Blues on HP Photo Matte Paper

[ChrisS]

I'm relatively new to digital printing, and have only tried 2 paper types on my new HP B9180.

When I print a file on HP Photo Matte paper, I get quite different saturation of blue from when I print the same file on HP Advanced Photo Glossy paper. Both use profiles that came with the printer, so should work properly  - or, at least, the same (to my understanding). The Glossy paper correlates well with image on the monitor, the Matte is far too blue. (It's an image of gavanised doors.) I've tried both sides of the Matte paper, which for reasons that I can't imagine HP do nothing to distinguish from each other.

Am I doing something wrong - or is the Photo Matte paper at fault? (HP in the UK told me they didn't have supplies of the paper any more when I tried to order via them, and thought they might be discontinuing it.)

Thanks

Chris

[walter.sk]

I'm relatively new to digital printing, and have only tried 2 paper types on my new HP B9180.

When I print a file on HP Photo Matte paper, I get quite different saturation of blue from when I print the same file on HP Advanced Photo Glossy paper. Both use profiles that came with the printer, so should work properly  - or, at least, the same (to my understanding). The Glossy paper correlates well with image on the monitor, the Matte is far too blue.
Chris
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First of all, the dynamic range and degree of saturation that you can produce on matte paper are less than what you can do with glossy paper.

Second, the profiles that come with the printer are probably not as accurate as custom profiles.

Third,  if you are just sending the files to the printer without using some system of soft proofing (for example, using Photoshop to simulate on the monitor what your file will look like using a given paper and profile) you're leaving out an important part of color management, and you risk great surprises when printing.

4th, if you have not calibrated/profiled your monitor, you can not tell how to adjust your files at all, as the colors you see on screen may not be the ones that the printer will produce.

I don't have a link handy, but you can search the forum for "Color Management" and you will find numerous threads, many of which will have links to tutorials or papers on color management.  If you actually are familiar with color management issues, I apologize for assuming less knowledge of the subject than you have.

Oh, yes!  Make sure you have "Let Application Manage Color" checked in your printer driver, and that you tell your photo software what profile to send to the printer.

[rdonson]

Chris,

Since you've just started printing, the best $35 you can spend is on the video tutorial by Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe - From Camera To Print.

[ChrisS]

Thanks for your replies. I've read about the things you describe, Walter, but I'm not yet on top of them and need to keep working at the whole thing. I'm definitely going to try Camera to Print - I've seen it recommended on this site a few times. Perhaps that will save you all having to read too many more of my newbie questions!

What still remains unclear to me is how 2 HP papers using HP's own profiles can produce such different results, one of which is quite accurate, and one that makes siver/gray far too blue - even given that the papers will handle colour differently, as you describe. Can the HP profiles for the paper be that wrong? (Maybe the answer is yes, and I'm expecting too much of them.) It's unlikely to be a calibration issue, isn't it? (The fact that one type of paper - in fact 2, as I also tried HP Premium glossy last night, and it was as accurate as the Advance Glossy - gets it so right, leads me to think that calibration is OK.)

I guess what I really want is a fellow B9180 user (preferably who photographs galvanised doors!) to tell me that they do/ don't have the same issue with the Matte paper - then I'll know, maybe?

Thanks again, Chris.