Epson and Photoshop

[atornabene]

I have used Epson printers for years with Photoshop with my limited knowledge and learning curve of monitor/print matching and had very little issue. I now use the latest version of PS and just purchased an Epson Surecolor P400. I am running a Mac OS Sierra with an external Viewsonic monitor. I have calibrated my monitor and I have tried changing paper media, ICC profiles, using printer to govern the print, PS to govern the print but no matter what settings I use, the prints keep coming out too dark and sometimes with real color shifts (too cool mainly). I have even tried compensating by making a copy of the image really bright on-screen but nothing in the print changes. I briefly read some discussions on the forum here but I have no idea what else I can try. If any printing expert here can help, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,

AnnMarie Tornabene

[SteveWeinrebe]

Hi - are you soft proofing? That might help you better predict the output. Go View > Proof Colors, to soft proof. First though, in View > Proof Setup > Custom, you can choose your printer.

It does sound like a color management problem. So, when you have Photoshop managing the printing, you are turning OFF color management in the print settings, yes?

Steve

[atornabene]

Steve,

Soft proofing has been recommended to me by others as well so I will try that. I do have another question regarding that - you said when I go to custom, I should choose my printer - NOT an icc profile?? If so, then should I also uncheck "preserve rgb numbers" or no?

Also, if I use "Printer Manages Colors" the color management is normally off and in the past, I would use this setting over "Photoshop Manages Colors". Having said that, further questions (I am so sorry!) - If I use the latter, there is a setting for printer profile underneath which defaults at srgb. Do I choose my printer here or, again, an icc profile?

Thank you so much for your advice! I had an Epson R1800 and R2400 and I don't remember having this much trouble matching a print!

Best,

AnnMarie Tornabene-Boivin

[SteveWeinrebe · Accepted solution]

If you use Printer Manages Colors you need color management On. Color management has to be On for either Photoshop (Photoshop manages) or the printer - never both - and always one of them. Do try Photoshop manages colors. Choosing your printer and paper applies the printer profile (yes, the ICC profile) that your printer software installed on your computer. Be sure to click on Print Settings and turn off color management (or choose "no color management" - whatever setting turns it off) in the printer software.

Here is an excellent article on soft proofing.

https://luminous-landscape.com/understanding-soft-proofing/

Good luck!

Steve

[atornabene]

Thank you again, Steve! I think something finally sunk into my brain there and it seems the prints are almost there with just a little tweaking. THANKS AGAIN.

Just a note - as an art photographer, I do not have the means to purchase very expensive color management tools and I have done well in the past with the other Epson printers I have had.

Best,

AnnMarie

[D Fosse]

The printer color management chain is fairly simple. Set "Photoshop manages color", and then pick the correct profile for the paper you're using, in the dropdown. You can't "experiment" with this. You need to use the right profile. If you're printing on premium glossy paper, that's the profile you pick. It will be called "Epson P400 premium glossy" or something similarly descriptive.

This converts the data from the document profile into the print profile, and these converted values are sent to the printer. That's a standard color management chain.

Then go into the printer driver and make sure printer color management is turned off. Also set the correct paper type here - this controls total amount of ink.

the prints keep coming out too dark

That means your monitor is too bright. Calibrate your monitor to a white point that visually matches paper white! This depends on your whole working environment, so there are no fixed values for this. Just get that visual match, and let the numbers fall wherever they want. Next set monitor black point to match maximum ink.

The profile will handle the rest.

[atornabene]

Hello D Fosse,

Thank you for your advice. My calibration is fine and of course I know which profile I should choose for the paper. This is NOT the issue. The issue is that there are several, in my opinion, redundant selections here that I don't know what I am supposed to choose. Please see my reply to Steve Weinreb.

I do plan to also work with soft proofing to see if that helps.

Thanks again!

Best,

AnnMarie Tornabene-Boivin

[D Fosse]

I can't see how soft-proofing would be of any relevance here. That comes much later, when all the basics are in place. They aren't here. Proofing is just to check for gamut clipping in the print profile.

The monitor white point is a much more fundamental consideration. That isn't part of the color management chain, it's nothing to do with the profiles at all. It's about setting the environment for color management to work within.

Color management just maps document white to monitor white. So to get this right, monitor white needs to be visually equivalent to paper white. You need to "see" paper white on screen!

If I use ...(Photoshop manages color)... there is a setting for printer profile underneath which defaults at srgb. Do I choose my printer here or, again, an icc profile?

The printer profile is an icc profile. There's one for each type of paper. Yes, that's the one you choose. You need to have the right profile here.

This is a conversion from the document profile (which you leave as it is) and into the print profile. You should see both listed in the Photoshop print dialog. Make sure both are correct.

Then make sure color management is off in the printer driver. You don't want double profiling.

[Mark25371612qknr]

When using some Epson printers with photoshop selecting printer manages color causes some sort of double editing or mabe no editing. To use printer manages color as you should with MY printer either use a plugin, which will bypass PS or use a different app.