Poor color printing in both Lightroom and Photoshop

[lrl117]

This has been a frustrating experience in trying to figure out this problem.  After many years of consistent printing, about 6 weeks ago something changed and my prints look drab, flat, slightly greenish, etc.  Printing from Photoshop and lightroom give same results.  I am on a Mac, Mohave, 10.14.2, Lightroom 8.1, camera raw 11.1.  I use an Epson 7890 printer.  I am printing with Epson glossy paper, the correct ICC profile and my driver is turned off and lightroom manages the color management.  This is what I have done to narrow down the search for the problem:

I used my wife's Mac, printing to my Epson printer.  Her prints looked fine.

I created another user on my Mac laptop and my prints looked fine.

Printing from my normal user setting, the prints are awful.

Printing from Apple Preview, the prints are fine.

I tried to reset Lightroom preferences on my user account by doing a shift + option when opening the program.  The print continued to look the same (awful)

I am convinced that there must be some user files in my Mac library that need to be purged or deleted.  They can be replaced by the user files in the new user account that I set up.  This would allow me to continue to use my normal user account and not affect all my other programs.

I tried to go on Adobe chat but that went nowhere.  The suggestion was to set up another user account and download a new version of the software into that account.

Can anyone help?  Thanks.

[TheDigitalDog]

Test the output with a color reference image first of all:

http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip

in LR, create a new, from scratch Print Template double checking everything is setup correctly both in "Printer..." dialogs and in the print color management area. For Epson, do NOT use a saved setting in the driver! Select Default there as what you just set previously is used instead.

Setting up another account isn't a bad idea if you're sure it's something in the other account but since you state you can correctly print with another application, it's likely something set incorrectly or used in LR instead. 

[lrl117]

I've actually done all of that.  The printer prints fine.  The monitor is calibrated.  I have not used a saved setting and am using the default in the driver.

I did set up another user account and LR and PS printed fine.  When I use my normal user setting, the colors print terribly.  When I try to print the file using Mac Preview, it prints fine.  I am using a test image file and I also have a printed version that was given to me for comparison.  This would indicate that the problem is isolated to some Adobe preference or cache files which are in my normal user account.

All Adobe says (so far) is that I should set up another user account.  That fixes the problem but creates lots of work related to my other software that would need to be moved to the new user account.

I am hoping that Adobe can just tell me which files need to be deleted and replaced by the file in my new user account.

I think that if I uninstalled LR and PS, I would still have the old corrupt files in my system and would still have the problem when I installed a new version.

[TheDigitalDog]

lrl117  wrote

All Adobe says (so far) is that I should set up another user account.  That fixes the problem but creates lots of work related to my other software that would need to be moved to the new user account.

Well you could trash just the Adobe Application Support folder (back it up first), do a reinstall and see if that fixes the issue. Never heard of this happening with both LR and PS but not other applications.

[lrl117]

Is the Adobe Application Support Folder the one in the Library?

Just to be totally clear, you are suggesting that I remove the Adobe Application Support Folder, copy and save it in case I need to restore it, then uninstall Lightroom and Photoshop and then reinstall LR and PS and do my printing test again?

[TheDigitalDog]

lrl117  wrote

Is the Adobe Application Support Folder the one in the Library?

Just to be totally clear, you are suggesting that I remove the Adobe Application Support Folder, copy and save it in case I need to restore it, then uninstall Lightroom and Photoshop and then reinstall LR and PS and do my printing test again?

Yes the one in your USER Library. That one at least first. But this is a huge guess which is why you should back it up. But I think a large portion of 'possible' files that could be the cause reside there. Then you probably must do a reinstall of the various Adobe applications so those files not repopulate. Yes, uninstall (probably save to keep preferences but if you don't mind resetting them, when asked, delete them too). Then use the CC app to reinstall and test a print. NO idea if this will help. Hopefully it will and that something there was corrupted.

[lrl117]

I followed the procedure you suggested.  I copied the Adobe Application support file to my desktop.  I deleted it from the Library.

I printed the test image from LR and got the same bad results

I restarted the computer, no Adobe folder showed in the library.

Adobe Installer asked to repair, then downloaded the Creative Cloud Desktop.

I deleted the LR and PS applications that still were on my computer

I used Adobe Installer to download and reinstall LR and PS

I restarted the computer

I printed the test file from LR, with the correct Epson ICC profile.  The print showed the same bad results.

Is there any other place where Adobe is storing older information that would be causing this?

Thanks

[TheDigitalDog]

And you ran a test with the printer test file?

It looks awful how?

[lrl117]

I used the same test file. The color is desaturated and flat. Bright red strawberries look almost maroon brownish. I can send you the scans of the printed files showing what the test print should look like (it is what it looks like on my corrected monitor) and what it looks like from my printer). Since I get a good print from another user account or from another laptop I am sure the problem relates to a corrupted file. The file still must be in my user section on my laptop.

Lance R. Levine

lance.levine@mfiintl.com<mailto:lance.levine@mfiintl.com>

Cell - 915-637-0613

lancerlevine.smugmug.com

[TheDigitalDog]

lrl117  wrote

Since I get a good print from another user account or from another laptop I am sure the problem relates to a corrupted file.  The file still must be in my user section on my laptop.

That makes sense but I'm at a loss to recommend what to remove. I'd consider deleting the application preferences but I can't believe both Photoshop and LR would be both corrupted.

On your user account, if you reboot in safe mode (boot with Shift Key down), any difference?

[lrl117]

I was very pleased to finally get a response from Adobe.  I will follow their instructions, probably tomorrow morning and let everyone know the results. I also appreciate all the assistance The DigitalDog has provided.

They wrote:

Dear Lance,

Greetings from Adobe!

Hope you are doing good!

We completely understand your query, we have gone through the chat conversation and came to know that your user account, color profiles related to Adobe applications are corrupted. We found that the chat conversation is ended from your end as we do not have option to end the conversation from our end.

In this case, you can check by Uninstall Creative Cloud Desktop application and all Adobe applications through the Ccleaner and reinstalling Creative Cloud Desktop application.

Please uninstall all Adobe application by following steps as stated in link below.

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

Download and Install Creative Cloud Desktop application from link below.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-desktop-app-download.html

If the issue persists, please reach out to us back so that we can assist you further.

You may contact us on chat by

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/contact.html

or you may contact us on phone  by

https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/phone.html

Thanks and Regards,
Adobe Support.

[TheDigitalDog]

Worth a try but what Adobe profiles? My test image has an embedded ICC profile and your printer is using an output profile but it works in other applications. So I'd ask them specifically what profiles they are referring to.

[TheDigitalDog · Accepted solution]

As you indicated on the other posting in this forum, the issue was the 16-bit check box in the Epson print driver. It's a bug known to Epson (sorry I didn't connect the dots, didn't know your printer and my 3880 both have that option). Newer Epson drivers do not have this check box and this bug only affects older drivers that have the check box. So turn it off, all is fine. No need to have it on anyway, it didn't make any difference in the output.

[edwards66093450]

I to have the same printing problem as lrl117.  Ever since I upgraded to OS Catalina.On a iMac 27in. I tried to fix it by cutting back to OS Mohave that did not fix the problem. I am printing to Epson 4900 to which I am able to print just fine from my other computer 15 in Mac book pro running OS high Sierra so I know I am not having a printer issue. Just to see what would happen I downloaded Lightroom Classic 8.2.1 which I think is the first version. I loaded some photos and tried printing and the result was a  perfect print every time ! The only problem is I am not able to use the Catalog I was using with Version 9.0

So what is the difference between the 2 ver of Lightroom ? that would cause this problem with printing as described by lrl117

Ed Smalarz   smalarz@pon.net

[paulyb316]

I have been having the exact same problems.  I recently purchsed an M1 iMac and everything was fine with PS for the 1st few months but recently all my prints are too dark and the colors are flat and muted.  I've been trouble shooting for days on end with no results. Very frustrating!  I have an Epson 3880 pro.  

[TheDigitalDog]

Your prints are too dark or darker than the display? Again (see below), test this with a color reference image and view the print under differing conditions; too dark? 

[maizeandblue78]

I am having the same issue.  Prints that I have previously produced (printed) from a saved TIF file are now printing dull and lack that contrast pop.  I am running MacOS 10.14.3 with LR printing to an Epson SureColor P600.  Has there been any updates to this issue in a different thread somewhere on here?  I have been pulling my hair out the past couple days trying to pin point if I had a printer hardware issue or a software issue.  Glad I came across this forum and at least seem to have it narrowed down a software issue.  Any help would be appreciated. 

[paulyb316]

Same issues here. I'm printing on an Epson 3880.  All of a sudden all my prints are dark and the colors are muted and flat. I thought it was the printer but when I print an image in Preview it looks fine. This is making me crazy.  Going to try to call Adobe tomorrow and see what they say.