Prints - Images very dark

[mouldymould]

Hi all,

I'm just getting started on a fairly new printer setup that I have and would like to use with Photoshop. However, I seem to be having an issue with every image printing a lot darker that how they appear on Photoshop and have a slight purple tint.

I've searched these forums and have found a few other articles with similar issues. I've tried following solutions in these articles, including correctly setting the colour handling, but very little seems to change. 

When test-printing the same image with Preview, the image prints much closer to the original, but Preview's settings are slightly unclear on how it handles colour.

I'm running macOS Mojave on a 27" iMac and keep screen brightness around 50%. The printer is an Epson L805. 

I'd like to get to the bottom of this once and for all, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[D Fosse]

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/adobe-cc-2019-v-hp-photosmart-5520-colour-matching/m-p/1121... 

[NB, colourmanagement net]

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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[NB, colourmanagement net]

moved to the Color Management Board.

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer