Costco Noritsu Luster/Glossy question

[dwdallam]

I've been printing with the Luster profile from dry creek for the past week, and I've noticed that sometimes the luster comes out way, way too dark. I compare them to my converted tiff (or jpg) on screen, and confirm that. Has anyone else had the problem of luster paper coming out too dark? There is the possibility that the machine was just not doing its job on a couple of prints.

[joedevico]

I've noticed that the Costco luster paper looks best when viewed in direct sunlight. I always lighten my images more than they need to be for "normal" viewing as I tend to display images in dark areas - recording studios, etc.

That being said...check the following:

1. Are the profiles the most recent from drycreek?
2. Are you prints being directed to the correct printer? (My local Costco has two)
3. Are you sure "autocorrect" was turned off?

Ask the people behind the counter to run off a second print. I've gotten to know all of the employees by name and they are always happy to run off a second set of prints if I think there is an error. I once had some b/w images printed that came back with an extreme blue tint...turned out that they forgot to make the correct paper setting in the Noritsu itself. Even with those machines there's still a possibility of user error. Be nice when you ask them questions and they'll probably be glad to help you out...

joe

[Graham Welland]

I've noticed that the Costco luster paper looks best when viewed in direct sunlight. I always lighten my images more than they need to be for "normal" viewing as I tend to display images in dark areas - recording studios, etc.

That being said...check the following:

1. Are the profiles the most recent from drycreek?
2. Are you prints being directed to the correct printer? (My local Costco has two)
3. Are you sure "autocorrect" was turned off?

Ask the people behind the counter to run off a second print. I've gotten to know all of the employees by name and they are always happy to run off a second set of prints if I think there is an error. I once had some b/w images printed that came back with an extreme blue tint...turned out that they forgot to make the correct paper setting in the Noritsu itself. Even with those machines there's still a possibility of user error. Be nice when you ask them questions and they'll probably be glad to help you out...

joe
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I've run into this before as well. I ended up creating a standard 'Costco' adjustment action that I appy to bring the profiled print into line with what I expect from a local profiled print. I apply this as the final step to the print file after I've soft proofed everything.  Overall the balance is fine but the gamma seems a little off.

I assume you're performing all the colour management steps to embed the colour profile, request no adjustments at all by the Costco staff, etc etc. Printing at Costco has to be one of the best photographic bargains out there today. I can print 12x17's at Costco for less than my printer's ink costs.

[joedevico]

Yes -

I have a properly profiled and calibrated montior and do convert to the proper profile before saving and uploading the file, however as I said before I usually display my prints in less than ideal light so that the Costco output is sometimes "dark" compared to viewing the print in any condition other than very bright indoor light or direct sunlight where it will match the monitor perfectly.

Costco's output is indeed very inexpensive, but the output doesn't really compare to high quality inkjet (especially with respect to highlight detail), however with proper exposures and not over manipulation of the image the average viewer neither notices nor cares. If I ever actually capture an image that I feel isn't being served by Costco's output, I'll print it myself. Til then, I'm happy to send my files over the net to be picked up a hour later.

Long live the 2.99 12x18 (especially when you can print different layouts on a single sheet and cut them yourself).

[Wolfman]

I've been printing with the Luster profile from dry creek for the past week, and I've noticed that sometimes the luster comes out way, way too dark. I compare them to my converted tiff (or jpg) on screen, and confirm that. Has anyone else had the problem of luster paper coming out too dark? There is the possibility that the machine was just not doing its job on a couple of prints.
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You can also check which rendering you are using when you soft proof and convert to the Costco profile. Sometimes Relative Colormetric is better and sometimes Perceptual is better. Occasionally one of them seems to make a slightly darker image. Usually Perceptual. Just a thought.

[dwdallam]

Yes, I'm using the newest Dry Creek profiles for both Luster and Glossy. My monitor is calibrated with the Spyder2 suite, and I'm familiar with soft proofing and then converting. The other prints I had done with Luster seemed ok, but two of them were really dark. I took the two image files back and had them printed on glossy. Now they look like they should, but it wasn't a test.

The original files were 66MB tiffs. Last night I wanted to see if the images would be the same quality in jpg, so I saved them as jpeg optimized. Shaved 54Mbps off them and they look no different than tiffs, but I haven't gotten my photographers loop out yet either.

As long as others have experienced darkness using luster and Costco, I know it's them and not me. Also, sometimes they just mess up.

As far as adjustments go, I always write "no adjust, no resize" on the envelops, and then I check the back of the print. There are four numbers that show the adjustment values. If the numbers on the back of the image are replaced by NNNN then there was no adjustment. Mine all said NNNN.

Good thing about Costco is that you can take whatever pictures you don't like back. By the way, you can also take back your wide screen 32 inch LCD panel and replace it with a newer 37inch panel for the same price. I bought mine in March, and now the 37 inches are out for the same price. Before that, I bought a Phillips 32 inch HD TV--huge thing--and took it back over a year later and bought the 32"LCD I have now for the same price.

BTW--the people who work at my Costco could care less about photography, the machine they work with, or anything else. They are borderline rude and are ignorant of all things Noritsu oriented. One employee got so many complaints that they fired her. I was one of them, and several other "professional" type photographers too. I told the manager that I was to a point I didn't even want to come in the store to get pictures done anymore because of that one employee.