CM Frustrations!

[jrdigiart]

I know this has been posted a million times, but I've read books, the posts and seemingly followed everyone's great advice... I just can't figure out what I'm missing.

I have a Z3100,an Eizo CG241W monitor, and run it on Mac OS 10.5.8.  I use Eizo's calibration program with a DTP94 and HP's internal media profiling. My room is darkened to keep out any stray light and use solux lamps for viewing.  I use Photoshop CS4 (now 5), always let PS manage the color and use Proof Colors to "allegedly" see what it's going to look like printed.  

I mostly print on quality canvas, but the media doesn't seem to make a difference... I ALWAYS have to print test strips because the monitor has NEVER matched the print.  It usually takes a couple test prints to get it right... it used to take 4-6... so I'm getting a little better at judging what and how much to adjust,  BUT it's not supposed to be this way!  I've lived with doing this for years... the work has to get done, but I'm tired of wasting media, ink and valuable time!

I'm all out of ideas... and hair!  Any advice is appreciated.

- Joe Roselli

[Pat Herold]

Hang in there Joe!  You've got a lot of good equipment, and it sounds like you know what you're doing - so you can't be too far off.

You don't mention specifically how your prints are not matching your monitor.  That Eizo has a very wide gamut, so it might be that your DTP94 doesn't accurately measure those highly saturated colors in the 241.  If your trouble is bright colors, then that might be the culprit.
Even if you have the built in spectro in the Z3100 to measure targets and build profiles, it probably would not give you the best shadow detail in the prints you make using canvas or matte papers.  There are things you can do about that if that's the issue.

Eizo has a free program that allows you to setup your Eizo display to match your printer.  Critical to this is the ability to match the white of your paper/canvas to the white of your display.  You can read more about this here:
http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/EasyPIX

The software is really intended for the more basic user, rather than advanced as I suspect you are, but you could give it a try and see if it gets you closer.

[Wayne Fox]

As Patrick suggested, not much advice anyone can offer without knowing what your matching problem seems to be.

[sergio]

Tell what happened to me. Maybe that helps. I use a MacBook and have a Cinema display as my second monitor. I couldn't get to have the exported files out of LR have the same color when I opened them in PS. Finally what I discovered is that PS opens in the laptops main display with the profile associated with it, BUT the laptops display I only use for tools, not for the image. The image is displayed in the cinema display WITH the wrong profile. The only workaround I could find is to have the laptop display to use the cinema disp profile, so at open PS used that profile, and look at my tools with a green magenta cast  ,but with the image displayed correctly.

LR on the other hand, opens by default into my CInema display with its profile so everything works well. My 2 cents. Hope it helps.

[Clearair]

I know this has been posted a million times, but I've read books, the posts and seemingly followed everyone's great advice... I just can't figure out what I'm missing.

I have a Z3100,an Eizo CG241W monitor, and run it on Mac OS 10.5.8.  I use Eizo's calibration program with a DTP94 and HP's internal media profiling. My room is darkened to keep out any stray light and use solux lamps for viewing.  I use Photoshop CS4 (now 5), always let PS manage the color and use Proof Colors to "allegedly" see what it's going to look like printed.  

I mostly print on quality canvas, but the media doesn't seem to make a difference... I ALWAYS have to print test strips because the monitor has NEVER matched the print.  It usually takes a couple test prints to get it right... it used to take 4-6... so I'm getting a little better at judging what and how much to adjust,  BUT it's not supposed to be this way!  I've lived with doing this for years... the work has to get done, but I'm tired of wasting media, ink and valuable time!

I'm all out of ideas... and hair!  Any advice is appreciated.

- Joe Roselli

I am guessing brightness may be one issue and colours are effected by saturation in my opinion. My set up,
OS and monitor same.
Mac Pro Xeon duel running PS/cs3/Aperture 3.

Canon iPF6100 using PS plugin when printing.
Monitor calibration infrequent but use an X-rite LT and the on board Eizo colour software.

Room not dark just make sure monitor is away from window lights.
I have skylights and judge prints under one of these away from the monitor.

ONLY thing I have done is to de saturate monitor colours 20% in PS settings.
During Eizo calibration set new target with a reduction in default luminescence, experiment here for your ideal.

It's as bang on as is possible with a backlit source compared to a reflected output.

Softproofing is a challenge, did not trust it myself until I wasted time with proof prints recently and failed. Then held the third party proof print up behind me lit by a skylight and adjusted the image on screen in PS softproofing mode until it matched and hit print and guess what it *()_ worked.

Shows I am a twit.

You have an advantage over me in hair pulling.

Regards
 

[jrdigiart]

Thanks for all your responses!  

The issue is the print color... it comes somewhat close, but not close enough.  I don't think it's a brightness issue, but I'm open to all suggestions.

- JR