Exhibition fiber profile from Epson give wrong color

[GeraldB]

I'm puzzled. Since I started printing I've mostly being using Epson Exhibition fiber with the profile downloaded from Epson. I always found that particularly with B&W where I had put a slightly warm tone that proofing was never satisfactory. I could match brightness and contrast but never get the same subtle tone. I have recently printed on Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique using their icc profile. The tone matches perfectly in proofing (and on the print) without any adjustments. I'm printing on a 7900/Windows 7 64bit.
Anyone else having similar problems with EEF?
Is it the profile that is a problem or could I be doing something else wrong?

[Jeff Magidson]

I have run in to this same problem: I have an Epson 3800 and print on a few different types of Epson papers with the supplied Epson profiles, I get very good accurate color prints, except with Exhibition Fiber. With Exhibition fiber and the Epson produced profile, my prints are quite too yellow/warm. If I want to use this paper, I will have to get a custom profile, in hopes of getting better results.

[NashvilleMike]

Well, I won't be of any help... I use an Epson 3800, and when using Canson Baryta paper with the supplied profile, the color is definitely a bit off  so I use this paper for B&W printing, where it absolutely rocks. With Exhibition Fiber, the Epson supplied profile seems to be pretty accurate - I've never had to do much adjustment at all, and if anything, it leans very slightly to the cool side of things, not the warm in terms of skin tones.

Go figure!

[DeanChriss]

I am also using a 7900 and I haven't seen any problems with Epson's EEF profile for that printer. Black and white prints that are not toned are neutral, which is the mark of a good profile, and colors in color images are accurate. If you're talking about extremely subtle tones and nuances a custom profile might work a little better for you. Some others who have made custom profiles for this printer/paper combination seem to think that while they are slightly "different" than Epson's profile they are not necessarily "better", so don't count on any dramatic difference if you go that route. I also think the Canson IBP is a warmer paper to start with. It may be that this paper just works better with the image in question, mellowing the highlights a bit. Last but not least, the color temperature of the light in which you are viewing the print could also be the culprit. For instance, if your monitor is calibrated to a D65 white point, your print viewing light should have a color temperature of about 6500 K. Or your problem could be a combination of several of these factors. Of course all of this assumes that your monitor is accurately calibrated, you are printing through the profile in RGB color mode (Image - Mode - RGB Color in Photoshop), and you are not using Epson's ABW mode. I don't know if any of this will help, but it's all I can think of at the moment.

[GeraldB]

Dean, I could buy the viewing color temperature, except that I'm viewing both the Canson Baryta and the EEF in the same light. I would think any difference in viewing temp to calibration temp (which is D65) would affect both similarly. Color prints seem to be accurate but I think that I may not notice such subtle differences if they are there.

[davidh202]

I print exclusively with EEF for luster prints both B&W and color, using the canned Driver profile for it, and have no problems on my 7900.Try and reload it.
David

[delander]

You could try the Epson Traditional Photo Paper profile from the Epson UK site, it is the same paper as EEF but the profiles are different.

Jeff

[Ed Foster, Jr.]

Gerald,
If your Epson 7900 is performing very close to the one used to print the test targets, you should receive very close results. The general consensus is that Epsons Pros are quite linear from unit to unit, but there will be differences. I took a gander at your site and you have some fine images and it appears that you take pride in your work, so I would suggest you take the next step forward and either purchase the equipment necessary to profile you printer/ink/paper combinations or, maybe better yet - if you have settled in on a couple or three papers - have a couple of good custom profiles made for you. I believe you would find it to be money well spent. There are a few people who are quite generous with assistance on this forum who do just that professionally. The only one that I have had any experience with from about a decade back (before I started making my own profiles) is Andrew Rodney (aka Digitaldog). He is one of the better pros in this area who takes a lot of pride in his work.

Best Wishes,
Ed

[GeraldB]

David, I reloaded the driver, no change. Jeff I used the Traditional paper from UK site, no change.

The image I was struggling with I found if I put a photo filter in Photoshop with color H,S,L 278, 89, 89 then I achieve the color I am looking for.

Ed, thanks for you nice comments. Since I like Exhibition fiber and use it quite a bit so I think I am going to invest in a custom profile as you suggest.

thanks for the comments guys.
cheers
Gerald

[GeraldB]

I forgot to mention that the photo filter I mention above is at 3%.