Epson R2400 - bleak colors on Watercolor paper

[SG]

I've been making a bunch of fine art prints. I used two kinds of paper - Semigloss and Watercolor Radiant White (both by Epson).
Semigloss worked perfectly, outstanding contrast and depth, but watercolor was completely the opposite, dull colors, no contrast whatsoever.
Is there a way to adjust the printer settings to get a better result?

[dgberg]

Did you use the pk ink for the semigloss paper and mk for WCRW?
And the proper icc profile for each?

[Alan Goldhammer]

I'm not familiar with the Epson semi-gloss paper but certainly there is a large gamut difference between gloss papers and matte papers of which the Watercolor Paper is.  You can see this first hand in Photoshop under softproof conditions.  You don't even have to have the paper on hand, just use the different Epson profiles to see how things change.  If you compare the two prints side by side you will see a distinct difference as you eyes can easily see the difference.  Some prints look nice on watercolor paper (and I frequently print on such paper though not this particular Epson paper) and you just have to learn to live with the changed color impact.  If you don't like it, then you should only print on the gloss or semi-gloss paper since you really won't find a matte paper that will be satisfying to you.

[Richowens]

  Are you printing on the correct side of the paper?

[SG]

Dan, what's 'pk' and 'mk'? Yes, I used the proper profiles.

Thanks, Alan. It does make sense.

Richowens, now that you've asked I have to doublecheck.

[dgberg]

Pk photo black ink
Mk matte black ink
Pk for the glossy paper and mk for The WCRW.
With Epson printers you have to use the proper black ink if you want the best results.

[SG]

Pk photo black ink
Mk matte black ink
Pk for the glossy paper and mk for The WCRW.
With Epson printers you have to use the proper black ink if you want the best results.

Now it's clear. I did use pk for WCRW.
Thank you, Dan!