Color Profile Discrepancy?

[David Eichler]

Just made a color print with Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte, using the stock Epson profile for that paper and an Epson 3800 printer, a combination I have used many times before with satisfactory results, and the color is off. I double checked by making a print of the same image with Red River Polar Matte, a very similar quality paper to the Epson paper in question, with the Red River stock profile, and that looks fine. I am puzzled. If something is amiss with the printer or inks, wouldn't that affect any paper/profile combination?

Yes, I am sure I used the correct side of the paper and had my printer settings correct. There is actually nothing to change between the two papers except the profile. The discrepancy is toward the yellow/green if that is of any help.

Test sheet indicates the printer heads are clean.

[hugowolf]

It could be the Epson profile has been corrupted. You might try redownloading it, but that may mean reinstalling the driver.

Brian A

[digitaldog]

It could be the Epson profile has been corrupted.

Never seen that before! It either works or it doesn't at all.
David, try a color reference image like the one below, after the usual stuff like checking that all heads are clean, double check media settings, trying to print from another application that supports the use of profiles etc.
http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip

[David Eichler]

Never seen that before! It either works or it doesn't at all.
David, try a color reference image like the one below, after the usual stuff like checking that all heads are clean, double check media settings, trying to print from another application that supports the use of profiles etc.
http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip

Printed the reference image with Lightroom and Photoshop on the Epson paper and these prints look identical to one another. The prints look like there is a very slight yellowish bias, but nothing major. Printed the reference image on the Red River paper and it looks closer to the reference image onscreen. However, the difference with the reference prints, with the different papers, does not look as obvious as with the few photos I have printed lately.

[digitaldog]

Printed the reference image with Lightroom and Photoshop on the Epson paper and these prints look identical to one another. The prints look like there is a very slight yellowish bias, but nothing major. Printed the reference image on the Red River paper and it looks closer to the reference image onscreen. However, the difference with the reference prints, with the different papers, does not look as obvious as with the few photos I have printed lately.

So if the references are close, it's not the profile per se (the slightly yellow cast indicates it might be a tad off). Keep in mind too, what you see on the display versus the print is another set of issues all together. That is a factor based on display calibration and the profile's soft proof table (or a bit of both) and the print viewing conditions. If the RGB numbers from the reference look good, then what you're doing to print the data is sound.

[David Eichler]

So if the references are close, it's not the profile per se (the slightly yellow cast indicates it might be a tad off). Keep in mind too, what you see on the display versus the print is another set of issues all together. That is a factor based on display calibration and the profile's soft proof table (or a bit of both) and the print viewing conditions. If the RGB numbers from the reference look good, then what you're doing to print the data is sound.

I understand that viewing by reflected versus transmitted light is always going to be different. I just realized one thing, though. Your reference image is in the Adobe 1998 color space, and my monitor is capable presenting that color gamut. However, with my photos, I am using the Prophoto color space to print, and I have kept them in that color space throughout the editing process. I suppose I should try those photos with Adobe 1998 as well. Nevertheless, regardless of color space, the difference between the two papers with actual photos is considerably more than with the reference image (which is still in a pretty wide color space), and that still leaves me puzzled.

[digitaldog]

It's not the working space. You're maybe missing some saturated colors in some areas but if the print looks good (neutrals look that way, skin tone looks fine etc), then you can move on as it appears the print path is sound. Might not be perfect but you've narrowed down that a document with good RGB values prints as it should and if you now send the same print path an image and it doesn't look good, it's probably the RGB values in that document.

[David Eichler]

It's not the working space. You're maybe missing some saturated colors in some areas but if the print looks good (neutrals look that way, skin tone looks fine etc), then you can move on as it appears the print path is sound. Might not be perfect but you've narrowed down that a document with good RGB values prints as it should and if you now send the same print path an image and it doesn't look good, it's probably the RGB values in that document.

Sorry if I am being dense, but I still don't understand. With my photos, the prints on the Red River Paper look extremely close to what I see on screen, even considering it is a matte paper, and those with the Epson paper simply do not. The photos do not have an extreme range of colors like the reference image, but they are nothing I would consider especially difficult. Actually, on closer inspection, with the reference image, the blue sky in the photo with the two kids in the window frame is noticeably different with the two papers, and this does show the yellow/green bias I am speaking of. In fact, the photos I am printing involve blue sky and water, and this is where I am seeing the color discrepancy at its greatest. Sorry, I just missed that before.

[digitaldog]

Based on what you report, I don't understand your initial post:

I am puzzled. If something is amiss with the printer or inks, wouldn't that affect any paper/profile combination?

It appears nothing is amiss.

[digitaldog]

Your reference image is in the Adobe 1998 color space, and my monitor is capable presenting that color gamut. However, with my photos, I am using the Prophoto color space to print, and I have kept them in that color space throughout the editing process.

You can also try this test image in ProPhoto RGB:
http://www.digitaldog.net/files/Gamut_Test_File_Flat.tif