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Author Topic: Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000  (Read 3007 times)

Photolandscape

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« on: June 01, 2007, 12:41:04 pm »

I have a Mac G5, an HP2335 monitor (with Eye One calibration), and an Epson 4000 printer. I recently purchased Colorbyte Imageprint VI. I use genuine Epson inks, and high-end papers--Epson Premium Luster, Crane's Museo, and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. I often print out the diagnostic pattern on the Epson just to check for clogged nozzles, and all is well in that regard.

Prior to using IP VI, the color output on my Epson 4000 was, to put it nicely, all over the place. Since installing IP VI, it has become consistent and I am grateful for that.

Here is the problem: after everything else I've tried over the past several months, the color is still off between my monitor and my prints. Generally, the prints look greener/less red than the same image on the monitor. The monitor also shows more shadow detail than the print.

What, if anything, can I still do to bring the monitor and print outputs closer together? I have played around with contrast settings, RGB channel settings, color temperature, and brightness on the monitor, but it seems for everything I improve, something else suffers.

Any suggestions whatsoever will be greatly, greatly appreciated!

(Monitor--calibrated with Eye One, Gamma set at 2.2, native white point. Contrast is currently at 97, luminance at 140.
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Schewe

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2007, 01:31:48 pm »

Learn to soft proof...
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Photolandscape

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2007, 04:10:34 pm »

Quote
Learn to soft proof...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120675\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Maybe my sophisticaton level isn't what it should be, but I've never seen the value of soft proofing. How would that help with the issues I am facing?

Thanks.
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tom green

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2007, 09:18:24 pm »

Do you create your own printer profiles?
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David White

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2007, 09:38:41 pm »

Unless you are in a super bright room, the extremely high setting you are using for luminance is probably contributing to your problems.  I'm assuming that you gave the number in cd/m2.
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David White

Schewe

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2007, 09:42:07 pm »

Quote
I've never seen the value of soft proofing.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Assuming 1) that you have an accurate display profile and 2) an accurate printer profile and 3) you know how to _USE_ soft proofing, using Photoshop's soft proof function will be about a 90% accurate of both the color as well as dynamic range of your final image on screen.

The first step is to read Michael's tutorial [a href=\"http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/soft-proofing.shtml]Understanding Soft Proofing[/url] to make sure you understand the basics...

But unless you have #1 and #2, #3 it's a waste of time...if you have #1,#2 and #3 then you _CAN_ accurately predict and therefore fine tune the print rendering before you even send the image to the printer. Soft proofing for color is easy...particularly with today's printers since they have a wide gamut. But the real trick is to learn how to predict what the dynamic range of your image will look like on print. That's where understanding how to use the "Display Options (on-screen) is super critical...and that's where most people fail in their use and understanding.

When you print an image, the white of your image on screen will end up as paper white on the print. The darkest black on screen will end up with max ink on the print. It's what happens to the middle that makes or breaks your image and that's what soft proofing allows you to see and correct for.

Lots of tricks for fine tuning your image after accurately soft proofing-subtle curves, popping Hue & Sat, selecting deep shadows for lightening (Shadow/Highlight is an excellent tool for that). But nothing will help if ya don't have that old 1, 2, & 3....
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Photolandscape

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2007, 05:58:43 am »

Quote
Do you create your own printer profiles?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=120722\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

No, I download the ones I need from ColorByte via Profile Manager. I've only used the Premium Luster daylight one so far, but am going to try their other profiles with a couple of other papers this weekend.

TX.
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Photolandscape

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Matching Color fr. Monitor to Epson 4000
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2007, 06:09:03 pm »

"But unless you have #1 and #2, #3 it's a waste of time...if you have #1,#2 and #3 then you _CAN_ accurately predict and therefore fine tune the print rendering before you even send the image to the printer. Soft proofing for color is easy...particularly with today's printers since they have a wide gamut. But the real trick is to learn how to predict what the dynamic range of your image will look like on print. That's where understanding how to use the "Display Options (on-screen) is super critical...and that's where most people fail in their use and understanding".

Hi again, and thanks for responding and bearing with me. I did Michael's tutorial on Soft Proofing and while it helps me understand the process somewhat better, I still see the same general discrepancy between what appears on the monitor and what comes off my Epson 4000. I'm 90% there, but I want to get to 100% or as close as possible. When the monitor image has a nice reddish warmth that I want to see in the print, but the print takes on a more greenish hue (whether I view it under flourenscent, 5000K, or halogen lighting), I want to get what I see on the monitor. It's funny that when I had an Epson 2200, some custom paper profile, and a Mitsubishi 2060 CRT monitor, it was scary how close they were to one another, and consisistently.

Question: in the last sentence of your paragraph that I quoted above, I'm not sure what you mean by using the "display options (on-screen) is super-critical...and that's where most people fail in their use and understanding." That may be a good description of my predicament. Is the quote above from Michael's tutorial? Any suggestions on how best to conquer the display option and improve my use and understanding?

TX.
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