Topic: Printing reproduced artwork images and borders are turning gray. (Read 3050 times)

dgberg · « **on:** March 08, 2019, 11:27:24 am »

Shot several artwork images with off white borders and when in Lightrooms print module they turn gray as well as print gray as in the shown picture.
Sony a7rII with custom profile.
I reset all my sync settings and am back to the straight raw shot and the borders look natural.
Click the print module and they go gray.
Any ideas?

Mark D Segal · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2019, 11:38:20 am »

Looks to me that somehow or other your profiling isn't working properly; I suspect this because the Print Preview shows the image without softproofing, and softproofing is supposed to show the impact of the profile. Presumably the profile provides for the correct gray tone of those borders. You're an experienced guy - presumably you've double-checked all your LR print and develop settings to make sure your colour management set-up is correctly specified?

dgberg · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2019, 11:56:28 am »

Going over it again now. The only thing I have found so far is when I drag the exposure up a full stop the borders are correct but everything else is blown. Digging a little more.
Thanks Mark.

Mark D Segal · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2019, 12:01:51 pm »

When you are in the Develop Module, do you have softproof active when you view the photo? If the softproof is active and the borders and exposure both look right, but in the Print module where the view is not softproofed you get the grey effect and that is what prints, it really suggests profile information isn't getting through the chain; I would not expect exposure settings to be part of the issue.

howardm · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2019, 01:56:09 pm »

is it a V4 profile?

Mark D Segal · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2019, 01:59:16 pm »

V4 profiles should work fine. I doubt that's the issue.

arobinson7547 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:00:09 pm »

Check the rendering intent and white point of the source profile (there 'may' be an embedded one)

dgberg · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:05:26 pm »

New xrite profile with new white balance. Softproof on borders look good until going to Print Module then they turn gray. The only way to get borders white in Print Module is drag whites and highlights to 60 and drag down exposure a tad. Then the borders stay white.
Mac pro and Macbook Pro give same results.

Mark D Segal · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:09:40 pm »

To nail down whether it is the ICC profiling workflow at fault, could you try printing this with Printer Manages Color but undo those adjustments of Whites and Highlights, keeping the same Media Type specification? If it prints properly you have added evidence the problem could well be with print settings in the profiled workflow.

dgberg · « **Reply #9 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:10:50 pm »

Will do.

digitaldog · « **Reply #10 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:20:07 pm »

The print module isn't soft proofing and isn't really showing anything but an sRGB JPEG preview. You need to soft proof properly in Develop.
You may have an issue with the output profile IF whites are actually printing gray, like a scum dot bug. Or an output profile built with the V4 spec not behaving well. You'd see this if you could print using an Absolute Colorimetric intent but that's not possible in LR.
Where did the paper profile come from? DO NOT build one with V4 spec if you're doing this profile creation.

dgberg · « **Reply #11 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:22:15 pm »

That did not work. Looked great in Develop, switched to Print Module and the edges turn gray in the print preview before printing. Printed gray.

digitaldog · « **Reply #12 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:24:19 pm »

Quote from: Dan Berg on March 08, 2019, 02:22:15 pm

That did not work. Looked great in Develop, switched to Print Module and the edges turn gray in the print preview before printing. Printed gray.

Doesn't matter what the preview looks like in Print Module. It does on the print. It's the profile or some printer settings. Try making a new print template totally from scratch resetting every printing parameter in both LR and the print driver. And tell us what kind of printer it is.
Why do you have LR set for Managed by Printer???

dgberg · « **Reply #13 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:33:25 pm »

Mark suggested I try printing with no profile.

I understand what you are saying but it prints exactly what the print preview shows.
Click the print module and the border changes to gray and prints exactly that way.
Change the highlights and whites above 50+, click print module and it shows a white border and prints a white border.
Epson 3880, I have a half dozen others printers to try. Seems like the issue arises after actuating PM.

Will try your suggestion.

Mark D Segal · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:39:02 pm »

What paper and what Media Type setting in the driver?

Doug Gray · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2019, 02:47:15 pm »

Check to make sure your white borders are RGB 255. if they aren't then they will print gray in Rel Col or Perc. This is common in repro work. The whites are typically 220 ish. Normally in repro work you then print with Abs. Col. Lightroom doesn't have that option.

dgberg · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2019, 03:13:24 pm »

I had checked them before and they were not here 255, 211ish.

Whatever is happening is when I push to activate the Print module. Whatever it shows in print preview is what is printing and it is changing from a natural off white to a deep gray with the selection of Print Module.
Paper is Canson Etching Rag, sheet 13x19 manual rear. Printed hundreds of these if not more. (But no art reproductions)

digitaldog · « **Reply #17 on:** March 08, 2019, 03:16:14 pm »

Quote from: Dan Berg on March 08, 2019, 03:13:24 pm

I had checked them before and they were not here 255, 211ish.

Well there you go, they are not white/paper white.

dgberg · « **Reply #18 on:** March 08, 2019, 04:33:17 pm »

Rodney, did you look at the pictures they are going from a off white/very light gray to a very medium gray.
I guess the best I call do is lighten them up a little?

mcbroomf · « **Reply #19 on:** March 08, 2019, 04:44:24 pm »

Can you try a print on your HP Z3200 Dan? Just a test of paper and profile...

Author Topic: Printing reproduced artwork images and borders are turning gray. (Read 3050 times)