Canon Pro-2000, MCT and colour profiling

[jeyell]

Very grateful to the recent reviewers and colour management dabblers of these and similar printers as this stuff is important. I was Epson and have now become a printer of photography on a Canon Pro-2000. I have a few questions around how Canon manages the colour management toolchain on a Mac (10.12.3). I've setup the printer with head alignment and run the Colour calibration afterwards. Now I'm profiling, currently with a color munki photo.

Within the Media Configuration Tool (MCT) for custom paper two curious options exist 'Create Calibration Target' and 'ICC profile'. I know the printer cannot profile papers to create icc profiles, but how do these two settings work when printing?

1. 'Create Calibration Target' tab is this something your run for each custom paper type you wish to setup in MCT? I have done with my first new custom paper without problems.
2. ICC Profile tab. Lets start at creating a ICC profile from a colour target and now I've created my ICC profile. Do I then attach this profile to my custom media paper in the MCT under this ICC Profile tab?

So far I have calibrated the paper from MCT and updated it within MCT, created an ICC profile using munki 1.2.2 software (which in itself is an assumption it bypasses macOS colour tampering). I first printed a visual colour test chart (thanks digdog) from Preview by choosing my custom paper type (after syncing drivers) and assigning the ICC profile within the print setup dialogs, like I did in Epson days. The print looked very good apart from slight banding in a yellow/black transition in an Atkinson Ball. But this left me wondering what that ICC Profile tab in the custom paper type was in MCT?

Of course Canon specs/manual guides are slim in information and description which is poor. I thought lets try and assign my ICC to the custom paper in MCT, sync and re-print. I was pleased to see in the next print dialog's under colour matching and choosing ColorSync and picking the Automatic drop-down - it auto selects the ICC profile from my munki profiling. Which is neat.

Thinking out aloud it seems these custom tabs in the MCT are Canon's attempt to align media type to an ICC profile in one file package (AM1X). I checked a Canson AMX file and it contains Canson's own ICC profile.

BONUS QUESTION. I've noticed in the print dialogue's "Paper Detailed Settings" above the "CO area" option something curious - "Calibration Value". This has three options: Printer Value, Use Value and Disregard Value. Does this setting tie-back to #1 above? I did set this to 'Use Value', as help cryptically hinted at, but honestly...in the absence of clear explanation of what interacts with what...i'm fishing.

Appreciate comments.

[Mark D Segal]

I don't understand why you think the documentation is "slim". There is a 92 page manual for the MCT, within which there are some references to the basic printer manual for topics the MCT manual leaves to the main manual. So altogether, a considerable amount of detailed guidance is available.

The MCT brings together in one handy Custom Media file all the information ylu build in to that file regarding paper feed adjustment, advanced printer settings, advanced paper settings, calibration target and ICC profile. You also need to update the new media information file into the printer driver following their instructions in the printer's own on-line manual. Once you've done all that, if you call-up the custom media for printing, all the associated settings including the chosen ICC profile should be loaded and ready to print with.

To use custom profiles for a custom paper type, it appears to be inferred from the warning messages in the MCT manual that one needs to make sure the settings in the Advanced Paper Settings sheet are the same as the ones that were used for printing the profiling targets used to make the ICC profile, otherwise the profile may not accurately characterize the ink laydown of the printer. As I have not experimented with this procedure to see what happens in the event they are not coherent, if any one else has it would be useful for them to join this conversation and contribute and evidence-based a view on this matter.

[jeyell]

Thanks Mark. By 'thin' I mean in cause and effect of settings not length! I've read 3-400 pages so far and will find more understanding, but too often settings are too brief or quote a statement without explaining impact or consequence of the various options. I can learn a 'just do this' and keep to the golden path methodology, but given the apparent sophisitication of hardware and reliance on software, providing the full picture leads to a more complete understanding of the toolchain. Making it more predictable.

I found making OSX printing presets useful in keeping the options in check.

J