Printer Calibration Question

Paul Lange

Paul Lange

Moderator
Hi Guys, I hope someone can help me with this as I'm a bit stuck with getting my head round it. HP have not issued an ICC profile for my printer (c5280) also it is not possible to turn the printer colour management off. However the driver does give the option of the printer managing either sRGB or AdobeRGB.

My monitor is calibrated with a Pantone Huey Pro and now I would like to set up soft proofing to match the printer. I'm guessing I have to work backwards in some ways as I have no choice but to use the printers AdobeRGB colour management. I shoot in AdobeRGB and this is the colour space that I use on the PC.

Do I think right that what I have to do is to print a test image and then set up the soft proofing by finding the closest possible match to the printout and then repeat this for for different papers?
 
I wonder if Joan might be able to help with this...
My Color munki has a thing that let's you print out and scan (with the Color monki)
I have only ever done it the once ... As I discovered using pro printers often yielded better results ...
That not to say home printing is a no go... Just not for me!
 
Well, I know nothing about the HP c5280. So what are your prints like straight off of the printer?

Just found this on HP site .....any use?

I have the same printer and the same problem. I have read in the printer helps that it is not necessary to disable color management. If a program like PS is configured to manage colors, the printer will not use their own profile. But, if you are unsatisfied for the color in printed pictures, is possible your monitor improperly calibrated. Try it fist of all.
In case you see that don't work, or want to be really sure the printer color management is not interfering your work, try to delete the color profiles in the printer set up (it is a reversible operation).
For that you have to open the control panel (or printers folder), go to printers, select HP C5280, right click and select "properties", then select "Color Management" tab. Then you can see a button named "Color management...". Click it and you will see a window with some fields and check boxes.
The first field allows you to select the device: select "HP C5280". Below, you have a check box with the text " Use my set up in this device", check it. Below that you have another field for "Select Profile". Select "Manual" (it is probably in "Automatic" the first time). Then in the bigger space below every thing, you can see the profiles. Delete all the profiles (simply click over one and then press Del key). Close the window and that's all.

Later, you can add the deleted profiles using the button "Add profiles" and revert everything.....



Joan
 
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Hi Joan,

I found that post too but took it with a pinch of salt. There is no profile for the printer to delete, the colour is controlled by the printer driver itself. I also could find no mention that the printer self disables it's colour management if another program's colour management is being used.

Straight our of the printer the prints are not too shabby but every now and again an out of gamut colour is printed way off. I have found that by working in Adobe RGB and setting the printers own software to the same the prints were fairly accurate after I had reducing the saturation of some of the colours (a setting in the printer software that is global for all prints). i have also found a soft proof profile that I am almost happy with.
Yesterday I printed 2 photos that were almost bang on except for pinks but think that the original on screen image contained out of gamut colours as confirmed by Photoshop.

Do you know where I might find some more soft proof files to download? I would like to go through as many as possible to see if I can find one that is closer still.
 
Paul Lange said:
Hi Joan,

Straight our of the printer the prints are not too shabby but every now and again an out of gamut colour is printed way off. I have found that by working in Adobe RGB and setting the printers own software to the same the prints were fairly accurate after I had reducing the saturation of some of the colours.
Click to expand...

Do you check out of gamut colours in Photoshop first ? View-gamut warning, ctrl-shift-y.
You may already be doing this, just trying to eliminate possible causes.

Sorry missed this bit in the middle of your post
but think that the original on screen image contained out of gamut colours as confirmed by Photoshop.


Joan
 
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Paul Lange said:
Do you know where I might find some more soft proof files to download? I would like to go through as many as possible to see if I can find one that is closer still.
Click to expand...

Are you after ICC profiles? Each printer/paper manufacturer will have their own on their website.
Personally I don't softproof as that only gives me an idea of how the print will look (even worse if the monitor is out of whack)
a test print will look ....well.... it will look as it will look.

Joan
 
I was hoping that I might find a ICC profile that will get the soft proof as close as possible. This will take a bit of trawling I know. Its a real pain having to do it all arse about face.

How do you match your monitor to the print if you dont soft proof? Have you managed to calibrate your monitor to be very close to the print?
 
Maybe I'm lucky as I've never had a problem with prints, I only print on Fuji crystal archive via the Fuji Frontier and Photo Rag, Pearl, Gloss, Matt and Canvas via the Epson 7800 (for which I do have profiles) and what I see is what I get.

When you say that you have found a profile that you are happy with -what paper is it for?

Could you post how you do your soft proofing?

Joan
 
I am with Joan here, using the Fuji Frontier 350 for smaller stuff and a Epson 7800 and 9900 i get as i see on screen (calibrated with a Gretag McBeth kit), we use the profiles from Fuji as we print on fuji paper and very rarely have something out of kilter ( although the Frontier likes to print dark!! ;/ )

i thought there was a global setting in Control Panel that lets you set the printer to not use any colour matching/profiling, instead handing all control over to photoshop (will have to check that though)

hope you end up with what you need, and if you find out post your soloutioin.

Oliver
 
My printer is an oddity as it seems that you cannot turn its driver based colour control off. Although there is mention on the web that you can (when you let PS control the colour) I'm dubious about this but TBH I've yet to fully try this out. However I have had some very odd colours printed when I have set PS to control the colour output in the past.

Joan, Hopefully this explains how I soft proof but if its not clear just let me know and I will try to clarify a bit more.

The printer has 2 options for colour control sRGB and AdobeRGB, I use AdobeRGB as this is the colour space that is native to my camera and the one I use when editing with software.

By trial and error from printing an image and flicking through all the various ICC profiles and settings in the soft proofing options I have found one that is quite similar to what I get on Gloss Paper. I'm out of matt paper at the mo so haven't found a profile for that yet.I do check the out of gamut warning but have found that usually only very bright saturated colours are actually printed off.

While the printer I has has great image quality I think it is really intended for people who want good looking prints without having to bother about monitor calibration or colour matching. I think the only way I will solve this fully is to use a printer that allows the use of profiles.
 
Soft Proofing as I understand it:
After calibrating your monitor with the unit of your choice.

1: Open an image, if this image looks OK then duplicate it and tile both images side by side with the original on the left.
2: Go to View - proof set up - custom, look for your printer/paper type.
3: Turn off preserve RGB numbers and turn on black point compensation (your choice here, try it with and without)
4: Rendering intent - relative/perceptual (again it's your choice here, as it is with simulate paper colour)
5: Click OK and your right side image will be your simulated image
6: adjust your simulated image with adjustment layers to make it as close to your left hand image (which we take to be the target image)

Print it, is it OK, is it as good as your left hand image, if yes....... then super duper.

Let us know how you get on.

Joan
 
Hi Joan, Thanks for sticking with me on this one. I'm completely confused I have to admit. Sometimes I get whats on the screen without soft proofing, sometimes its closer with soft proofing and other times neither! I think I need to start again from the beginning and also re verify if selecting the option to let PS handle colour control turns off the printers control or not.

I test print and image would be very helpful, thank you for offering it's very kind. Shall I PM you my address?
 
Thanks Joan, Do you have a image that would make a good test print already. I'd more more than happy to send one of mine but I'm wondering if a proper test image would be better. I vaguely remember using an image of a woman with a load of fruit on her head when I was at college. I don't think it was an image of Carmen Miranda it was called a Ole Marie or something like that. To long ago to remember exactly.
 
Joan West said:
Email us a file sized to 8x6 inches together with your address.

info@photoimagingwales.com

Joan
Click to expand...

would also suggest if you have it send the colour profile of your lab to Paul, If you use Fuji (i think Noritsu do this also) they can send you a colour target file, you print it and send it to them, then they send you the colour profile of your printer.

Once you have installed the profile (windows: double click / right click -> install, Mac: i dont know but would assume the same ish), just assign profile in PS to your photo, edit until it looks how you want and see what you get (generally very close to screen).

Fuji charge us about £100 ish to do this (sometimes they have offers) and we generally get it done once every 2 years or so.

of course the monitor must be colour profiled where you are.
 
Hi Joan,

Thanks for reminding me, I kind of forgot. Having problems with internet at the moment and the printer got put on a back burner. I've decided that my printer prints fabulous high quality images, a little bit expensive ink-wise, reliable and completely rubbish in regards to calibration! I've tried everything and still can't get it calibrated. I'll be in touch soon in regards to the test print once I've chosen an image.

Thanks.
 
Hi Joan,

Thanks for reminding me, I kind of forgot. Having problems with internet at the moment and the printer got put on a back burner. I've decided that my printer prints fabulous high quality images, a little bit expensive ink-wise, reliable and completely rubbish in regards to calibration! I've tried everything and still can't get it calibrated. I'll be in touch soon in regards to the test print once I've chosen an image.

Thanks.
 
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