Prints - Images very dark

moved to the Color Management Board.

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

Hi

You'll need to look at colour management and ICC profiles.

I'll take it you are using Epson paper, if not that’s a good way to test this process. 

Any paper needs an accurate ICC profile for your printer model so that Photoshop can modify image data to achieve accurate printed output. 

In Photoshop's print dialog you can select "Photoshop Manages Color" and select a paper profile and then driver media settings. [this dialog has to be used for any non Epson paper, so you need to get an ICC paper profile or have one made]

OR

select "Printer manages color" and choose the driver media settings - which calls upon an [Epson embedded] ICC paper profile.

That’s how you print accurately.

It could also be that your screen is too bright, even 50% setting is probably far brighter than paper white?

Your screen has an ICC profile too - if the default iMac one supplied by Apple isn't accurate enough you'l need a sensor based calibration and profiling kit such as X-Rite's i1 display pro. In that software I recommend you start with a luminance target of about 120CDm2.

More about ICC profiles here https://www.colourmanagement.net/advice/about-icc-colour-profiles/

I hope this helps

if so, please "like" my reply and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct", so that others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

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https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/adobe-cc-2019-v-hp-photosmart-5520-colour-matching/m-p/11212213?page=1#M339718