Issues profiling DTP41

[smikkelmit22]

Hi,

I recently bought a good working Roland 545EX for printing. All the standard profiles available at roland were giving bad results.

For that reason, i decided to also buy a old DTP41. All went pretty well untill had to create my (first) icc profile.

I use colorport for it, on the web people are using ProfileMaker5.10, but it seems they do not sell that software anymore.Anyway, I have printed to patches, created with colorport. When i try to 'read' the patches with my DTP41, nothing is happening.

The DTP41 processes my patches, but it looks like it doesn't connect with colorport. Which is strange, because when colorport asked me to calibirate the DTP41, everything worked instant. So no connection issues. It just doesn't process my 'readed' patches the colorport.

This is the first profile ever, i hope someone here with some colorport/dtp41 experience can help me out.

Thanks and best regards

[smikkelmit22]

Nice to mention that i'm trying to get a decent white/gray. The white is more cream. And the gray imperfect. I was hoping a ICC profile could fix this issue.

[Mark D Segal]

ColorPort is not an application for creating profiles. It allows you to measure and save data generated from your spectrophtometer. You need a profile creating application such as i1Profiler or BasicColor Print 5 to actually read the data file from your measurements and create the profile. Make sure your data files are compatible with those applications.

[digitaldog]

Mark, sounds like ColorPort simply isn't reading the colors if I'm understanding the OP correctly. A screen capture of what is seen during part of the process would be useful. There should be a 'before and after' color seen indicating what's been measured and what remains and the colors of the before and after should appear very roughly the same (so you know you've measured the right set of patches).

[Mark D Segal]

Hi Andrew, it's actually hard to make out exactly what he's not experiencing, so yes more of this kind of information would definitely help. I got the impression he has basic connectivity because the device calibrated, which means it needs to communicate with the software (right?). If it does that, I reasoned that it should also be reading the patches. That data file, if it got created, should be stored somewhere in ColorPort Application Support (right?). (Would be good if he could find it and provide it here.) So I got the impression he was expecting a profile from ColorPort, which of course ColorPort does not provide. (Wouldn't it be nice if we had a free utility making profiles - hah!)

[Rhossydd]

My reading of the OP is that he's, wrongly, expecting  Colorport to deliver the profile.
It should save the measurements to allow profiling in a proper profiling package though. Once the measurements are complete click the 'save data' button on the measure tab.

(Wouldn't it be nice if we had a free utility making profiles - hah!)

Argyll supports the DTP41

[digitaldog]

Hi Andrew, it's actually hard to make out exactly what he's not experiencing, so yes more of this kind of information would definitely help.

I have to go by this statement:
 When i try to 'read' the patches with my DTP41, nothing is happening.
We need a screen grab of what CP is showing the OP either in the middle of the measuring process or at the end.
And indeed, some can and still DO use ProfileMaker Pro just to measure a target; it doesn't have to be used solely to build that profile.

[smikkelmit22]

Hi,

Thanks for all the reply's. I'm happy to upload some printscreens. I'm currently not on location anymore.

I will add some additional information:

What i'm trying to do is correct colours for my roland printer. I wanted to print canvas but the colours were way off with the recommended Roland profiles that are available for download on their profile page. For that reason i purchased the DTP41 to create a custom profile and i also wanted to add my own ICC profile to it.

I followed this tutorial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBC8jxDIAA&t
Which helped a lot. About 80/90% improvement. But still, imperfect. But, after i ran into issues at creating the ICC profiles.
I ran into issues at 5:48 since i do not have the software used in the video.

I thought Colorport could do the job also.

If i understand correctly from the reply from Mark D Sega, colorport is not the correct software for creating a correct ICC profile. I want to create a ICC profile to improve the colors, since they are incorrect.

[Mark D Segal]

That's right. You need a profile making application.

[digitaldog]

I thought Colorport could do the job also.
If i understand correctly from the reply from Mark D Sega, colorport is not the correct software for creating a correct ICC profile. I want to create a ICC profile to improve the colors, since they are incorrect.

ColorPort has one task; measure your targets and output a CGATs file. This is just a text file with the measured values within. So is it doing so?

[smikkelmit22]

ColorPort has one task; measure your targets and output a CGATs file. This is just a text file with the measured values within. So is it doing so?

No, it doesn't. I think i need to upload some photo's to give you guys a idea what is happening.

But, i don't think i'm looking for a CGATs file. I wanted to create a icc profile to improve printing. As said, this is my first custom profile, it seems that i need to learn a lot ! Excuse me for any unskilled questions, just trying to find the right road to get some decent printing results.

Is there any software that could do the job without spending a 1000$ ?

[digitaldog]

No, it doesn't. I think i need to upload some photo's to give you guys a idea what is happening.

Yes, let's solve that issue first. It should measure the target and allow you to save off the CGATs file.
Now once CP has saved this CGATs txt file, any software that can read it and build an ICC profile will do so for you and yes, you'll need that as well. IF you only want to build this one profile and IF you can save off the CGATs file, I'd be happy to build you the profile in either Copra or i1Profiler. I could offer dozens of other products I've owned to do this over the past 20+ years but either will do the job.

[digitaldog]

My reading of the OP is that he's, wrongly, expecting  Colorport to deliver the profile.

Keep digging.
We (some of us) are making progress in solving this issue. 

[smikkelmit22]

Heading to location to take some photo's and printscreens, to give a idea what is going on.

To keep you bussy ^^, i have some more questions.

I had a lot of options while choosing the paths to print.

The roland 545EX has 6 cartridges: CMYK + LC LM

Should i create a CMYK, if yes, why it feels like the LC and LM inks are left out?

Photo's about the issue comming in.

Thanks for all the help, really want to learn how this works.

[digitaldog]

Heading to location to take some photo's and printscreens, to give a idea what is going on.

You need to click on the tab Measure Target and start measuring then make a screen capture.

Should i create a CMYK, if yes, why it feels like the LC and LM inks are left out?

Absolutely not!

[smikkelmit22]

I'm on location.

I printed to test, the CMYK 378 patched file.

I opened the "measure target" tab and connected the x-rite device.

As you can see in the photo, the x rite is processing patches. But it seems it doesn't process at the screen. I expected some sort of comparison at the screen.

I think now is clear what my issue is.

[digitaldog]

Doesn't look good. So at the end of the process is there no way to save? I ask because this is very old software and it could, repeat could be an issue where you're not seeing the 'after' colors on-screen but that's a huge stretch. If you can't save the data after measurement, you've got a door stop at this point unless you can try another product that interfaces with that old Spectrophotometer.
You're on a Mac? Can you find a copy of MeasureTool from GretagMacbeth and see if it's working with the DTP-41? I can dig up and send you the Mac installer that includes MeasureTool. It will work in demo mode to make the measurements but you will not be able to use the ProfileMaker Pro module to build the profile without a dongle.

[smikkelmit22]

Just found a part of the issue in the manual "Flashing Yellow Light—instrument calibration in progress (strip being read). "

It seems it is not processing, it bussy with calibration.

[digitaldog]

Just found a part of the issue in the manual "Flashing Yellow Light—instrument calibration in progress (strip being read). "
It seems it is not processing, it bussy with calibration.

Yup, light should be (If memory serves) green. Maybe the unit needs to be cleaned so it 'passes' calibration? There's a tile that's used for calibration which may be dirty, just a guess. Or this unit is just no good. VERY difficult to diagnose remotely....

[smikkelmit22]

Seems the calibiration worked. Now i have to find out how to read the other patches.

Anyway, could you recommend me which patches to use for a Roland printer :CMYK+LC&LM

In case i get things working?

Thans for your time btw.