colors on print are faded and dark

[dumainew]

Am confused about color management and print driver versions.
How do you check to see if you're using the correct print driver? In the print module for an Epson r2880 it shows an epson driver and not the custom one. What's the appropriate one? Could it be a Guten-print driver in hiding?
And, how do I make sure that PS is managing the print and not the printer. I can't find a check box that controls that. My old Epson 50 had one.
Up to now the prints keep coming out too dark in the dark areas and the colors, especially red, are a bit faded.
Am grateful for any guidance.
Richard

[brntoki]

Well, you'll first be guided, as a rule in this forum, to . . . Why Are My Prints Too Dark.

Otherwise, I'm not sure what you are trying to determine as far as the print driver. Do you have a print driver that controls your 2880? Does it show the ink levels? If so, you're probably set, although Windows will sometimes have a generic driver that runs the printer. If that's the case, you'll definitely need to download and install the driver from Epson (you didn't specify if you were in fact on Windows, or a Mac). If you're not sure, you'll need to find a tutorial somewhere for the 2880 and see if the driver dialogue boxes look identical. If they don't, you may be using a generic driver from your OS, and in which case, you may indeed not be able to disable printer color management.

Look around and see what else you can determine and post back with your findings. Make sure to tell us if you're a PC or a Mac kinda guy.

[howardm]

Am confused about color management and print driver versions.
How do you check to see if you're using the correct print driver? In the print module for an Epson r2880 it shows an epson driver and not the custom one. What's the appropriate one? Could it be a Guten-print driver in hiding?
And, how do I make sure that PS is managing the print and not the printer. I can't find a check box that controls that. My old Epson 50 had one.
Up to now the prints keep coming out too dark in the dark areas and the colors, especially red, are a bit faded.
Am grateful for any guidance.
Richard

Gutenprint drivers are almost never the right choice.  Always grab the driver bundle from Epson's website for your OS.  As the other gentleman said, it's REALLY helpful if you indicate what computer OS you're using. 

In Photoshop's Print dialog/pop-up, there is a box on the right side that controls whether the printer or Photoshop controls the color