Epson 4900: Don't understand print driver

[walter.sk]

Grr! I really hate this!  The learning curve is too steep for what should be straightforward stuff, to me, at least.  But at least my defunct Z3100 is behind me.

I finally figured out how to set up the driver and margin settings to be able to print exact 11x17's from a 17" roll.  Now, on to custom paper settings.

I'm using a 17' roll of Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl 290 gsm paper, with Ilford's profile, and I like the results.  The profile is based on Epson Premium Semigloss Photo Paper, which is 250gsm.  Now, here is what I did and the problem:

From the Epson Remote Panel, I selected Custom Paper Setup.  I printed the Paper Thickness target and reset the thickness from 3 to 4, according to the printout. For  Reference Media Type I entered Premium Semigloss Photo Paper 250.  Because I think I got 2 head strikes on a print, I changed the Platen Gap from Standard to Wide, and entered the Custom Name as #1 Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl 290.  I saved the setting, then activated it, and closed the Remote Panel.

To print, this time from CS5 (Win7, 64-bit), I opened the picture and went to the print dialogue.  I chose Photoshop Manages Color, selected the Ilford profile, and under Print Settings I brought up the printer driver.  When I went to choose my Media Type, the Epson Premium Semigloss was selected, and there was no Ilford choice where I assume the custom paper would have been listed.  When I clicked on Custom Settings, the printer had not changed from Thickness of 3 to Thickness of 4, and the Platen setting was on Auto, rather than 4. 

What sequence do I use to set up, register, and print with my custom paper (which I assume should draw on the Ilford profile, and the Epson Semigloss paper with my modifications used as the base paper?)

Also, if I then change papers and notify Photoshop and the printer driver, should the printer settings then change to suit those of the other paper (an Epson paper?)

[Farmer]

You can set things up on the printer or in the driver or both, but they are not automatically connected.  If you want to set it up on the printer and then have it in the driver, choose "auto acquire" from the media type in the driver.  I would also recommend exporting (from the custom settings... option) your configs once you've set them up.

Remember that if you're using a canned profile and your adjustments are not as per their specification, you will likely need to prepare a custom profile after making such changes.

You can also create these paper profiles in the driver itself.

[walter.sk]

Thanks, Phil.

I'll have to reconsider changing the platen width and paper thickness unless I do a ColorMunki profile.  But I also think I will do a comparison print with the new settings first.

I will also check the "auto acquire" to see how (and if) it works.