Color Management Nightmares

[christopher_platt]

Hey all-
Since I got my D70, I've been editing the photos and having them printed at a local lab on a lightjet. My monitor's only been profiled by the utility that came with the computer (mac),and so far they've been a little off, but not bad. I thought I'd try printing one on my Epson Stylus Photo 820 and it came out looking like a hose blew on the magenta cartridge. I mean, EVERYTHING was a bright magenta (well, all the skin tones anyway. the white background wasn't that bad). Did I forget to convert it to CMYK? Would that do it? All the stuff on color management I've read has me a little boggled. Any ideas?
Chip

[Sebastian]

Hey all-
Since I got my D70, I've been editing the photos and having them printed at a local lab on a lightjet. My monitor's only been profiled by the utility that came with the computer (mac),and so far they've been a little off, but not bad. I thought I'd try printing one on my Epson Stylus Photo 820 and it came out looking like a hose blew on the magenta cartridge. I mean, EVERYTHING was a bright magenta (well, all the skin tones anyway. the white background wasn't that bad). Did I forget to convert it to CMYK? Would that do it? All the stuff on color management I've read has me a little boggled. Any ideas?
Chip

When printing to that printer you need three things:

EPSON paper
The right profile for that paper
and Epson ink for the profiles to be valid

You NEED to make sure that the right profiles ar selected for youcurrent paper/DPI settings.

[christopher_platt]

Sebastian-
I'm using Epson Premium Glossy 4x6 paper, Epson Ink Cartridges, and I set the profile in photoshop to Epson Premium Glossy Photo paper. In the dialog that comes up when you go to print, I changed the color management setting to Colorsync, and it came out very blue/cyan. Funny thing is though, it's only in the midtones/shadows. The skin tone highlights look pretty good. But it's reeeeaally blue in the midtones and shadows. Any other ideas? I'm thinking that it's probably not just my monitor calibration being way off, because like I said, now the color cast is going the other way. hhhhhmmmm.
Chip

[Sebastian]

Sebastian-
I'm using Epson Premium Glossy 4x6 paper, Epson Ink Cartridges, and I set the profile in photoshop to Epson Premium Glossy Photo paper. In the dialog that comes up when you go to print, I changed the color management setting to Colorsync, and it came out very blue/cyan. Funny thing is though, it's only in the midtones/shadows. The skin tone highlights look pretty good. But it's reeeeaally blue in the midtones and shadows. Any other ideas? I'm thinking that it's probably not just my monitor calibration being way off, because like I said, now the color cast is going the other way. hhhhhmmmm.
Chip

You have to select the Premium Glossy paper in the Epson driver AND you have to select the Epson Premium Glossy PROFILE in Photoshop when printing. This is NOT a miscalibration of your monitor, you are double-profiling like Penney said.

[christopher_platt]

Well. . .
First of all, should I convert it to CMYK before I print it? Under Image>Mode>Convert to Profile I set the profile to Epson Premium glossy photo paper, and in the driver I also set it to premium glossy photo paper, and in the driver under color management I set it to "No color adjustments". I'm on print #5 now, and it now has a weird purplish color cast. I thought maybe it was just my rookie eye, but her hair is definitely not right. My sister's a brunette, not a punk rocker. . .would it help if I post the pics?
Thanks for all your help.
Chip

[christopher_platt]

I followed the steps exactly, but it still has a bluish (or maybe it's cyan? or purple?I'm a rookie, can't tell. . .) cast. It's fainter, but it's still there. Could it be a way inaccurate monitor or printer profile? If so, what's the cheapest halfway accurate way of getting a printer profiled? I checked one service on the internet, and it was around $200. I'm at a loss. Could it be dirty printheads? *sigh*
Chip
PS Thanks so much for spending the time to go through all that, Penny. I really appreciate the knowledge that you bring to this forum.

[Sebastian]

I followed the steps exactly, but it still has a bluish (or maybe it's cyan? or purple?I'm a rookie, can't tell. . .) cast. It's fainter, but it's still there. Could it be a way inaccurate monitor or printer profile? If so, what's the cheapest halfway accurate way of getting a printer profiled? I checked one service on the internet, and it was around $200. I'm at a loss. Could it be dirty printheads? *sigh*
Chip
PS Thanks so much for spending the time to go through all that, Penny. I really appreciate the knowledge that you bring to this forum.

What lighting are you looking at these under, and how long after they print?

The ink needs a while to "set" with that series printer before colors become "true." Also, different light, and angles you hold the print at, will shift the colors.

You can spend 200 bucks to have your system profiled, or you can spend 600 on a decent set of profile software/hardware and do it yourself. It should be done regularly, once a month or so, to keep everything calibrated.

Beware the Colorvision Spyder, very good performer on new monitors, but for some reason the older the CRT the more it throws things out of whack. The Monaco Optix is a bit more but much more consistent across a broad range of CRTs and LCDs.

[christopher_platt]

What lighting are you looking at these under, and how long after they print?

The ink needs a while to "set" with that series printer before colors become "true." Also, different light, and angles you hold the print at, will shift the colors.

You can spend 200 bucks to have your system profiled, or you can spend 600 on a decent set of profile software/hardware and do it yourself. It should be done regularly, once a month or so, to keep everything calibrated.

Beware the Colorvision Spyder, very good performer on new monitors, but for some reason the older the CRT the more it throws things out of whack. The Monaco Optix is a bit more but much more consistent across a broad range of CRTs and LCDs.

Sebastian-
I've looked at them under incandescent, flourescent, sunlight. . .believe me, it's definitely the prints, not the lights. However- I am working on a laptop (only computer I got) and I know the angle of viewing on such a thin screen can make a difference. When I have a minute I'll scan the prints and show you what I'm talking about.
As far as profiling goes, or buying equipment, it's a no go for a while. I'm young, in college, I live in one of the most expensive places in the country (a SHACK of a house on a miniscule lot goes for just under a million bucks), and I have a wife and now a baby to support. Please don't think I'm complaining, I love every second of it, but profiling equipment is just a luxury that can't be had right now. Maybe I'll just have to keep going to the lab. I just thought that this would make life a little easier to be able to give 4x6s to family members.
Chip

[gahspidy]

Just my 2 cents, but don't convert to CMYK, use RGB.