Printing too dark in CS4

I started dealing with this in CS3, I took the time to figure out that CS3 wanted me to lay down too much ink. All of this fuc_kedupedness started with CS3 and you are just now noticing it?

> So, Eric, you are saying we need to Convert to a space (or gamma) in
> Photoshop before Command+P -- because the Epson Adv B&W driver will
> assume a color space/gamma -- what would that assumption be based on
> (gamma of our Mac default MonitorRGB)? Assuming I am not talking
> about feeding the Epson grayscale.

Yes.

The ABW driver wants to be fed gamma 2.2-encoded image data.

This is why my standard recommendation for printing to the ABW driver __ONLY__ is to use:

Color Handling = Photoshop Manages Colors
Printer Profile = Adobe RGB
Rendering Intent = Relative Colorimetric
Black Point Compensation = Enabled

Why does this work? Because no matter what your image working space is (e.g., sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB, Apple RGB, ColorMatch RGB, etc.), doing this will cause your image data to be encoded in gamma 2.2 before the data gets passed off to the driver. (Adobe RGB has a gamma encoding of 2.2.)

The same workflow will work in Lightroom, too. You just need to check the "Display Profiles" checkbox in Lightroom to access Adobe RGB when selecting a printer profile.

If you are in grayscale mode instead of RGB mode, choose "Gray Gamma 2.2" instead of "Adobe RGB" for the printer profile.

However, the catch is that -- as noted in this thread -- there is currently a glitch, which we (Adobe + Apple + Epson) are investigating. One of the symptoms of that glitch is that the above suggested workflow does not work on Leopard.

> Does this CS4-Apple-Epson issue have anything to do with some users
> reporting dark prints in Photoshop Manage Color - No Color
> Adjustment Epson workflow? -- For example, someone using 1.8 gamma
> Monitor RGB...

Unlikely.

Sure, Chris, if you can fit it into your backpack.

;-)

HP Z2100 and Z3100 were well tested.

(oh, they're so cute, can I take one home?)

>Sure. Here are a few Epson models that I know of: R1900, R2400, R2880, 3800, 4800, 4880, 7800, 7880, 7900, 9800, 9880, 9900, 11880. Just as long as you're printing via the RGB color driver. (I believe the HP Z-series printers work as well but have not personally verified this.)

Eric, thank you very much for posting that. Now people will at least know what can be eliminated in their search to correct what color problem they may be encountering.

>> (Epson Advanced B&W driver) make assumptions about the document working space (specifically, the gamma

So, Eric, you are saying we need to Convert to a space (or gamma) in Photoshop before Command+P -- because the Epson Adv B&W driver will assume a color space/gamma -- what would that assumption be based on (gamma of our Mac default MonitorRGB)? Assuming I am not talking about feeding the Epson grayscale.

Does this CS4-Apple-Epson issue have anything to do with some users reporting dark prints in Photoshop Manage Color - No Color Adjustment Epson workflow? -- For example, someone using 1.8 gamma Monitor RGB...

g ballard wrote:

> Hmm... I went back and looked at my Epson 7880 manual for the Adv BW
> instructions

Those instructions don't work all the time because they make assumptions about the document working space (specifically, the gamma encoding used).

This is precisely why I spent a long time in 2007 researching the topic and ended up writing software to build ICC profiles to be used with the ABW driver. That way the guesswork is taken out of the equation.

More background info here:

http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/bwcurves.html

DYP writes:

> Again I am going to ask. Does anybody know of any Printer/Driver
> combinations that actually work correctly with CS4 and Leopard?

Sure. Here are a few Epson models that I know of: R1900, R2400, R2880, 3800, 4800, 4880, 7800, 7880, 7900, 9800, 9880, 9900, 11880. Just as long as you're printing via the RGB color driver. (I believe the HP Z-series printers work as well but have not personally verified this.)

Doug writes:

> It sounds like my initial impression is correct, that printing in
> CS4 is broken ...

To the ABW driver under Leopard? Yes.

In general? No.

> ... and we need to wait for the update.

Yes, but not necessarily from Adobe.

It remains to be seen exactly where the problem is and who will provide the fix or workaround. The update will come from some subset of Adobe, Apple, and/or Epson.

Eric

>I don't think any printer manufacturer should take Canon as an example. Or HP, either.

As was only talking about the plugin, nothing else. It works perfect for getting around this mess.

>As for those running Epson printers you really should be getting on Epson's case about creating a plugin for PS like Canon does.

I don't think any printer manufacturer should take Canon as an example. :/ Or HP, either.

>The lack of responses to that question seems to be the answer to it.

Exactly!

What 10.5.6 will bring is anybodies guess. When will we see is getting to be an even bigger question.

As for those running Epson printers you really should be getting on Epson's case about creating a plugin for PS like Canon does.

This Adobe blaming Apple and the Printer/drivers, Apple blaming Adobe and the Printer/drivers, Printer/drivers blaming Apple and Adobe is getting to be pointless when nothing ever get fixed and every-bodies update breaks something else. And, I can go on and on about what application version, OS version, printer driver version works and does not work or what workarounds to try.

Frankly I am tired of wasting my time on this, and I don't see much of a chance any of this will get fixed anytime soon. It is like nobody tests any of this before they release updates and we (the end user) end up being the beta testers for all of this or getting screwed - however you want to take this.

My response from now on is going to be, get a Canon and use the plugin (or any other printer that uses a plugin) or get a RIP.