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CS3, Epson 2880 Dark Prints

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woody74

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2008
72
47
Hopefully some one might be able to help as I am a tad stumped with a problem of dark prints from CS3 on an Epson 2880.

Macbook Pro with 10.4 Tiger
I have a calibrated monitor
CS3 setup with American Prepress colour settings
Raw picture imported into CS3 with Adobe RGB profile

So I edit the picture as required and then open the print window where I tell photoshop to manage the colours and select the correct ICC profile for my printer and paper. I then go to the Epson print driver and select the correct media type and turn off colour management.

The picture that is printed is 1 to 2 stops darker than what is should be.

Now the strange thing is if I use the Epson Print Plug-in the picture that it displays is generally dark like the print output.

If I didn’t know better I would say that another ICC profile is being applied to the picture as it moves either to the print driver or to the Epson Plug-in.

If I check the picture in CS3 with proofing then I get a small colour change as expected but not the dark print that comes out.

Any suggestions much appreciated as this is doing my head in.
 
tcphoto

tcphoto

macrumors 6502a
Feb 23, 2005
758
2
Madison, GA
I always let the printer determine the colors of my prints. I did trash the Epson drivers long ago and have been using Gutenprint drivers for years with no problems. I just bought a late 2008 MBP and found the first print not to my liking but once I checked the correct color profile it was back to what I wanted. Since using the Gutenprint driver, I use the Print in Preview menu option in CS2.
 
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eos

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2009
3
0
CS3, Epson 2880 Dark Prints

I'm having the same problem with CS3 and 7600 and 1280 Epson printers. Whenever I choose a custom profile (Atkinson profiles that Epson offers, and Cathy's profiles) or the 7600 or 1280 profiles that came with the printers, the preview goes darker and prints darker. Working, RGB, LAB, and Nikon profiles do not darken.
All profiles work correctly in CS. The problem started when I upgraded to CS3. Mac OS 10, printer drivers, were unchanged.
I too use PhotoShop Manages Colors and turn off Color Management in the printer. Printing setup follows setup as in Atkinson directions, etc.
Adobe, Epson and Apple have been of no help after much contact.
My workaround is having both CS3 and CS installed—work in CS3, close and print in CS.
Has anyone found the answer?
 
N

NStocks

macrumors 68000
Apr 3, 2008
1,567
18
England
I have just purchased the Epson R2880, and having setup the CS4 spaces, downoalding the ICC profiles etc. etc. I still get dark prints.

I spoke to Epson online, and they instructed me to print from their utility... still dark prints ! ( and their utility sucks )

So I've wasted 2 A3 sheets of paper and ink, which by the way is around £80 to fill the printer. I told Epson that I shouldn't have to keep trying with different software etc. and that I though I was paying for hald decend drivers and profiles with ths printer. And 3 hours of my time trying to get it to work.

I will be contacting Epson again on Sunday to seek more help as they said that if printing from the Epson software doesn't help they will ask more questions and if it did work then that simply meant changing CS4 settings...

Has anyone had sucess with a Mac ( I have a 17" MBP ) and this printer ?

NStocks
 
N

NStocks

macrumors 68000
Apr 3, 2008
1,567
18
England
I've reinstalled the driver, once from disk and one directly from he Epson website ( as instructed ). I haven't tried it on a different machine because I don't have the program for them, nor will the users let me !

I will see what Epson say tomorrow again...
 
W

woody74

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2008
72
47
Hi
Did you get a chance to speak to Epson as I still have this problem and would love to get it sorted.
 
N

NStocks

macrumors 68000
Apr 3, 2008
1,567
18
England
I decided to get a colormunki Photo, and calibrated my screen and printer. If you ant I will send you the profiles :

I used a 17" Unibody macbook Pro
Epson R2880 with original inks and Epson Premium glossy photo paper.

But if you go to Epson's website they have a live chat... it helped me loads with things I didn't know about.
 
Q

qveda

macrumors regular
Sep 8, 2008
240
0
I use outside printing services so its important for me to learn how to prepare files to get results that I expect. So far its been kind of trial and error.

I assume that in CS, you go to View then Proof Setup , select your Epson profile - correct?

one thing that I'm trying to learn about are the checkboxes:
- use RBG numbers
- simulate paper

(I'm not at home, so doing this from memory as I write)

Depending on which checkboxes are checked, it makes big difference in the image on my calibrated monitor.

I assume that once I determine which checkboxes should be checked, I then adjust brightness, etc etc until it looks as good as possible (never seems quite as good as original). Then save that version of the file for printing on the targeted printer.

make sense ?
 
L

LJR

macrumors newbie
Dec 15, 2007
10
0
Thatcham, UK
I've spent a fortune trying to resolve this issue between my MBP and both a Canon Pro 9000 Mk II and an Epson R2880 (this is not an Epson, nor Canon issue). After spending the best part of £150 on inks and papers, speaking for hours on the phone with Permajet, Canon and others I finally worked out that the problem I am seeing is because I have the glossy display on my MBP (which I've calibrated with Huey Pro). The only way I could get the prints to look close to what I was seeing on the screen was to adjust the brightness of my display to just ONE above the solid black! You can't really use the MBP like that as it's very dim but adjusting the images so they look bright and vibrant at that level and then printing them resulted in my getting images which matched the (now brighter) photos on my screen.

I can only assume the answer is to use a calibrated, external, non-glossy, monitor. Anyone able to confirm? Any recommendations as to what monitor<->Epson combinations seem to work well together?
 
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eos

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2009
3
0
CS3, Epson 2880 Dark Prints

My problem is solved. I didn't realize that PhotoShop CS3 was giving me what CS did not—with "match print colors" checked, CS3 was showing me the print proof. With that understood I think the print matches, as well as possible, any image created with a light source behind it.
 
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timbo1951

macrumors newbie
May 21, 2010
1
0
print issues between imac leopard, CS3 and Epson R2880

If its any consolation I have been having major issues with a new Epson R2880. I have been trying for over a week and following numerous phone calls to Epson and having used a whole packet of Epson and other paper plus buckets loads of ink I am no further forward. Epson have now taken the printer back to HO to check it out.

The only way I have managed to print a picture that resembles what is on my screen is to save it as a PDF open it in Acrobat and then print. Not satisfactory long term.

I would be pleased to learn if anyone has cracked this and found a solution
i have done l the obvious but it seems worse when i use an Epson icc profiled paper. When I use an illford one it is not to bad. The sickening thin is If i use the same setting and print on my HP photosmart C6380 the images are fine.
 
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