jaustinbailey2003
newbie
Reged: 10/03/2008
Posts: 19
Loc: Herefordshire, UK
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I am currently using an Epson R2400 to print from my PC. My software is CS2. Each time I print, I have to raise the contrast in photoshop of the image by about 30 to 35 points. I have a monitor calibrator, and this is done at regular intervals. With the contrast adjusted, the images are fine. I am wondering if this is normal, or is there something I am missing? It would be nice if I could print exactly what I was looking at without playing with it first. Please help!!!! 
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Fen
BAD WOLF
Reged: 12/03/2002
Posts: 19499
Loc: Currently Unknown!
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The first thing I'd check is...
Have you profiled your monitor? If not, what you are seeing might not actually be what the pictures are like.
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Fen.
- Fen's Flickr Fotos -
"One good photograph does not a photographer make."
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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Quote:
The first thing I'd check is...
Have you profiled your monitor? If not, what you are seeing might not actually be what the pictures are like.
The OP did say "I have a monitor calibrator, and this is done at regular intervals."
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Lounge Lizard
(aka David Steel and owner of The Gallery)
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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You don't mention how you are printing. A lot depends on the driver settings, paper used (assume Epson inks) and correct ICC profile. Give us some more info.
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Lounge Lizard
(aka David Steel and owner of The Gallery)
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Fen
BAD WOLF
Reged: 12/03/2002
Posts: 19499
Loc: Currently Unknown!
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Quote:
Quote:
The first thing I'd check is...
Have you profiled your monitor? If not, what you are seeing might not actually be what the pictures are like.
The OP did say "I have a monitor calibrator, and this is done at regular intervals."
Doh!
Sorry 
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Fen.
- Fen's Flickr Fotos -
"One good photograph does not a photographer make."
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jaustinbailey2003
newbie
Reged: 10/03/2008
Posts: 19
Loc: Herefordshire, UK
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I only use Epson Inks (for which I've taken out a second mortgage!!), and I tend to use Jessops Paper. That said, I always check the ICC profiles, and also that the paper matches the ink type, matt or gloss etc.
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Norman
Reged: 23/09/2004
Posts: 1535
Loc: West London, UK
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Where did you get profiles for Jessops paper and Epson ink? The thing about profiles is that they are device specific. i.e. they are are for a particular printer/paper/ink combination. Paper and Ink suppliers will sometime provide profiles for the most commom combinations but it's unlikely your particular combo will be catered for. You could always try creating your own with something like Profile Prism. You will need a good quality scanner though. There are other solutions but they are much more expensive.
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Regards,
Norman
www.photobox.org.uk
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the start of a new argument.
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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So, are you saying that you have and use ICC profiles for the specific Jessops paper that you use in your 2400?
Have you ever had the right result from this printer and paper combo? In other words, has something suddenly gone wrong or have you never had this working properly?
If you are using ICC profiles - have you got them set up right? In other words, either printer or Photoshop is using the profile but not both (called double-profiling).
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Lounge Lizard
(aka David Steel and owner of The Gallery)
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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jaustinbailey2003
newbie
Reged: 10/03/2008
Posts: 19
Loc: Herefordshire, UK
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Many thanks for all the help, and my apologies if it sounds as though I know what I'm talking about. This is certainly not the case!! I think though I may have found the answer. With each Jessops pack of paper, there is a sheet listing the correct driver settings for specific types of paper. These are also printer specific. AS far as Epson goes, this list only goes up to R1200. There is no setting for my printer, as you mentioned. It would appear that these settings are generic. I wil try to find the profiule settings for each device, PC and printer and make sure they are the same. Would having the Gamma value (which always defaults to 2.2 via my Huey Pro) on the calibrator set differntly from the one in the print properties box in CS2 make any difference? Alternatively, would it be worth me matching them, but lowering both values? Does it sound as though I clutching at straws!!?
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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Gamma is just one part of the calibration process and I would leave it alone - it addresses the non-linearity of the screen in terms of brightness and isn't an overall density control.
Personally, I only buy papers where I know I can get hold of an ICC profile for the paper. Have you tried searching the Web to see if anybody has made a profile for this paper on the 2400 and is available as a download?
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Lounge Lizard
(aka David Steel and owner of The Gallery)
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Monobod
'Phantom' of the forum!
Reged: 03/04/2003
Posts: 5672
Loc: Just West of Norwich, Norfolk
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I would suggest you buy one pack of Epson premium glossy paper and set up your printer for that and see what results you get.
You can easily experiment with first one then the other setting allowing either Photoshop to control the printing, or allow the printer to do so.
I suspect it may well be the Jessops paper that is the root of the problem. I once tried Kodak paper in my 2400 and the result was appalling.
See if you get better results, I'm pretty sure you will. If not, we can then give you more advice on specific settings.
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David.
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Photos hosted by Flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/monobod/
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I see the world thro' a viewfinder, but the world watches me via CCTV!
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crosskid
newbie
Reged: 01/03/2008
Posts: 10
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I have found that the gamma setting is significant in printing on Epson printers and the default (on the five I have had) seems to be 1.8G. Like you I produce dark prints on 2.2G which look about 1 stop overprinted. If I leave the gamma to 1.8 there is no problem.
I guess that since the Epson default is 1.8G this is what the print profiler uses so I no longer mess about with the gamma setting
I calibrate my screen with a Spyder and my printer with Monaco EZcolor
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Old Git still trying to cut it
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