Posted by Lindy Martin on September 30, 2012 at 5:20 PM
I am printing on an Epson stylus photo r1800, with Epson ultra premium lustre paper and my browns are coming out with a blue tinge. IMac 27 inch, calibrated with Spyder pro 3. I have CS 5 and Lightroom 4. Here are a few questions.
Do I print with 16 bit out put in both software?
When printing the same image out of PSCS5 the colours are more saturated than in lightroom? Is that normal?
Am I expecting too much out of the 1800 to get it right - soft proofing in PS shows the image as slightly darker on the printer, but I compensated it to look exactly the same as the image.
Does the colour on photo lustre paper become more accurate after a few hours or days?
I have an R2400 and print on the same paper, so here are a couple of suggestions...
First, with the image open, run your cursor over the browns and look at the color numbers. If the B (blue) channel number is much higher, relative to the R and G channels, there is probably a blue cast. Take a look also at your blacks to see if the blue channel is high. If so, you can use either a curves or levels adjustment layer to bring down the blues. Be careful. If you go too far, the image will look too yellow.
I always convert the image mode to 8-bit before printing from CS5. I don't use Light Room, so I can't help you there. Personally, I would use either CS5 or LR to print from. It's much easier to track down issues if you're using only a single application.
I haven't noticed any change in color on dry-down.
Another thought: Assuming you are using Epson profiles, are you using the latest ones?
--P
Posted by Michael Elenko on September 30, 2012 at 8:09 PM
What file formats are you talking about here?
Did you upgrade the version of Adobe Camera Raw for CS5 to match the version that Lightroom 4 is using? I believe 6.7 is the latest ACR version that will work with CS5. 7.1 works with CS6.
The R1800 is great for color glossy prints, but anything else and rendering can be inconsistent. Furthermore, if a print has an emphasis on monotones, then you will typically get blue casting with that printer. There is not a grey cart. Don't know where your browns fit in this spectrum.
Over the years there have been numerous complaints of prints that are too dark with the R1800--even with good calibration and profiles. I ended up selling mine.
"The R1800 is great for color glossy prints, but anything else and rendering can be inconsistent. Furthermore, if a print has an emphasis on monotones, then you will typically get blue casting with that printer. There is not a grey cart. Don't know where your browns fit in this spectrum.
This is an Interesting observation that makes a lot of sense. I don't have these issues with my R2400 because it has a very different inkset, and all files I send to my printer are 8-bit PSD files.
Given what Michael says, you might look into a newer printer that will work well with papers like Premium luster and the matte papers. The reviews on the Epson 2880 and 3000 indicate they are nice machines.
Lindy, I think the comments by Michael and Preston are right on. I had a R1800 prior to my R2400 I have now. The R1800 was a very nice printer at the time, but the later generation units make much nicer prints, especially with the luster papers. Even the R2400 would be considered any earlier generation unit by today's standards. Like most things the technology just keeps advancing and printers are no different.
Posted by Greg Lessard on October 1, 2012 at 7:59 PM
I can second the dark colors despite calibration and profiling the r1800 and the r1900. That has been a big source of frustration over the years.
Discussion
5 repliesDo I print with 16 bit out put in both software?
When printing the same image out of PSCS5 the colours are more saturated than in lightroom? Is that normal?
Am I expecting too much out of the 1800 to get it right - soft proofing in PS shows the image as slightly darker on the printer, but I compensated it to look exactly the same as the image.
Does the colour on photo lustre paper become more accurate after a few hours or days?
Thanks in advance for all the help
I have an R2400 and print on the same paper, so here are a couple of suggestions...
First, with the image open, run your cursor over the browns and look at the color numbers. If the B (blue) channel number is much higher, relative to the R and G channels, there is probably a blue cast. Take a look also at your blacks to see if the blue channel is high. If so, you can use either a curves or levels adjustment layer to bring down the blues. Be careful. If you go too far, the image will look too yellow.
I always convert the image mode to 8-bit before printing from CS5. I don't use Light Room, so I can't help you there. Personally, I would use either CS5 or LR to print from. It's much easier to track down issues if you're using only a single application.
I haven't noticed any change in color on dry-down.
Another thought: Assuming you are using Epson profiles, are you using the latest ones?
--P
Did you upgrade the version of Adobe Camera Raw for CS5 to match the version that Lightroom 4 is using? I believe 6.7 is the latest ACR version that will work with CS5. 7.1 works with CS6.
The R1800 is great for color glossy prints, but anything else and rendering can be inconsistent. Furthermore, if a print has an emphasis on monotones, then you will typically get blue casting with that printer. There is not a grey cart. Don't know where your browns fit in this spectrum.
Over the years there have been numerous complaints of prints that are too dark with the R1800--even with good calibration and profiles. I ended up selling mine.
ME
This is an Interesting observation that makes a lot of sense. I don't have these issues with my R2400 because it has a very different inkset, and all files I send to my printer are 8-bit PSD files.
Given what Michael says, you might look into a newer printer that will work well with papers like Premium luster and the matte papers. The reviews on the Epson 2880 and 3000 indicate they are nice machines.
--P