Colour/Printer Calibration issues - help required.

H

hangerhead

Suspended / Banned
Messages
233
Edit My Images
Yes
So, if this is the wrong forum, not sure where it should be otherwise and it's a long-ish post simply due to detail.


well, clearly I have done something wrong so let's see if i can write it down for some mad printing colour genius to sort out for me

I have an HP 7960 printer - recently bought new cartridges and run full cleaning and alignment cycles.
printing directly from Windows Explorer (right click, Print...opens the Windows built in print wizard) results in images that are as close to the screen as i've seen (although maybe slightly lacking in red or magenta tones compared to the monitor, that's only noticeable on a direct print to monitor comparison) without me meddling :/ ahem...


I generated a Spyder2 calibration - my monitor (1900FP Dell lcd) was pretty close anyway - just a touch blue. profile confrims it has loaded whenever i start my PC up.

On PS CS3...well, this is where I think i am shooting myself in the foot.
the pdf attachment shows everything needed.
Anyway - Using my Canon 40D, i have left it set to shoot in sRGB (although thinking about changing to Adobe RGB).

I generate a JPEG (from RAW), process as default, so probably sRGB.

i use Ilford galierie smooth pearl - I found there IS a profile for my HP 7960 PhotoRet printer.
I download it.

  • Install it (right click, install profile...and also checked it was in the correct /color folder.
  • in the HP printer options, i select ICM colour management (This HAS been confirmed as the way this printer switches OFF any printer handling of colours)
  • in the Printer profile option in CS3, i have definitely selected the paper icc profile I downloaded.
  • Colour handling is Photoshop Manages Colours.
  • As per ilfords own suggestions, i used Perceptual Rendering and Black Point Compensation.
  • In Printer Properties, the paper type (as suggested by Ilford the smooth pearl paper) is HP PREMIUM GLOSSY - i have selected that.

However - when i actually print the image out, it is very dark (not slightly), the colours are completely off (oversaturated and with a sort of muddy haze over the print).
it's not ink run-off or anything like that as the print from within windows is fine.

I looked also at the colour profiles - i think i should leave it set to Nort America PrePress2....but something else I've read suggested changing the RGB to Adobe...
anyway - i think i've utterly ballsed up all my Photoshop settings and
I wanna cry...
Now, i HAD also shot the image originally as sRGB and subsequently also tried to to convert it to Adobe RGB. i don't want to keep printing off rubbish images/same image until i can understand a little better what i need to change.


anything else i might have missed? COnvert to profile? ask before converting..etc..I have no idea.

i would have attached a pdf showing all the relevant screens in CS3 that I could think of...but there isn't anyway to imbed a download here (and I'm at work, not at home so cannot get any more images just now).

Anyway - if you can help, i have the pdf here... cheers.
 
I have a HP printer and struggle sometimes to get a really good print on the Ilford stuff, but this is what I do. Struggle a little as I am at work.

My set up is Adobe RGB
I don't touch any of the 'i think i should leave it set to North America PrePress2' they are used by people in pro labs, so I believe.
I print going File, Print Preview and I select "Let Printer Determine ther Colours" .
I think once into the HP Software you can pick up the ICC Profiles for the various papers.
Set it all as 'Best Quaility' and off I go.

Will check to night when I get home and try with some Ilford stuff I have.
I use a Spyder Express to calibrate my system but I am running an IMac
 
A couple of general things.

In some print drivers turning on ICM means the driver will do the colour management and there's another option to disable this. Double check the print driver isn't doing this. I don't know HP's drivers so I can't be sure where it might be if it's there.

sRGB or AdodeRGB won't make any difference to your problem as CS3 still have to convert the colours to the output colour space and this is where things seem to be going wrong. Post some screen shots of your settings for the print driver and CS3 and it might be obvious what needs changing.
 
pxl8 - i'm at work now and away for the evening afterwards - i DO have the printer settings captured here - but only in a small (450KB) PDF file.
as for the 'disabling' of Colour Management, the HP printers actually stipulate that ICM requires to be selected!

knikki - thanks for your input - however, isn't that basically the same as using the windows print wizard?
 
In my epson driver you have to select ICM and then check another box to turn it off and I think Canon has something similar so I'm wondering if HP is also like that. The results you're getting do sound like a double correct through ICM which is why I wondered about this.
 
afraid it's definitely in the HP one - the online guide also says the same - to switch OFF colour management (as it is being handled by anopther application) select ICM.
 
Ok, in CS3 what colour engine is being used - should be somewhere near Let Photoshop Handle the colours?
 
hangerhead said:
knikki - thanks for your input - however, isn't that basically the same as using the windows print wizard?
Click to expand...

Not 100% sure but even if you use all Adobe to print it will still bring up the various windows print wizards. The trick is to either get Adobe to do all the leg work by like Pxl8 says "disabling the ICM on the printer", because that will casue it to clash, so when you select the ICC profile (from the File Print With Preview), that is the one being used. If you don't switch the Printer ICM off then the two will clash. Or let the printer to all the work which is what I found works best for me.

Sometimes it is a bit of trial and error, or in my case lots of swearing and banging head on desk, to get it right.

Do a search for a website called Digital Darkroom, that helped me loads. The screen shots are manily Mac, but they way Adobe and it print function works is that same on both machines.
 
Sorry, the setting I was looking for is in Edit > Color Setting...

Is Conversion Options > Engine set to Adobe (ACE) or Microsoft (ICM)?
 
ICM over rides the specific printer profile youve loaded set that box to NONE

I take it your using genuine HP cartridges?

Also check out the help sections on the www.colorvision.com website
 
dcash29 said:
ICM over rides the specific printer profile youve loaded set that box to NONE

I take it your using genuine HP cartridges?

Also check out the help sections on the www.colorvision.com website
Click to expand...

For HP - ICM is used to mean NONE (i.e. printer has no bearing on profile, all done within application - there isn't a NONE setting for the 7960 driver).

And yes, utterly genuine everything - when i print from within windows, the results are acceptable (showing cartridges are fine)
 
Its been a while since i profiled my system, i have doubts about this American prepress 2 thingy, ive never used that setting
 
I can't think of anything obvious - seeing screen shots of the settings for a sanity check would be useful.

Might be worth removing the profiles for the printer, downloading and installing fresh ones just in case.

You could also try the printer on another machine and another model of printer on your machine to try and rule out where the problem is.
 
i have the screenshots as a pdf i could forward to anyone if they are interested enough to PM me their e-mail details...
 
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=288723&d=1216145087
that's the PDF link.

The HP link for the printer (colour management) is here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00063336&lc=en&cc=us&product=305383&dlc=en


I do note that when i go to print, I select the ilford galerie profile, then I click on printer set-up...ensuring the printer is set to ICM (as for some reason, it keeps getting set back to AdobeRGB whenever i go to print using an icc profile...)

Is THIS possibly my problem?

I set the ICM colour profile in the printer 1st...and then ...is photoshop passing the AdobeRGB switch to the printer which updates the driver profile setting...and then without realising, i set it back to ICM before actrually printing...?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top