Best color constancy performance - 4900, 3880, ipf 5100?

[John Rodriguez]

I'm shopping for a new printer to replace my R1900 and have it down to these three (well, maybe adding a ipf6300 to the mix as well).  I've found answers to most of my product questions in reviews and by searching forum postings; but the one outstanding question I haven't found much info about is color inconstancy of these printers.  

One of my beefs with my R1900 is a variance I get in color between daylight and tungsten.  In some images everything appears to be fine, however when it's bad it's horrible*.  Yellow seems to be the biggest culprit.  A scene with a saturated light yellow appears fine under tungsten, but turn a neon yellow/green when daylight hits them. One of my images in particular is almost un-displayable it's so bad.  Putting it under glass helps, but I like to display some of my larger prints (16x20+) mounted on foam core without glass.

Can anyone that's spent time with any of these printers for awhile comment on what you're seeing in your prints?

*This is showing up in color prints

[Sven W]

Which paper(s) give you this metameric mismatch? And of course you use OEM inks?
I've never seen this effect since the introduction of Ultrachrome K3 inks, and now the HDR inks.

/Sven

[John Rodriguez]

Which paper(s) give you this metameric mismatch? And of course you use OEM inks?
I've never seen this effect since the introduction of Ultrachrome K3 inks, and now the HDR inks.

/Sven

This is with Epson Luster and Semigloss, using both custom and canned profiles.  I'm using Epson Ink - Ultrachrome Hi Gloss 2.

Yellow is the worst offender, although I also get blue=>violet shifts.

[Ernst Dinkla]

This is with Epson Luster and Semigloss, using both custom and canned profiles.  I'm using Epson Ink - Ultrachrome Hi Gloss 2.

Yellow is the worst offender, although I also get blue=>violet shifts.

Part of that could be the OBAs in the papers mentioned, though they are not extreme for RC papers. And while the 1.5 picoliter droplet allows a longer black generation, it will not have the same effect that 2 extra grey inks have in substituting hue mixes to achieve grey, darker and less saturated colors that keep better color constancy in changing light.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst

New: Spectral plots of +250 inkjet papers:

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm

[DeanChriss]

A scene with a saturated light yellow appear fine under tungsten, but turn a neon yellow/green when daylight hits them. One of my images in particular is almost un-displayable it's so bad.

You're not talking about bronzing, are you? Do you see this when the print is viewed straight-on under decent lighting, or off-axis just at the point where glare from the light source on the surface starts? I use a 7900 (same inks as the 4900) and I've never seen any sort of problem under tungsten versus daylight, but on glossy papers in what I'd describe as off axis glare situations you can get some bronzing in yellows. Given the glare off the surface it doesn't make much difference since you can't really be viewing the print from that position anyway.

[John Rodriguez]

You're not talking about bronzing, are you? Do you see this when the print is viewed straight-on under decent lighting, or off-axis just at the point where glare from the light source on the surface starts? I use a 7900 (same inks as the 4900) and I've never seen any sort of problem under tungsten versus daylight, but on glossy papers in what I'd describe as off axis glare situations you can get some bronzing in yellows. Given the glare off the surface it doesn't make much difference since you can't really be viewing the print from that position anyway.

I don't think so.  I've seen what I think is bronzing on semigloss and glossy a few times when viewing certain prints from the side, but it looked like a metallic sheen.  This seems to be limited to light source (natural day light) and only a few colors (certain shades of yellow and blue).  It's much more annoying.

[Wayne Fox]

I'm surprised as well because serious metameric failure is something I just haven't seen from any inkjet for a long time.  Anything unusual about the light sources?

Of the 4 printers you mentioned, I might rule out the 5100 (the 6300 is quite a bit better Downside it doesn't have a sheet feeder)  I've had a 4900 for a few months now, and it's really a sweet printer, love the paper loading options and output quality is fantastic. The 3880 is also stellar, and I've seen prints from the 6300 ... also fantastic.

May even be able to send the file and get them printed on the printers to make sure the problem you are seeing is improved.  Most dealers have a floor model and they will probably print it up for you if you are considering buying one.

[TylerB]

his current constancy performance has more to do with the 1900 having no light black inks, therefore can not utilize much GCR, a major factor with this issue. I don't know about the Canon, but the two Epsons mentioned will perform far better in that regard mostly because of two light blacks and a lot of GCR much farther up the scale....
Tyler

[NikoJorj]

I'm surprised as well because serious metameric failure is something I just haven't seen from any inkjet for a long time. 

It's, alas, a well-known problem with the Hi-Gloss ink sets (R1800, R1900, R2000) due to the omission of grey inks.

I've heard it could be quite reduced in B&W with some careful profiling and/or careful use of QTR  - but as I almost don't do any B&W I didn't explore that, and just live with this metameric problem - until I replace my R1800 at least (perhaps with an ipf5100 if I can find it cheap enough here in EU).

[John Rodriguez]

Thanks everyone.  Sounds like any of these printers would help the issue due to the extra blacks. 

[Pete Berry]

Last night I installed my spanking new iPF 5100 (replacing an old and head-weary 5000), run it's self-calibration routine, and run off 8x10's of six printer test images -several with fully saturated color bars/spectra, and looked carefully at them today under indirect daylight, warm incandescent, and my Solux 4700K viewing light.

Aside from the expected overall shift in warmth/coolness under the varied color temps, nothing at all out the ordinary with any color. Great colors, excellent blacks (three active with either PK or MK black).

Pete