This might explain it. Yesterday I got a pdf that lists which paper types are affected by the latest firmware. Luckily, for me at least, the paper I've been testing was on the list. See attached. And according to thepdf this update only affects output going through the RGB driver.
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HP does it again. This is MORONICALLY AND INCREDIBLY DUMB.
The pdf "technical newsletter" EXPLICITLY states that the firmware only applies to the listed papers. So the logical conclusion is that the improvements do not apply to any other paper types.
This would explain the inconsistent results, but might also offer a solution for Photo Rag as I explain below.
(1) So, the firmware improvements apply to HP Premium Instant Dry Satin but *NOT* to HP Professional Satin.
Way to go HP. Fix your generic satin paper for a top of the line printer, while not doing so for your professional satin paper for the same printer.
The pdf "technical newsletter" would indicate that the reds and shadows are still wrong with HP's own Professional Satin paper, since Pro Satin is not listed as one of the corrected papers.
(2) The firmware improvements apply to the generic Fine Art Paper but *NOT* to the generic Photo Paper.
According to the pdf "technical newsletter", any other photo paper that is profiled using "photo paper" would be wrong.
So much for having an on-board spectrophotometer and allowing us to use other manufacturer's papers. HP just undermined their OWN advertised claims to allow us to use any other papers, and not just their own HP branded papers.
I can only hope that this is a quick fix by HP for those papers, and another firmware release for ALL papers listed in the HP driver will be forthcoming.
It was was really dumb for HP to fix part of the paper types that they list in their own driver, but not all of the paper types.
What were these guys thinking? They use the printer everyday, but issue a firmware patch that applies to only part of their own listed paper types?
The only remaining question is that only those papers were fixed in the firmware because only those papers have a problem
The pdf "technical newsletter" doesn't say that, though.
On photo papers --
Has anyone tried the new firmware on both Instant Dry Satin and Professional Satin? Anyone have both, so you can make a side-by-side comparison? Is there any difference? There should be a difference, according to the pdf "technical newsletter"
Has anyone tried the new firmware on Photo Paper (generic) and used a different paper, such as Epson Luster? That should not work, according to the pdf "technical newsletter."
Finally, for those of you who have the printer, is it possible to create a profile for a different manufacturer photo paper, for example Epson Luster, but to use the HP Instant Dry Satin as the paper type? Does that work?
On Hahnemuhle Photo Rag --
I'd assume that it should work if the generic "fine art paper" is selected when creating the profile, along with the correct thickness for those papers, since the pdf "technical newsletter" lists that as one of the corrected papers.
However, one of the differences in the above postings is that one person got great results with the HP Hahn Photo Rag, and one person got bad results with the standard non-HP Photo Rag.
Those of you with the non-HP 308 Photo Rag -- how does it print with the new (or old) firmware if you print it using the HP Hahn Photo Rag setting? To my eye, the HP paper is very similar to the non-HP Photo Rag except for the weight. Even Hahnemuhle only provides one profile for both the 308 and the 460 papers.
The HP branded paper is lighter, but is the same Photo Rag or not?
My guess is that it is. So those of you using generic Photo Rag should try the HP Photo Rag setting with the new firmware and see if that works.
Does anyone have both the HP Photo Rag and the non-HP Photo Rag, so you can make a side-by-side comparison? And make that comparison by printing both first on "fine art paper" and then both using the HP Photo Rag setting?