Pictures print darker than they appear on screen

[Flybridge]

Hi

I have looked around at this and I'm getting rather confused. I suspect I don't fully understand the technology.

I am using a MacBook Pro (2012) running 10.14.6 Mojave, running the latest version of Creative Cloud and printing using a Canon TS600.

When I print out of Photoshop, the printed version is much drarker than the on screen image with a red colour shift (also true, to an extent, if I print out of the Mac Preview program). I know I have to calibrate the printer in some way, but I'm not sure how. I've seen references to ICC profiles, but I don't think they are available for the pronter I use.

I have tried editing in LR to compensate for the darkness and colour shift, with the hope of saving it as a Preset for the jpeg files. But I'm struggling to get the printed version to look anything like what I see on screen (perhaps not surprisingly if what I see on screen bears little resemblance to what will print.

Is there a way of fixing this that doesn't cost a fortune?

Thanks.

[macpawel]

You can try different options here.
For example be sure your monitor use STANDARD settings for display your content. You can also adjsut brightness on your screen to lighten your images. You can try to use your monitor profile. Find it, install it and use in Photoshop's Color Settings preferences.

You can try to lighten your images to adjust their dispkay to much your printer.

There are many options here.

Try to be more descriptive

Pawel

[Flybridge]

I tried using the monitor's profile in the PS print dialogue, but the photos still print with a red cast that isn't there on screen.

I've used monitor calibration. It is printer calibration that seems to be the issue.

[Per Berntsen]

The monitor profile has one purpose, to display images correctly on screen. It should never be used for printing.

I'm not familiar with Canon printers, but I'm pretty sure they supply icc profiles for their papers.

In the Print dialog, first choose Photoshop manages colors, then select the correct icc profile for the paper/printer combination you are using.

In the Canon printer driver, select the paper you are using, and make sure color management is disabled.

If you are using a non-Canon paper, go to the paper manufacturer's website, and download and install an icc profile for the paper.

[gener7]

Here's something to try. The reason print colors differ from monitor colors is that you are dealing with ink piled on paper (reflective color), not direct color as from a monitor.

If you have set up things as previously advised, here's a trick that has helped me.

Add a Brightness/Contrast layer to your image before printing. Brightness +40/Contrast -40 is a good start.

Then print with that layer on and see if the results are any better.

[Flybridge]

I've been searching around. Another post recommends using the Adobe RGB ICC profile. According to Adobe, it is provided with Photoshop, but when I open the drop down for Printer Profile in the Print dialogue, I don't see it! Why is that?

I experimented by using the Wide Gamut RGB profile, which is close to what I see on screen, but a bit grey. Pinching the idea in the answer above, I'm wondering if a new layer but for Saturation may work, if I boost the saturation.

Does anyone know how to access the Adobe RGB ICC profile?

[Per Berntsen]

It is entirely possible to have prints look very close to what you see on screen.

First of all, you need a calibrated monitor, with brightness set to 100 - 120 candela. Since your prints are too dark, you have probably set monitor brightness too high.

Then, use the correct profile for your paper/printer combo like I described above.

Adobe RGB and Wide gamut RGB are not meant for printing.

[Flybridge]

OK. My calibrator stopped working a while ago because of a Mac OS upgrade.

I tried using the calibration tool in Mac OS, but I couldn't get the image to appear as they suggested. I turned the brightness all the way down using the on screen controls, but the image didn't conform. Looks like I will have to buy the latest version of Spyder to make sure the monitor is properly calibrated.

I will try to find an ICC profile for the paper I use and install that to see if there is a difference.

(Interesting comment on the profiles I mentioned - if they aren't meant for printing, why are they listed in the drop down?)

Thanks for your help.

[davescm]

Hi

You don't experiment with swapping profiles - that is a recipe for incorrect colour. You use the correct profile that describes your document, monitor or printer.

See if this helps your understanding:

Digital images are made up of numbers. In RGB mode, each pixel has a number representing Red, a number representing Green and a Number representing Blue. The problem comes in that different devices can be sent those same numbers but will show different colours. To see a demonstration of this, walk into your local T.V. shop and look at the different coloured pictures – all from the same material.

To ensure the output device is showing the correct colours then a colour management system needs to know two things.

1. What colours do the numbers in the document represent? 
This is the job of the document profile which describes the exact colour to be shown when Red=255 and what colour of white is meant when Red=255, Green = 255 and Blue =255. It also describes how the intermediate values move from 0 through to 255 – known as the tone response curve (or sometimes “gamma”).
Examples of colour spaces are (Adobe RGB1998, sRGB IEC61966-2.1)
With the information from the document profile, the colour management system knows what colour is actually represented by the pixel values in the document.

2. What colour will be displayed on the printer/monitor if it is sent certain pixel values?
   This is the job of the monitor/printer&paper profile. It should describe exactly what colours the device is capable of showing and, how the device will respond when sent certain values.
   So with a monitor profile that is built to represent the specific monitor (or a printer profile built to represent the specific printer, ink and paper combination) then the colour management system can predict exactly what colours will be shown if it sends specific pixel values to that device.
   
   So armed with those two profiles, the colour management system will convert the numbers in the document to the numbers that must be sent to the device in order that the correct colours are displayed.
   
   

So what can go wrong :

1. The colours look different in Photoshop, which is colour managed, to the colours in a different application which is not colour managed.
   This is not actually fault, but it is a commonly raised issue. It is the colour managed version which is correct – the none colour managed application is just sending the document RGB numbers to the output device regardless without any conversion regardless of what they represent in the document and the way they will be displayed on the output device.
   
   
2. The colour settings are changed in Photoshop without understanding what they are for.
   This results in the wrong profiles being used and therefore the wrong conversions and the wrong colours.
   If Photoshop is set to Preserve embedded profiles – it will use the colour profile within the document.
   
   
3. The profile for the output device is incorrect.
   The profile should represent the behaviour of the device exactly. If the wrong profile is used it will not. Equally if the settings on the device are changed in comparison to those settings when the profile was made, then the profile can no longer describe the behaviour of the device. Two examples would be using a printer profile designed for one paper, with a different paper. A second example would be using a monitor profile but changing the colour/contrast etc settings on the monitor.
   The monitor profile is set in the operating system (in Windows 10 that is under Settings>System>Display >Advanced) which leads to a potential further issue. Operating system updates can sometimes load a different monitor profile, or a broken profile, which no longer represents the actual monitor.

Colour management is simple to use provided the document profile is correct, always save or export with an embedded profile, and the monitor/printer profile is correct. All the math is done in the background.

I hope that helps

Dave

[Per Berntsen]

My calibrator stopped working a while ago because of a Mac OS upgrade.

If you upgrade the calibration software, it might work with the new OS. Check the Spyder website.

if they aren't meant for printing, why are they listed in the drop down?

I have no idea, but the point is that a profile designed for your paper/printer combo will produce the best results. 

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Per is entirely right. You don't "experiment" with profiles. You use the correct one.

Start with the monitor profile. Get a calibrator. If you care about accuracy at all, you can't live without one. This is the thing about the monitor profile: it needs to describe the actual, current response of your monitor. That's it. That's what it's there for, and that's what a calibrator will do.

To match screen to print, you need to set the white point and the black point accordingly. You need those to match ink on paper. You need to see paper white and maximum ink on screen. The monitor white point should be a visual match to paper white. This is a purely visual judgement, affected by your whole working environment, so no fixed numbers can be given. If it looks like a match, it is a match. That said, in most normal circumstances this will be in the vicinity of 100 - 120 cd/m², and a temperature around 6200 - 6500K.

Then look at the black point. Most monitors natively have much deeper blacks than you will ever see on paper. A good inkjet print on high grade glossy paper has a contrast range of maximum 300:1, but usually less. So if monitor white is 120 cd/m², black should be set to 0.4 cd/m² or higher. The black level has a huge impact on perceived "punch". If you look at a monitor with 1500:1 contrast you are in for a guaranteed disappointment when you see the print.

Once you have this set up, the profile handles the rest and what you see is what you get. That's the holy grail. Yes, it's possible to get a perfect match from screen to print, don't believe those who say you can't.

I haven't mentioned the print profile. The same principle applies: it needs to describe the actual and current behavior of ink on paper. That's why you have printer profiles specific to your printer, the ink it uses and the paper you're printing on. These profiles are installed along with the printer driver (or should be). Again, you don't experiment with printer profiles. You use the correct one.

[Flybridge]

Thank you, everyone ,for your responses.

I have marked the last entry as the answer as it gives a lot of detail that I need, but the others were very informative as well.

I will be replacing the monitor calibrator to make sure the monitor is set properly and then work on the printer. I may have to buy a new one, as Canon support say the TS5060 doesn't support ICC profiles (!). It was a cheap printer so I obviously need to upgrade that as well.

Thanks.