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David Earls |
Chuck, Epson printers use CMYK inks (instead of RGB inks) BUT they print natively from RGB colorspace. The only way to produce CMYK images from an Epson as far as I know is to purchase a RIP, and then go through the profiling process. Epson's "out-of-the-box" profiles for their media are quite good, and most other paper manufactureres are now producing profiles for their papers and Epson printers. However, they're all translating everything into RGB colorspace UNLESS you go through a RIP. At least, that is the case with my Epson 2200. One of life's great mysteries, this CMYK-RGB thing, except that Epson's expanded ink cartridges enable the CMYK printer to access the larger gamut of RGB colorspace. I also get almost spot-on matches of Pantone spot inks, which is not possible through CMYK color. Ah, the endless joys of color management...
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Chuck Sanchez |
Yeah I always print from RGB and I know that Epson printers can print higher color gamuts than a straight CMYK image, but I have found, through tons of experiments, little tricks that yield superior results. Color management is a huge pain. It is a matter of personal experimentation and blowing large amounts of cash on cartridges and paper. Try looking at your blacks and see what happens. It may or not work, but it has worked for me on past projects. Good luck. Chuck
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Todd Bennett |
Pardon my ignorance; but, what is a RIP? Besides being a heading on a grave stone. LOL
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Chuck Sanchez |
It is a piece of software. RIP stands for raster image processor. It take information from your files and transfers specific data to your printer. For example a grayscale image without a RIP will use all the inks in a printer to create blacks. They will fire the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black cartridges. Using a RIP will tell the printer to fire only the black inks or the black and gray inks giving you real black and white prints. RIP's also translates post-script information, like vector graphics, and post-script fonts into raster images. Do google search for "RIP and printing" and you will find some better explanations. Most desktop printers don't use or have RIP's available for them. It's the higher priced printers that use RIP's. It basically gives you more control over color when used for photography. Chuck
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David Earls |
Todd, What it all comes down to is that, as Chuck says, color management is a huge pain. But you have to put it into your workflow. You don't have to take the time and trouble to optimize your printer settings to suit the paper you've selected. The "OK" button will always make the printer print. This is never a problem until you think a black dress should be black instead of maroon. Then color management has reared its ugly head. What kind of paper are you printing on, and what are your printer settings?
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Todd Bennett |
David, I am using Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. Media type is set to Premium Glossy Photo paper, Ink - color, Mode to PhotoEnhance with people in the drop down menu and digital camera correction. Looks like that is it other than paper, layout and utility. I may need the digital camera correction turned off. I was reading somewhere earlier that there is no need to have the printer correct something that is corrected in photoshop. Thanks for all the responses. Todd
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David Earls |
Todd, Does your printer enable the use of an ICC profile? My 2200 came with a full set of ICC profiles for Epson media; I've not used the 1280. On the Epson pop-up, do you have a menu option for ICM under Color Management (where PhotoEnhance usually resides)? If you do, select ICM, and if you installed ICC profiles as part of installing your printer, you'll have a profile for Epson Premium Glossy. Choose Perceptual as your rendering intent. As a side note, I run my 2200 with a 5% reduction in ink; on glossy paper, you may need even more than that to prevent smearing -
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Chuck Sanchez |
I'm pretty sure, but I don't think the 1280 supports ICC Profiles. The 2200 has much more control over color than the 1280. Chuck
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Todd Bennett |
David, When I open my printer properties and click on color management, I have the selections, automatic and manual. Under Color Profiles currently associated with this printer I have one selection "EE151_1". If I click on add I have 53 profiles to choose from. Maybe we're getting somewhere. I do not see an ICM selection. By the way, I have no problem with smearing
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Todd Bennett |
David, I found what you are talking about. Under mode I have 2 selections, ICM and sRGB. I have printed one with the sRGB selected and one with the ICM selected. They both look better. It is intersting though, I litterally sat here and watched the print go from dark burgundy to black as the ink dried. Some of the redder tones may now have to do with the position of the lights. Again, Chuck & David, THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT and help. Looks like I'm on the right track.
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Todd Bennett |
By the way. Under mode it is automatic or manual and then the ICM or sRGB selection.
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