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Very dark prints on Epson compared to Lightroom

Vinzenz Schwab
Hi

As much as I like C1 6.2 for processing raw files from the leaf back, I struggle to get prints on my Epson 4800 which match the images on the monitor. The workflow is fully colour managed, the monitor calibrated, the printer uses custom profiles for the paper.

Printing with Photoshop and Lightroom using the same profiles as in C1 works flawlessly. Images in C1 and Lightroom look the same on the monitor, but C1 prints one to two stops darker than the preview shows.

Here is my workflow: processing profile is ECI-RGB v2 ICCv4, proof profile also ECI-RGB, in the printing tab I select the custom paper profile, perceptual or relative rendering intent, black point compensation on (tried off with little effect), colour management in the printer dialogue is off.

I also processed images in C1 (tif, ECI-RGB output) and used Lightroom to print with excellent results. These prints match the monitor in C1. This seems to indicate that the trouble is somewhere in the printing module of C1. Any suggestions, please? If I have to export to tif before printing, I would rather use Lightroom in the first place, I am afraid.

Vinzenz
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • Paul Steunebrink
    Try, for a change, as output/processing profile instead of your ECI-RGB another profile like AdobeRGB or embed camera profile. See whether that does improve the result from CO6.

    By the way, what is your version of CO6 and OS X?
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  • Vinzenz Schwab
    Thanks for the input. I tried several processing profiles, but this changes little in the results. If I process with ECI-RGB and print in another programme, everything is fine as mentioned above. Therefore, I assume the problem is within the printing module of C1.

    I use C1 6.2 and OS 10.6.7
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  • Frank Doorhof
    Hi,
    Go to the settings in your printer driver and set the following :
    Change the color density to -15 for PLP en -20 for Gloss.

    This will probably solve it.
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  • Vinzenz Schwab
    The colour settings of the printer driver are not accessible because the colour management is run by C1 in my case. If nobody else has experienced this shift towards dark prints in C1, I wonder what is going wrong in my setup?
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  • Frank Doorhof
    The settings are in the paper section and should be available.
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  • Permanently deleted user
    tried printing from Capture One Express and Pro both same file different computers same printer, Epson. Without lightening file does print about two stops darker. I did get a good print from pro by lightening the file significantly. The view proof profile function however, does not seem to change the way the file is viewed on the monitor while in photoshop the proof view is somewhat like it will look on the paper (relative colormetric, black point comp). I'm not an expert on inkjet printing but have seen some very good inkjet prints on Epsons. I also tried to find the driver and how to adjust it but could not find where to adjust it. So I don't think its just you or your printer. Like you said about two stops darker.
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  • Frank Doorhof
    Hi,
    It's really those settings.
    You find them under the settings tab, when you go to print you can set several options under different tabs. Now go to paper handling,there you can set them.

    This is tested and tried by many Epson users and found to be the solution, so please check.
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  • Paul Steunebrink
    Because the Printer Settings in CO6 on OS X 10.6 has a different layout than most programs show (at least for my Epson R2880), a tip.

    Color Density setting can be found from the Printer dialog, Print Settings button, Printer Features tab, Feature Set: General 8.
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  • Vinzenz Schwab
    If you change the printer settings manually in the printer dialog for a printer which has been profiled for different papers, you lose the accuracy between a calibrated monitor and the prints. It may work, but is more trial and error.

    I realised that even if I choose >Color Profile --> Managed by Printer< in the printer dialog, any colour settings under >Print Settings... --> Colour Matching / Printer Settings< are grayed out and not available. This seems to suggest that the colour management of the printer is always off.

    I suspect that C1 does not read some of the paper profiles in the print tab as it should or it has an issue with the Colour Sync of the Mac.
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