Thank you very much for all this great info! I found it so incredibly useful-the best one I've found in 48 hours of trying to work out how to get better prints of my digital images (and, yes, one of the problems was my screen was too bright). Truly appreciate your wisdom and experience.
Keith I know this is a couple years old but I just ran across it. Until recently, I was in the commercial printing industry since 1978. I guess one could say I know a little bit about color. I will also say I was still learning at the end. And that’s why I can appreciate what you tried saying in a 22 minute video. Todays presses are able to reproduce color and detail virtually perfect at extremely high speeds. But the ability to do it goes back to, yes the press technology, but all the work done upstream in prepress operations; using excellent proofing paper, reliable proofing inks in the printers that make the proofs. And the key is they are inkjet, not laser. Inkjet is the standard for proofing. And inkjet in my opinion will give people the best quality at home. I’ve seen nice work done on lasers today but my experience is they can be inconsistent. And what one sees on a screen can’t expected to be reproduced on paper. And like you said, the color/temperature of the lighting around you can have definite affects on color when viewed under different lighting. Even colors of the walls in the room can affect color. It’s a deep fascinating science. And we’re those B/W photos you showed or 4 color grey photos? Lighting can have extreme affects on 4 color grey photos. Great listening!
Thanks very much, Keith! It helps to hear you confirm some things I’ve learned (and suspected) through trial and error, and relieved know that I’m not as crazy and incompetent as I feared.
honestly you are a savior I just test printed part of my design exam and had the biggest panic ever since everything and all my drawings were super dark, luckily I have time to fix it, thank you so much!
Hi Keith, Thank you for all the interesting information! Regarding monitor brightness, what would be the most suitable range you recommend for editing photos? I typically edit in a dark room environment. I've realised that I've been setting my monitor brightness to 100, which, based on your tutorial, seems to be quite inaccurate. Thanks again, I'll be happy to buy you a coffee
Ah - I meant 100 cd/m2 - as in the standard units of brightness you get when calibrating If you mean 100 as in 100%, then that is almost certainly too bright Looking at my calibrated monitors, the 'percentage' depends on the monitor but all are below 35% of maximum
Excellent advice and a valuable video, Keith!! I learned those lessons the hard way, the costly way. Another point I'd add is the (possible) hardware quirk. Example: my dealer mentioned that I should leave my Canon Pro-1000 turned on to limit the amount of nozzle cleaning cycles and wasted ink. But after about three weeks kept on, the prints all had a magenta tint. Only remedy I found was to turn the printer off and then on again. I was able to reproduce the effect so it seems an oddity of that printer.
I've noticed a number of oddities for which I've found workarounds over time. Still don't know if they are hardware or software related. But since they work, I just need to remember to employ them and all is (usually) fine.@@KeithCooper
It is not the first video I looked at since I got my Canon Pro-300 and I wanted to say thank you! Keep up the good work. Btw., in 1998/99 I studied a year abroad in Leicester and although I never had the chance to visit again this city has a place in my heart and it is nice to "meet" someone from there.
Thanks - Glad the city visit was a positive experience! If you''ve not seen it have a look at www.northlight-images.co.uk/commercial-photography/high-resolution-images-and-panoramic-photography/
Hi Keith, Always very happy with your videos. You are my 'go to guy' whenever I forget something again about printing, or my prints don't look the way I expected. In addition to the bit about the prints being too dark, I have had instances where I thought the print was too dark but I was just looking at them in the wrong lighting conditions (in a dimly lit room for example). I sometimes forget I need to use my Grafilite (or other daylight/devices) to make the best examination of a picture.
Brilliant photography video I have had problems with lightroom and printing for some reason it just won't print the colours properly and I get some weird results and have to use the canon software or Photoshop. What you said about accepting that a print will also look slightly different and having a in the field work flow is brilliant and is the best advice I've heard on any photography channel and makes so much sense 💯 thanks again for your knowledge👍
Thank you so much. I was going crazy wondering why my colors were so off when I had my pictures printed and why they were so dark. I even had a big project I was working on, printed at two different places. My photos from Walgreens had a green hue and my photos from Walmart, although lighter, had a red hue. Not even close to the picture on my MacBook. At least now, you have given me some options to try out to make them look better. Thanks again!
Thank you very much for the video.I have an epson R3000 and every time i print i got very dark images.I have calibrated the screen with 1dispaly and even i put the brightness and the contrast to zero,for testing, the picture in monitor is always much brighter than the photo.
I'd suggest trying with a known good test image - this is the best check of whether something is not quite optimal in your print workflow (software/settings/driver) Do you mean brightness/contrast in the printer settings or the monitor? The print settings should ideally never be touched.
@@KeithCooper So pleased you don't shout :-). To judge correct brightness on screen I will hit auto brightness before editing in C1 then reset and edit, just as a reference.
Keith, As always, your expertise here is invaluable. A question: You suggest we consider the light our pictures will be displayed in when determining how they should be printed. But somebody presenting a picture professionally wouldn't have this option; they would have to come up with only one final picture that was versatile enough to be shown in most lighting situations. I am somewhat familiar with the viewing screens that professional photographers use when fine-tuning their final product. Is there any chance you could do a video that would explain how these work?
Ah, I do have one of these in my office - the problem is that I use it very rarely for B&W these days. Properly calibrating my monitor to a lower brightness (100cd/m2) and working in a relatively dim room means that most images will print well for normal viewing - this is one reason I make a lot of use of test images in my testing of paper and in my printer reviews. It's all about having a feel for what a print will look like. Deciding to raise the shadows is a location dependent option - my house being one ;-) However, for large print commissions I almost always know the viewing environment (even if it's just the gallery) and print at normal brightness levels. A properly colour managed workflow and printing experience mean that I'd simply not recommend getting a viewing cabinet unless you know exactly why you need it in the first place ;-) There's a chance mine could yet end up on ebay when I next clear out the office - that or it will end up as a prop if I start filming the videos in the office ;-)
Thank you very much for yet another excellent and very informative video. Your videos are long but never boring. I always watch from the start to the end, and I have seen many by now, mainly all regarding the Canon Pro 200 and the EPSON ET-8550. Cool that at the end you mention my brand new printer, the EPSON ET-8550 (also sold as L8180 on some market). I received the printer about two weeks ago, and I am printing large like crazy, whenever I have time. Getting a largish format printer was the best decision I made regarding my photography in a long time. I had my own dark room for about 30 years, until 2006 when I started using DSLRs, but I always missed the possibility to print large. Photo labs are not really the same as printing your own. Yes, I know, there are better printers than this EPSON ET-8550, but I actually chose this one over the Canon Pro 200 because this has ink tanks, not small and expensive cartridges, and also because it has features the Canon does not have. Maybe the Canon is slightly better as pure photo printer, but I feel I have better use for this ET-8550 than I would for the Pro 200. I am also not that much concerned about the use of ink, it seems to last a very long time, though I am printing like crazy now in 13" x 19" size, so my grey tank is clearly decreasing noticeably and is down by 1/4 of the full, but 1/4 of 70ml is 17.5ml, which means I would be using the second cartridge if I had the Pro 200, perhaps the third or fourth with another printer. So I am very happy. The printer prints excellent B&W as well as colour, at least on the EPSON original paper I am using now. Will try ILFORD also, but that seems to be hit and miss, because there are no ICC profiles for this printer and ILFORD has no intentions of creating one according to the mail answer I received from them regarding this question. Anyway, thank you for all your excellent movies and of course, your blog, which I also visit and read.
Thanks There is a list of profiles I've made in the written 8550 review - these are available for experimentation if needed. A few companies are now starting to offer 8550 profiles now Third party papers are excellent - I prefer some of the less well known companies here in the UK since their papers are often the same (exactly) as 'brand names'. There are far more companies selling paper than there are papermills and specialist coaters ;-)
Keith, another fine video. Today I'm shaking down my new Canon Pro-300, so far so good. I'm thinking of fine tuning the print profiles with my Xrite i1 Studio. Would you agree it's worth the time spent? Thanks much !
Thanks - The normal two stage process is usually adequate. Sometimes the i1Studio does have difficulties - it's a UV-Cut spectro, so OBAs can cause issues. In general the more the paper differs from the default Canon media setting, the more work the profile is doing.
@@KeithCooper Thanks, I know what a SOB is, but not an OBA. Please explain. Thus far I've printed only on Canon 'Photo Paper Pro Luster' with the Canon print software and have chosen this paper in the 'paper type' dialog box. As you explained in this video, prints are a tad darker than my Mac screen, I understand why, am trying to get the best print possible. Thanks.
Glad you like them! If you've not seen them, I've many more (~10x) written articles than videos on the Northlight Images site See here for some: www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
Great, great video !! Thank you ! I knew already something about all this but, as I am always learning, I found it a fantastic resumé with great tips that matter ! Thank's again !
Hello ! I have this problem that when I print my pictures they come out way to dark. Let me explain. First of all I don't edit any pictures (I just download them from pinterest or google for example), and I don't have my computer on a high brightness. Just for you to know I'm not a professional photographer or something like that, so therefore I don't own a printer for that type of work (it's an Epson L380). Okay, whenever I print a picture that is naturally bright, it comes out dim looking and don't even dare to print a dark looking picture because it'll just look like a black picture. For example: the picture that you have laying in your desk that is in black and white, If I were to print that picture half of the picture would just look black, no details, no nothing. I don't know if the problem that you are explaining here is the same thing that I'm complaining about, but I would Love to read any feedback from anyone who knows how to solve it.
By the way, the reason I'm asking even if you are giving a very good way on how to solve it, is because I think that my computer (Macbook Air) and my printer (epson L380) might not have the same things as Keith's system since he looks like a professional at this whole thing and I just print pictures for fun. Also, I usually print my pictures from a google docs document, I don't know if that makes any changes but if it does then tell me how I could fix it. I have tried so many things to fix my problem, from cleaning my printer to changing many things in how I print my images but I just seem to not be getting any changes,, so please help !
How are you printing - what software prints the pics? Try printing with 'Preview' or loading the pictures into the Apple Photo app Other than that I don't know that printer at all, sot here's not much I can add...
@@KeithCooper I hope it’s fine that I did not understand the software question and I think I’m certain that I don’t use a special software, I’ll have to look into that but I’ll try the preview thing that you’re telling me to do. Thanks !
I see that I'm not the only person who doesn't like/use Lightroom. I don't care for it because it seems cumbersome to import files & a special place to store them. A lot of work, so, I use Photoshop. And yes, calibrate those monitors & turn those lights down when editing/printing. Paul, from Colorado. :)
Hi Keith Great video as always. This is a problem I am having and your suggestions are very helpful. Quick question, where can I download the test image you suggested Thanks Guy
Hi Keith, great video! I just did my first photoshoot, used a color checker pass port, converted to CMYK, printed it out on my Epson-2850, and it has a blueish tinge. I don't know why. is this anything you've ever encountered?
@@KeithCooper As I understood it, you would convert the picture to CMYK, as it is the color range, the printer uses. I tried printing i without altering and it did the same thing. I've looked for solutions online, but nothing worked. Was wondering, if you knew what was up?
Ah, you absolutely never ever go near CMYK in normal printing of photos. It is pretty much guaranteed to mess things up. It has some specialised uses, but if you don't know them, just assume you never use it ;-) Inkjet printers, used with the normal driver, are RGB devices, no matter what inks they have. I don't know what a 2850 printer is, but there are vastly more factors here, which won't fit in a YT reply box! Email me if you like, but be sure to include all computer O/S, and editing software you use. The CC passport is potentially useful, but not until you have a proper colour managed workflow. The one bit I can be sure of is that using CMYK at any point in the process is wrong
Great info - are there ICC profiles for the EPSON ET-7750, I've searched but can't find any and Canson and Ilform papers don't seem to have a suitable profile. any ideas? Many thanks, great content.
Thanks - I've never tested the 7750 I'm afraid, so I don't have any. The 'brand' paper companies don't tend to support printers of this sort - they only support the higher end printers. Some paper suppliers here in the UK will create custom profiles if you buy paper, but I don't know elsewhere.
They are all on the Northlight site - see the linked articles. All detail is usually in the written articles - the YT videos are generally produced to supplement my written works ;-) www.northlight-images.co.uk/printer-test-images/
Once again thank you. A bit of feedback regarding the included Epson 8500/8550 photo layout software...it only allows for Epson profiles. My installed Red River Paper ones aren't recognized, although they show up in my Photoshop CS5.
In my real, dimly lit office (i.e. not the kitchen where I shoot the videos) I've long run my monitors at 100 for day to day work. I make use of special calibration settings on the BenQ one shown, so that it is hardware calibrated to 4000K and 130cd/m2 - just so it looks good in the videos. 4000K is really odd to work with for the first few minutes and then it looks normal and my nearby laptop looks horribly blue at 6500K
Hi Keith, My Benq is set to 90cd luminosity and I work in a relative dark room. For clear pictures (taken in daylight etc…), the prints come out with the expected luminosity. But if the pictures are dark, (taken at night etc), they do get printed darker than what I see on the screen. I suppose I have to compensate the brightness? Thanks
Yes, once you start printing very dark (or very bright) images, then an additional adjustment can be required (as with bright or dim viewing lighting). This is where I do small test prints to get a feel for how the print will look. Properly setting up a monitor will get you so far, but at a point it's your judgement and experience that counts - this is also where uncritical use of 'soft proofing' can sometimes lend a false sense of precision to the process.
Thanks - there is lots more in my written articles (and video links) as well at www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
Kieth, all of my prints are printing fine except one of the files. It's the only file I've ever printed where it's not matching the cmyk of my screen at all, only this 1 file. My computer has been crashing a lot lately, do you think the file is corrupt even though it looks great on my monitor? I'm baffled and my Dad is baffled too about the issue I'm having with this one file. I wouldn't care so much but it's for a job.
You mention CMYK - is there any specific reason for this? Depends on the printer, the software and a lot of things. However, whenever anyone asks me about print problems and mentions 'CMYK' it rings big alarm bells... ;-) [see my video - "why say no to CMYK " ruclips.net/video/wX3ZcAiLg-4/видео.html ]
Hi Keith, thanks for the video. I have started printing on an Epson 7900 printer and I am not pleased with the result. I don't think I get the details in the picture right, maybe a sharpening problem somewhere. They look dull compared to when I order a professional (pigment ink) print. I'll check the things you meantion but one question: is the Epson 7900 good enough? Can it produce top notch results? Best regards /Jakob
Sorry, but the 7900 is in the category of if you can't make a good print, it's not the printer's fault ;-) I know many professional printmakers still including a 7900 in their workflows. It's all about profiling, media choice and editing, not the printer (assuming it's working OK) Test with a known good test image, on a good paper, with the right profile (with the correct black ink type for the paper)
@@KeithCooper Huge thanks for your answer. I just wanted to kknow that I am not trying to achieve the impossible... I understand more and more that it's a craft. I'll keep working... Thanks again, have a nice evening.
Hello again, Keith, I bought an Epson SC-P700 and my experience is that it is so much better than the 7900. It generally gives better, more distinct, results (A3 and smaller). Actually it mostly gives amazing results and to I lower level of editing effort. Mostly, if it looks good on the screen (a laptop) then it looks good and very vey close on the print - without softproofing (at least for Canson baryta Photographique II and Epson Traditional Photo paper). It was worth every penny...@@KeithCooper
Yes, as well as the desktop. The current trend for 'dark' interfaces is great for making your pictures look good on screen, but not for print editing (unless you use black mattes)
My band recently got CDs made. The image for the cd jacket and for the actual print on the actual cd are the same image. When we got the test CDs back, the printing on the jacket looked great & the printing on the cd looked super saturated. It seems to me like they are using different printers for these two jobs. Do I just turn the saturation down on the cd artwork & order another test copy? Is that all I can do?
It's likely they have no colour management in their CD printing process, so turning everything down is maybe the best way... They will be different printers
If I were setting up a studio from scratch and had money to spare I might. Oh, and if I did colour critical work like pre-press stuff... However my room is my office. it has bookshelves, a wooden desk, pictures on the wall and other distractions from the purity of the grey work space. Dark grey walls look dismal too - I prefer editing in a good mood ;-)
Hi Keith. I have recently purchased the pro-200 and the skin tones on portraits are printing out far too yellow/green. I have calibrated my screen with a spyderpro 5. The print on my screen looks more of a pleasant magenta color but not when I print it. I can't seem to figure out what could be wrong. I've tried researching on the Canon forum but no luck. Do you have any suggestions?
@@KeithCooper I actually went into Canon PPL and what I did was adjusted the yellow and magenta settings under color settings. It made a HUGE difference. I lowered yellow to -12 and boosted magenta to +5. Now the skin tones look MUCH better.
Hi. I have an MP280 (CISS converted) printer and runs on Windows 11. The ink tanks are elevated and is on the printer's top (a few centimeter above the printheads), the CMY and black level are good, tubes are full of ink. I've done 9 deep cleaning (via Canon software) but when I print the print head alignment page, the magenta is light violet, the yellow is light green. The cyan and black are fine. I wonder what the fix is? Is this software or a hardware problem? The MP280's driver's been reinstalled (the latest was a 2021 driver). God bless, Rev. 21:4
Ah, I'm afraid I don't really cover this style of printer use at all - Continuous ink systems have a habit of working until they don't. It's a basic 4 colour printer that was never designed for such use - sure, it works, but it's not a choice I'd make for the sorts of prints I'd want.
@@KeithCooper Thanks sir Keith, so true, I wish someday they would design it to be direct refill, the cartridges park themselves open it's holes (motorized) then a motorized telescopic nozzle funnel goes into the cartridge holes in that "refilling station" where it parked and you can directly refill it, the motorized telescopic nozzles retract and the motorized hole pluggers plug the cartridge holes. No need for it to travel to tubes, saving the planet of plastic waste (I'll contact the manufacturers). :-) I found the problem the blue leaked into the yellow (making it greenish) and magenta (making it violet). I put the CISS tanks too high above the top of the cartridges where the tubes go into cartridges creating too much "water pressure" like a high water tank on top of when the printhead sucks ink when it does the cleaning. I'll clean out the sponges w/ warm distilled water in a cup in a hypersonic cleaner (will need to be cracked open then superglued). I'll calculate the height of the top of the cartridges and make sure I make a long hole on the side of the printer so the tubes can be shorter and put pillars of sorts inside, if I can, so the tubes are gradually slightly at a higher angle and the ink tanks are slightly higher (just a bit). God bless, Rev. 21:4
Hi Keith - Just received an ET8550 printer and set that up over the weekend. Also created a custom profile for the paper I'm using using a ColorMunki Design. The printed colors are accurate but the prints are definitely a bit darker than what I see on my monitor. That said, I ignored the brightness recommendation when calibrating my monitor with a Spyder Elite and set that higher. I'm guessing that's part of the problem! I did experiment by increasing the exposure of the image to 1.0 (using Capture One) and that yielded very good results. So... this might end up being a compromise between editing files for online (monitor) use vs offline (printed) use. I don't suppose there's any way to modify the custom profile to compensate for this, is there? guessing not... Anyway, like your videos... Good stuff! 👍
Thanks - In general, modifying profiles is 'a bad thing'. A dimmer monitor is something you get used to - of course it depends on how bright the room is... It's OK to have two monitor settings, one for print and one for other stuff.
Yes any phone related stuff is often problematic - are you using the free Epson EPL software to print? What is a 'Canon Mark III' - I can think of a stack of different cameras that might refer to ;-) I'd also note that direct printing from cameras is rarely optimal, no matter how good the camera or printer...
@@KeithCooper sorry, my bad :) I meant Canon 5D Mark III. Yes, I‘m using Epson‘s free software. Did bit of research and printed photos will always be a little smaller than the actual original photo. Do you have any suggestions for winning back those few millimeters? Thank you in advance :)
Do you mean printing borderless? The 'actual photo' as coming from the camera has no 'size' as such - that is defined when printing. See my 8550 review for more www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
15:41 - what if there is a noticeable difference between the screen and the print even after calibrating your monitor and editing your photos with the brightness set to about medium and your print comes out brighter than what's on screen. I am noticing that my highlights go up if not +1 then +2 stops in turn killing detail in the brighter areas. I make sure to use correct ICC profiles with the paper I'm printing. What could the issue be? Is it the paper ?
Great video lots info I never even thought of. I've been having problems printing a photo for a relative from my phone . She says it is the best photo of her daughter she has ever seen but there is a lot of red colour around her eyes. I will try some of your suggestions and see what happens. Will also use my canon next time.
Thanks - generally if a phone photo is worth printing, I'll import it into Photoshop before printing. Phones and printing are rarely a high quality combination - better, but a way to go as yet ;-)
@@KeithCooper I will try that - thank you! I am having so much trouble finding 130 lb coated paper - this is what I currently use to print some things for my business.
Yes, you can - it depends on why and how much money (and time) you want to spend on it ;-) The i1Studio is one solution for this - I've written articles/reviews about it and will do a video once I next have a new printer to test. That said you need good reasons for doing it, and lots of print experience (how else will you know if your newly created profiles are any good?)
Maybe someone asked but I usually use Photoshop to print my photos... and I printed the test photo and it came out fantastic but if I print one of my edited photos it comes out really different.... sometimes green cast, red cast, orange cast or the shadows look blueish Canon mp560. I've tried to re edit the photo to change the coloring and I've tried to print from different programs too like paint or word and it's the same...i have a BenQ monitor... it's not been calibrated yet but the test photo came out so good I figured it was pretty close but I'm not sure... using canon glossy paper and epson glossy paper
So many things that could go awry... Using 'Paint' or 'Word' is not a route for reliable printing ;-) If the test image is fine, then it's something wrong about the image which came out wrong. Somehow it's been edited or processed incorrectly... Unfortunately printers like the mp560 are not supported with profiles so it's never going to be entirely predictable
Sure, have a look at the Northlight site (links with video notes) - the printing pages contain all the info. The main index page is: www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/ There perhaps 10x as many articles on the site as videos ;-) I only started videos in mid 2020 - the articles go back to 2003 and always contain more detail (the videos are there generally to support the written materials). Hope you find things of use!
Not really I'm afraid - I don't follow prices around the world (US?) ...other than to say for B&W my choice is usually pigment ink based and they don't tend to come in that cheap. I'm currently testing a cheapish Canon G550 and it's giving surprisingly good B&W results, BUT it's dye ink (longevity and metamerism issues) and absolutely requires custom profiling. B&W at a consistent good quality level is much more difficult to achieve than colour.
I’m feeling so defeated. I’ve tried every recommendation on here, except the monitor calibration. I would very much like to print my art prints from my iPad. I have a PC but the monitor is very low quality. I’d rather not have to transfer my art to the PC first. I very much want the art to print as it looks on my iPad. Will the calibration device change my iPad monitor color or will it just tell my printer to print as it looks on my iPad?
Sorry, but iPad colour management is pretty much broken from a printing POV If I need to print a picture from my iPhone or iPad, it goes to a computer first. I've tried it with many printers I've reviewed and it never reaches a standard I'd accept. Now there may be workarounds people have managed - but nothing I've seen.
Hello Keith, very helpful information and videos. I have an Epson R1900 which has been a great printer over the years. But recently I (and a number of others I am finding) am having an issue where a deep red on the photo and the screen comes out deep orange like the enamel baking dish in your video. Any ideas on how to address this before I take the Epson out and smash it on my driveway?. I us a Spyder X calibration device and calibrate every 1-2 months on my IMac 27. I'm using Epson or Ilford papers.
This sounds more like a printer profiling issue - the monitor calibration is irrelevant to this. Print a known good test image with the correct profile for the paper to be quite sure the issue is in your print workflow. My suspicion is that an update/upgrade somewhere has changed something in the print workflow from a colour management POV I'd also suggest asking on the printer forum at DPReview.com since there may be others who have found issues (I normally post quite often on this forum and follow threads for potential issues)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your reply. Update: It turns out that my Epson R1900 had a hopelessly clogged print head, particularly on the red channel which contributed to most of my problems. I sent a file to a 3rd party printing house and it came back with red instead of the orange I was getting. I purchased a Pixma printer and the colors are vastly improved for far less than I would have had to invest in time and money to fix the R1900.
So i just jumped in to the world of OS by buying my first MacBook M1. I just received a print (from Mpix) and it is grossly warmer than what the image is that I edited on the MacBook. To ensure it wasn't a Mpix issue I had it printed at our local Walmart which resulted in very similar white balance. How do I properly edit on the MacBook when the resulting print is so off? I don't believe its a calibration issue, in fact, you can't really calibrate the new MacBook. I'm left scratching my head and frustrated.
The screen needs calibrating - simple as that. Not sure why you'd think it can't be done? It needs a hardware calibrator (x-rite/calibrite or datacolor) I've seen a laptop yet (mac or PC) where the 'out of the box screen wasn't wrong in some way for print of any quality.
@@KeithCooper I guess I meant to say is that during my research I got the impression that the new displays are so good that calibration is almost not needed. So I downloaded the latest software for my colormunki Display device and performed a calibration. Since my printed photo was very warm, I assumed that the MacBook M1 screen would become much warmer as well. While it did warm a bit, it is still no where close to the printed image. I either did something wrong or I am expecting too much, but how can I properly edit photos if what is on my screen is very different from the printed product?
If the screens warms, you end up producing cooler edited files, which should print cooler Of course it all depends on profiles used and their accuracy - it's worth soft proofing with the profiles for the print setup. This all rests on the software used for editing. Accurate printing with outside providers is also a source for uncertainty. I'd want to seen a print of a known good test image to evaluate the supplier... However, I know very little about many print suppliers - I've never evaluated them for accuracy/quality. I'd suggest asking somewhere like the print forum at DPreview - especially since you're in the US and 'Mpix' and 'walmart' are simply not even a thing here :-)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your reply. Mpix is a pretty reputable national printer here in the U.S. And of course Walmart is well... just Walmart. haha
Love these videos your amazing! Quick issue I’d love your opinion on, when printing 11 x 14 image with a solid color background on my Epson 8550 there is what looks like faded stripes about 1/2 in wide that is worse near the side edges and only noticeable on solid color backgrounds. I’ve also had no similar issues when printing on 8.5 x 11 paper. And all through the rear paper feeder. If you have any suggestions that would be amazing.
Thank you for the suggestion I did the full alignment but it hasn’t helped:/ it’s just weird that my 8 x 10s come out perfectly but then when I switch to larger 11 x 14, even with the same image file, the ghosting lines near the edges start showing. Thank your for the help!
Does it do it with larger paper like A3+ 11x14 just isn't a paper size here, so I've never ever seen any or used it in testing. If this was a printer I was testing, I would be on to Epson about it.
I've noticed that (on the Mac platform at least) as the latest 12x/13x OSX versions have come out, they have created printing issues. For example, I was getting pretty close to monitor results on my epsom R3000 up to Big Sur, but since Monterey and especially Ventura, my prints are way too dark to the point of less than useless. Brightening up the screen doesn't. fix it. Looks like I am going to have to start from scratch and buy an expensive screen calibrator (still no guarantee of a fix) and mess around to try get back to where I used to be before Apple tweaked the monitor profiles, or whatever they did. Ideally what you want is a way to generate a profile that your system can adopt for output to your printer, once you get it right once, you pretty much sorted, but I don't think there is anything in software that does this. only an expensive high end hardware/software device would achieve that. With all the useless, unwanted OS bells and whistles Apple and MS push out today, why can't they give us something useful, like a fool proof way to match up any monitor to your printer with a built in application. Thanks for the video/explanation, all very useful information.
I've since set up an iMac running Mac OS 13 for test purposes - using the free Epson Print Layout recently, it worked exactly as I'd expect on older systems. I looked at the Mac 'AirPrint' problem in a recent video - this has caused problems for some Mac users. I don't however really test any 'built-in' applications for printing - they are rarely up to what I'd consider more 'serious' use
@@KeithCooper yeah, I made sure that I was using the correct driver and not getting caught with the "AirPrint" problem. To me it's pretty weird that a printing workflow was printing very close to screen as your going to get, and then went whack out of kilter (very dark prints) after upgrading to OSX 12x/especially 13x. TMK nothing else whatsoever was altered? I will get to the bottom of it, I need to check and recheck absolutely everything, maybe calibrate the screen/look at ICC profiles etc.Actually I dug out an old Spyder4pro calibrator (c 2014) that was hardly used/perfect, but Datacolor conveniently (for them) stopped supporting it, so the software wont run today. They lost me, I'll never buy another of their products, hopefully X-rite are not as greedy/better customer service ethics. Thanks for the reply, if I find it's anything other than user error,(still possible) I'll report my findings.
Don't pin any hopes on long term support... I see no differences in the current businesses... Your device may well work with other software like DisplyGUI - something to learn, but keeps old kit going...
I want nice prints, but I hate printing so much... Last time i tried to get nice prints out of Pixma pro 10 was 2 years ago and didn't touch the printer ever since.. now again.. a try to fix this very dark dull muddy mood in prints and I simply can't understand why they come out of printer so dark.. Skin color is so messed up with green tint.. Trying to print from photoshop, lighroom, canons Print Studio Pro... this is driving me crazy
Finding the channel very interesting just subscribed the problem I have using just three colours and black in my printer the Colour photos on glossy paper not producing grey the grey is printing with a red tint in it but when printing on normal plain paper the grey is correct tried with different manufacturers glossy paper and all seem to be the same. Please have you any suggestions what could be the problem is it the printer only using 3 Colour instant ink service .
You don't mention the printer model or inks in use? However with a 4 ink printer, custom profiling is likely the only solution and even then it may not be a particularly good one on some media and the results may vary under different lighting. This is a classic problem with basic printers - they are generally very poor for B&W print or getting neutral greys.
@@KeithCooper Thanks for your reply IHP ENVY 5545 e-All-in-One think it's time to upgrade my printer the printer I'm using is with HP instant ink that's the only reason I kept the printer but now I need to print a few more images on glossy paper I will upgrade 👍
Not really I'm afraid - you don't say what the printer is, the paper used, its size, the software you are using, or the sort of computer to print with? There are loads of different reasons it could be...
@@KeithCooper Sorry A4 photo rag 308gsm (But it’s the same on any paper) Canon my image garden, software. Canon Pixma ip 8750. Colour etc is great, just very slightly out on the border on one side. Thank you
Sorry can't help with that software - it's mainly for casual printing and has no detailed settings to adjust. If you try the Canon PPL software, then it allows precise margins setting, which you can adjust on a sheet of plain paper. I believe it works with some of the smaller printers, but this isn't one I've ever looked at. That's all I can really suggest since I tend to work with larger printers and software like Photoshop.
My problem is my print does actually match my screen, but when I open the print preview it is the correct colour for 1 second, then a dark filter is applied over it. Changing the moniters brightness doesn't do anything because this filter applies regardless of the brightness.
Please can someone help as I am now pulling my hair out. I have an Epson HD XP 15000 and only use and iPad Pro M2. If I print a photo from my iPhone it’s decent and pretty much matches the iPad screen. However if I print procreate art it is way off. The greens are dark blue etc. looks awful. If I import into affinity photo and convert to CMYK it still looks the same but prints the exact same awful colour quality. It’s not that it’s washed out just completely different colours. I downloaded a vibrant procreate sample image that comes with the app and that prints almost perfect to my eyes. What’s going on here? Doesn’t help that as I use an iPad I can’t use ICC profiles. I use procreate ans affinity photo. Thanks for ANY help guys.
Print with icc profiles. Also CMYK conversion has no use whatsoever here Given how awful colour management is with phones, that's more by luck than anything ;-) No idea about 'procreate' - never seen it I'm afraid. Export image in RGB See the main written XP-15000 review and look at using the free Epson EPL software www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-xp-15000-printer-review/
@Keith Cooper thanks for the reply, I am literally watching your review on this printer as I type this. I have to use AirPrint unfortunately as I only have an iPad but I note that affinity photo allows loading an icc profile. Would this work or would apples AirPrint override this. Sorry I am a complete newbie at this and only have an iPhone 14 pro max as my camera, just getting started in all this and now already thinking I have bitten off more than I can chew ha. Also one last question if I may. The printer allows me to set paper and settings on the actual printer lcd. What’s the point of this as you choose those settings anyway when you select print from the iPad? Probably a stupid question but it’s not clear to me. Thanks again
I've no idea about this I'm afraid, I don't actually use iPads or phones in this respect for anything more than showing that they can work, when doing a review or article. You're asking directions when my only answer is unfortunately 'don't start from here' ;-)
Changing my screen brightnes to correct the dark prints on my new Epston ET-2760 didn't make any difference and has never been a factorwith any other printer including two different models of Epson printers. Something else has to be wrong.
The standard test for this is to use a known good test image to print. Since the image is OK, if it's too dark, then it's printer settings somewhere. It removes monitor setup and image editing out of the loop.
I print my photos at CVS, with no tweaking or enhancements, just straight up the original photo (I prefer that), and it comes out exactly like that. It's perfect. I've gotten a Epson ET-2400 to use up until I can get a Epson ET-8550 and I want my prints to look like they do at CVS. Or, at least, as close as possible.
They may need some adjustment to look the same... It's all about the inks and the paper and colour management Your specific requirements suggest that to meet them, a degree of good luck may be required...
I just now tried to print something at CVS, a photo that's a bit dark and highly saturated, and it came out weird - JPEG artifacts more obvious than on-screen, values wrong in some places, almost looks like they ran an unsharp filter over it. I'm gonna ask them for some small test prints until I can figure out what I did wrong.
Very good video, I'm about to make my 2nd prints to put in my college dorm. And I wish I saw this before I printed my first photos for my first client a few months ago haha.
I noticed to my horror that my prints seem to change color after they are finished! I noticed it in two instances. 1) two identical prints were made, and a few days later I noticed that one was a completely different color than the other. The two had been sitting one on top of the other most of the time in between. 2) the same image was printed today and about 30 minutes later, there was some serious discoloration. It was as if there was a discolored shadow where another sheet had been sitting partially on top of it. Is there a curing process after the print has been completed that stabilizes the colors?
Depending on the ink and paper there can be significant outgassing and changes in fresh prints. For any prints I sell, I like to leave them open to the air a minimum of 24hrs before rolling them in archival tissue for shipping in a tube. Some inks and papers can take days to dry - I framed a print in a hurry for someone once and after a month I was round their house and noticed that a fine coloured 'condensation' had built up on the lower surface of the glass in areas. I asked if the print was always in the same position - no, it had been over a radiator for a while. This gave me the excuse to take it away, reprint on a slightly different paper and return with warnings about radiators ;-) This was over 10 years ago and reminded me to stick to papers I knew well (for sales/gifts), not hurry and add extra warnings about print hanging conditions
printer settings - wrong profile (or not using a profile) - paper type setting - paper type Sorry, but that's just a few reasons - without vastly more information it's impossible to give any firm suggestions...
I also facing problems of getting different colors printed than on screen... I m find it difficult and dont know how which and what profile to set ... For correction.. please help
@@mandeepP There is so much detail you don't say - I can't really answer... Read the article for more actual detail www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
@@mandeepP Sorry - far too much for a YT comment - Your question is equivalent to saying "my car does not run - what is wrong" ;-) Read the articles - then email me at Northlight? www.northlight-images.co.uk/why-prints-look-wrong/
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Love your comment about Lightroom "I don't swear by it, I swear at it" great tutorial thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much for all this great info! I found it so incredibly useful-the best one I've found in 48 hours of trying to work out how to get better prints of my digital images (and, yes, one of the problems was my screen was too bright). Truly appreciate your wisdom and experience.
Glad it was helpful!
Keith
I know this is a couple years old but I just ran across it. Until recently, I was in the commercial printing industry since 1978. I guess one could say I know a little bit about color. I will also say I was still learning at the end. And that’s why I can appreciate what you tried saying in a 22 minute video. Todays presses are able to reproduce color and detail virtually perfect at extremely high speeds. But the ability to do it goes back to, yes the press technology, but all the work done upstream in prepress operations; using excellent proofing paper, reliable proofing inks in the printers that make the proofs. And the key is they are inkjet, not laser. Inkjet is the standard for proofing. And inkjet in my opinion will give people the best quality at home. I’ve seen nice work done on lasers today but my experience is they can be inconsistent. And what one sees on a screen can’t expected to be reproduced on paper. And like you said, the color/temperature of the lighting around you can have definite affects on color when viewed under different lighting. Even colors of the walls in the room can affect color. It’s a deep fascinating science. And we’re those B/W photos you showed or 4 color grey photos? Lighting can have extreme affects on 4 color grey photos. Great listening!
Thanks for that - it can be a complex subject, but I do get asked about it quite a bit
Thanks very much, Keith! It helps to hear you confirm some things I’ve learned (and suspected) through trial and error, and relieved know that I’m not as crazy and incompetent as I feared.
Thanks - glad it was of interest!
Thank you very much I was always confuse why my prints are too dark now I know!
Glad to help!
honestly you are a savior I just test printed part of my design exam and had the biggest panic ever since everything and all my drawings were super dark, luckily I have time to fix it, thank you so much!
turns out being a gamer was gonna make me fail haha
Glad I could help!
Hi Keith,
Thank you for all the interesting information! Regarding monitor brightness, what would be the most suitable range you recommend for editing photos? I typically edit in a dark room environment. I've realised that I've been setting my monitor brightness to 100, which, based on your tutorial, seems to be quite inaccurate.
Thanks again, I'll be happy to buy you a coffee
In darker rooms I've used 90, but 100 is actually my default. It's more about not having brighter things around you or in your view
@@KeithCooper but in your tutorial you mentioned to keep the monitor brightness lower. 100 is the highest point of brightness. tnk
Ah - I meant 100 cd/m2 - as in the standard units of brightness you get when calibrating
If you mean 100 as in 100%, then that is almost certainly too bright
Looking at my calibrated monitors, the 'percentage' depends on the monitor but all are below 35% of maximum
Excellent advice and a valuable video, Keith!!
I learned those lessons the hard way, the costly way. Another point I'd add is the (possible) hardware quirk. Example: my dealer mentioned that I should leave my Canon Pro-1000 turned on to limit the amount of nozzle cleaning cycles and wasted ink. But after about three weeks kept on, the prints all had a magenta tint. Only remedy I found was to turn the printer off and then on again. I was able to reproduce the effect so it seems an oddity of that printer.
Thanks for mentioning that.
This is the sort of thing I don't often get to test in reviews, since the printers are only here for a limited time.
I've noticed a number of oddities for which I've found workarounds over time. Still don't know if they are hardware or software related. But since they work, I just need to remember to employ them and all is (usually) fine.@@KeithCooper
It is not the first video I looked at since I got my Canon Pro-300 and I wanted to say thank you! Keep up the good work.
Btw., in 1998/99 I studied a year abroad in Leicester and although I never had the chance to visit again this city has a place in my heart and it is nice to "meet" someone from there.
Thanks - Glad the city visit was a positive experience!
If you''ve not seen it have a look at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/commercial-photography/high-resolution-images-and-panoramic-photography/
Thank you for your video which contains all the aspects to work for better prints
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Keith,
Always very happy with your videos. You are my 'go to guy' whenever I forget something again about printing, or my prints don't look the way I expected.
In addition to the bit about the prints being too dark, I have had instances where I thought the print was too dark but I was just looking at them in the wrong lighting conditions (in a dimly lit room for example). I sometimes forget I need to use my Grafilite (or other daylight/devices) to make the best examination of a picture.
Thanks!
Amazing video. And even more amazing is that you read the comments keep it. 👍👍👍
Thanks - I do appreciate the questions.
Brilliant photography video I have had problems with lightroom and printing for some reason it just won't print the colours properly and I get some weird results and have to use the canon software or Photoshop. What you said about accepting that a print will also look slightly different and having a in the field work flow is brilliant and is the best advice I've heard on any photography channel and makes so much sense 💯 thanks again for your knowledge👍
hanks - glad it was of interest!
Thank you so much. I was going crazy wondering why my colors were so off when I had my pictures printed and why they were so dark. I even had a big project I was working on, printed at two different places. My photos from Walgreens had a green hue and my photos from Walmart, although lighter, had a red hue. Not even close to the picture on my MacBook. At least now, you have given me some options to try out to make them look better. Thanks again!
Glad it's of some help!
Thank you very much for the video.I have an epson R3000 and every time i print i got very dark images.I have calibrated the screen with 1dispaly and even i put the brightness and the contrast to zero,for testing, the picture in monitor is always much brighter than the photo.
I'd suggest trying with a known good test image - this is the best check of whether something is not quite optimal in your print workflow (software/settings/driver)
Do you mean brightness/contrast in the printer settings or the monitor? The print settings should ideally never be touched.
Essential viewing for anyone wanting to print.
Thanks - I just need to get it out more widely to compete with the 'shout at the camera' YT photography videos ;-)
@@KeithCooper So pleased you don't shout :-). To judge correct brightness on screen I will hit auto brightness before editing in C1 then reset and edit, just as a reference.
Thanks - that's always a good way of hinting if you are moving too bright or too dark in an edit
Once again very helpful video, many thanks!!
Thanks
Great info for getting started printing!
Thanks
Keith,
As always, your expertise here is invaluable.
A question:
You suggest we consider the light our pictures will be displayed in when determining how they should be printed. But somebody presenting a picture professionally wouldn't have this option; they would have to come up with only one final picture that was versatile enough to be shown in most lighting situations.
I am somewhat familiar with the viewing screens that professional photographers use when fine-tuning their final product. Is there any chance you could do a video that would explain how these work?
Ah, I do have one of these in my office - the problem is that I use it very rarely for B&W these days.
Properly calibrating my monitor to a lower brightness (100cd/m2) and working in a relatively dim room means that most images will print well for normal viewing - this is one reason I make a lot of use of test images in my testing of paper and in my printer reviews.
It's all about having a feel for what a print will look like.
Deciding to raise the shadows is a location dependent option - my house being one ;-) However, for large print commissions I almost always know the viewing environment (even if it's just the gallery) and print at normal brightness levels.
A properly colour managed workflow and printing experience mean that I'd simply not recommend getting a viewing cabinet unless you know exactly why you need it in the first place ;-)
There's a chance mine could yet end up on ebay when I next clear out the office - that or it will end up as a prop if I start filming the videos in the office ;-)
@@KeithCooper Thanks for this information, Keith.
Thank you very much for yet another excellent and very informative video. Your videos are long but never boring. I always watch from the start to the end, and I have seen many by now, mainly all regarding the Canon Pro 200 and the EPSON ET-8550. Cool that at the end you mention my brand new printer, the EPSON ET-8550 (also sold as L8180 on some market). I received the printer about two weeks ago, and I am printing large like crazy, whenever I have time. Getting a largish format printer was the best decision I made regarding my photography in a long time. I had my own dark room for about 30 years, until 2006 when I started using DSLRs, but I always missed the possibility to print large. Photo labs are not really the same as printing your own. Yes, I know, there are better printers than this EPSON ET-8550, but I actually chose this one over the Canon Pro 200 because this has ink tanks, not small and expensive cartridges, and also because it has features the Canon does not have. Maybe the Canon is slightly better as pure photo printer, but I feel I have better use for this ET-8550 than I would for the Pro 200. I am also not that much concerned about the use of ink, it seems to last a very long time, though I am printing like crazy now in 13" x 19" size, so my grey tank is clearly decreasing noticeably and is down by 1/4 of the full, but 1/4 of 70ml is 17.5ml, which means I would be using the second cartridge if I had the Pro 200, perhaps the third or fourth with another printer. So I am very happy. The printer prints excellent B&W as well as colour, at least on the EPSON original paper I am using now. Will try ILFORD also, but that seems to be hit and miss, because there are no ICC profiles for this printer and ILFORD has no intentions of creating one according to the mail answer I received from them regarding this question. Anyway, thank you for all your excellent movies and of course, your blog, which I also visit and read.
Thanks
There is a list of profiles I've made in the written 8550 review - these are available for experimentation if needed. A few companies are now starting to offer 8550 profiles now
Third party papers are excellent - I prefer some of the less well known companies here in the UK since their papers are often the same (exactly) as 'brand names'. There are far more companies selling paper than there are papermills and specialist coaters ;-)
Keith, another fine video. Today I'm shaking down my new Canon Pro-300, so far so good. I'm thinking of fine tuning the print profiles with my Xrite i1 Studio. Would you agree it's worth the time spent? Thanks much !
Thanks - The normal two stage process is usually adequate.
Sometimes the i1Studio does have difficulties - it's a UV-Cut spectro, so OBAs can cause issues. In general the more the paper differs from the default Canon media setting, the more work the profile is doing.
@@KeithCooper Thanks, I know what a SOB is, but not an OBA. Please explain. Thus far I've printed only on Canon 'Photo Paper Pro Luster' with the Canon print software and have chosen this paper in the 'paper type' dialog box. As you explained in this video, prints are a tad darker than my Mac screen, I understand why, am trying to get the best print possible. Thanks.
Optical brighteners - I have a recent video about them and archival issues
ruclips.net/video/x8kFCoOJ7tI/видео.html
This was extremely helpful! Thank you so much for this video!
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge in these videos, they are very interesting.
Glad you like them!
If you've not seen them, I've many more (~10x) written articles than videos on the Northlight Images site
See here for some:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
been in the biz, and think you are right on.
Thanks - these things reflect what I'm most often asked about.
Great, great video !!
Thank you !
I knew already something about all this but, as I am always learning, I found it a fantastic resumé with great tips that matter !
Thank's again !
Thanks - glad to help!
great info and tips, thanks 😁
Glad it was of some interest!
Hello ! I have this problem that when I print my pictures they come out way to dark. Let me explain. First of all I don't edit any pictures (I just download them from pinterest or google for example), and I don't have my computer on a high brightness. Just for you to know I'm not a professional photographer or something like that, so therefore I don't own a printer for that type of work (it's an Epson L380). Okay, whenever I print a picture that is naturally bright, it comes out dim looking and don't even dare to print a dark looking picture because it'll just look like a black picture. For example: the picture that you have laying in your desk that is in black and white, If I were to print that picture half of the picture would just look black, no details, no nothing. I don't know if the problem that you are explaining here is the same thing that I'm complaining about, but I would Love to read any feedback from anyone who knows how to solve it.
By the way, the reason I'm asking even if you are giving a very good way on how to solve it, is because I think that my computer (Macbook Air) and my printer (epson L380) might not have the same things as Keith's system since he looks like a professional at this whole thing and I just print pictures for fun. Also, I usually print my pictures from a google docs document, I don't know if that makes any changes but if it does then tell me how I could fix it. I have tried so many things to fix my problem, from cleaning my printer to changing many things in how I print my images but I just seem to not be getting any changes,, so please help !
How are you printing - what software prints the pics?
Try printing with 'Preview' or loading the pictures into the Apple Photo app
Other than that I don't know that printer at all, sot here's not much I can add...
@@KeithCooper I hope it’s fine that I did not understand the software question and I think I’m certain that I don’t use a special software, I’ll have to look into that but I’ll try the preview thing that you’re telling me to do. Thanks !
I see that I'm not the only person who doesn't like/use Lightroom. I don't care for it because it seems cumbersome to import files & a special place to store them. A lot of work, so, I use Photoshop. And yes, calibrate those monitors & turn those lights down when editing/printing. Paul, from Colorado. :)
Thanks - good to hear from the Lightroom 'resistance' ;-)
Lots of information there thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi, Keith really enjoyed your video, I can relate to a few problems that you mentioned, thank you for all your expertise.
Thanks - glad it's of help!
Hi Keith
Great video as always. This is a problem I am having and your suggestions are very helpful. Quick question, where can I download the test image you suggested
Thanks
Guy
All on the Northlight Images site...
See here for all of the ones I have
www.northlight-images.co.uk/printer-test-images/
That's very good. Nice video!
Thanks - glad it was of interest
Hi Keith, great video! I just did my first photoshoot, used a color checker pass port, converted to CMYK, printed it out on my Epson-2850, and it has a blueish tinge. I don't know why. is this anything you've ever encountered?
Ok, but why did you use CMYK at all?
@@KeithCooper As I understood it, you would convert the picture to CMYK, as it is the color range, the printer uses. I tried printing i without altering and it did the same thing. I've looked for solutions online, but nothing worked. Was wondering, if you knew what was up?
Ah, you absolutely never ever go near CMYK in normal printing of photos. It is pretty much guaranteed to mess things up. It has some specialised uses, but if you don't know them, just assume you never use it ;-)
Inkjet printers, used with the normal driver, are RGB devices, no matter what inks they have.
I don't know what a 2850 printer is, but there are vastly more factors here, which won't fit in a YT reply box!
Email me if you like, but be sure to include all computer O/S, and editing software you use. The CC passport is potentially useful, but not until you have a proper colour managed workflow.
The one bit I can be sure of is that using CMYK at any point in the process is wrong
Great info - are there ICC profiles for the EPSON ET-7750, I've searched but can't find any and Canson and Ilform papers don't seem to have a suitable profile. any ideas? Many thanks, great content.
Thanks - I've never tested the 7750 I'm afraid, so I don't have any. The 'brand' paper companies don't tend to support printers of this sort - they only support the higher end printers.
Some paper suppliers here in the UK will create custom profiles if you buy paper, but I don't know elsewhere.
Where can I get the test prints? I couldn’t find it on this feed? Thank you
They are all on the Northlight site - see the linked articles.
All detail is usually in the written articles - the YT videos are generally produced to supplement my written works ;-)
www.northlight-images.co.uk/printer-test-images/
Once again thank you. A bit of feedback regarding the included Epson 8500/8550 photo layout software...it only allows for Epson profiles. My installed Red River Paper ones aren't recognized, although they show up in my Photoshop CS5.
Ah, then something is wrong somewhere else - EPL works with any icc profile
CS5 would suggest an older system? - this could be an issue
Thanks so much, excellent videos!
Thanks - glad it was of interest!
Just watching, this video about getting prints to look right. having trouble getting
them right yet. using an epson SP P50. Thanks Again
Thanks - I don't know that model [p50] at all though?
@@KeithCooper Quite an old A4 model. maybe one of my problems as well as cheap inks.
yes - not factors working in favour of good results...
What monitor brightness do you work with? I set mine to 100cd/m2 to 110cd/m2. Do you go lower?
In my real, dimly lit office (i.e. not the kitchen where I shoot the videos) I've long run my monitors at 100 for day to day work.
I make use of special calibration settings on the BenQ one shown, so that it is hardware calibrated to 4000K and 130cd/m2 - just so it looks good in the videos. 4000K is really odd to work with for the first few minutes and then it looks normal and my nearby laptop looks horribly blue at 6500K
Hi Keith,
My Benq is set to 90cd luminosity and I work in a relative dark room.
For clear pictures (taken in daylight etc…), the prints come out with the expected luminosity.
But if the pictures are dark, (taken at night etc), they do get printed darker than what I see on the screen.
I suppose I have to compensate the brightness?
Thanks
Yes, once you start printing very dark (or very bright) images, then an additional adjustment can be required (as with bright or dim viewing lighting). This is where I do small test prints to get a feel for how the print will look. Properly setting up a monitor will get you so far, but at a point it's your judgement and experience that counts - this is also where uncritical use of 'soft proofing' can sometimes lend a false sense of precision to the process.
@@KeithCooper thanks a lot!
This is what I thought - expected.
Also the idea of a first (small 10-15, 13-18) test print.
Really useful information. Thank you!
Thanks - there is lots more in my written articles (and video links) as well at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
Kieth, all of my prints are printing fine except one of the files. It's the only file I've ever printed where it's not matching the cmyk of my screen at all, only this 1 file. My computer has been crashing a lot lately, do you think the file is corrupt even though it looks great on my monitor? I'm baffled and my Dad is baffled too about the issue I'm having with this one file. I wouldn't care so much but it's for a job.
You mention CMYK - is there any specific reason for this?
Depends on the printer, the software and a lot of things.
However, whenever anyone asks me about print problems and mentions 'CMYK' it rings big alarm bells... ;-)
[see my video - "why say no to CMYK " ruclips.net/video/wX3ZcAiLg-4/видео.html ]
Hi Keith, thanks for the video. I have started printing on an Epson 7900 printer and I am not pleased with the result. I don't think I get the details in the picture right, maybe a sharpening problem somewhere. They look dull compared to when I order a professional (pigment ink) print. I'll check the things you meantion but one question: is the Epson 7900 good enough? Can it produce top notch results? Best regards /Jakob
Sorry, but the 7900 is in the category of if you can't make a good print, it's not the printer's fault ;-) I know many professional printmakers still including a 7900 in their workflows.
It's all about profiling, media choice and editing, not the printer (assuming it's working OK)
Test with a known good test image, on a good paper, with the right profile (with the correct black ink type for the paper)
@@KeithCooper Huge thanks for your answer. I just wanted to kknow that I am not trying to achieve the impossible... I understand more and more that it's a craft. I'll keep working... Thanks again, have a nice evening.
Hello again, Keith, I bought an Epson SC-P700 and my experience is that it is so much better than the 7900. It generally gives better, more distinct, results (A3 and smaller). Actually it mostly gives amazing results and to I lower level of editing effort. Mostly, if it looks good on the screen (a laptop) then it looks good and very vey close on the print - without softproofing (at least for Canson baryta Photographique II and Epson Traditional Photo paper). It was worth every penny...@@KeithCooper
Excellent - glad to have helped! @@jakobhulten3934
When you are talking about editing on a black background vs. a grey background, are you talking about within Photoshop?
Yes, as well as the desktop.
The current trend for 'dark' interfaces is great for making your pictures look good on screen, but not for print editing (unless you use black mattes)
My band recently got CDs made. The image for the cd jacket and for the actual print on the actual cd are the same image. When we got the test CDs back, the printing on the jacket looked great & the printing on the cd looked super saturated. It seems to me like they are using different printers for these two jobs. Do I just turn the saturation down on the cd artwork & order another test copy? Is that all I can do?
It's likely they have no colour management in their CD printing process, so turning everything down is maybe the best way...
They will be different printers
@@KeithCooper thanks. Can you be more specific about “turning everything down”?
Not much - depends on the CD print.
Contrast/brightness/saturation or if I was in PS, a curve layer [for the brightness/contrast] and a vibrance layer
great tips thankyou. subscribed.
Thanks
What is you take on painting the wall light or dark matt grey?
If I were setting up a studio from scratch and had money to spare I might. Oh, and if I did colour critical work like pre-press stuff...
However my room is my office. it has bookshelves, a wooden desk, pictures on the wall and other distractions from the purity of the grey work space.
Dark grey walls look dismal too - I prefer editing in a good mood ;-)
Hi Keith. I have recently purchased the pro-200 and the skin tones on portraits are printing out far too yellow/green. I have calibrated my screen with a spyderpro 5. The print on my screen looks more of a pleasant magenta color but not when I print it. I can't seem to figure out what could be wrong. I've tried researching on the Canon forum but no luck. Do you have any suggestions?
Use the right icc profiles
Print a known test image, base decisions on that, not some picture you've edited
Use the Canon PPL software for testing
@@KeithCooper I actually went into Canon PPL and what I did was adjusted the yellow and magenta settings under color settings. It made a HUGE difference. I lowered yellow to -12 and boosted magenta to +5. Now the skin tones look MUCH better.
Effective, but completely the wrong approach from a colour management POV
But hey, if it works ;-)
@@KeithCooper haha. Ok ill call Canon on Monday to see if they can help troubleshoot the issue. Ill report back with it.
Hi. I have an MP280 (CISS converted) printer and runs on Windows 11. The ink tanks are elevated and is on the printer's top (a few centimeter above the printheads), the CMY and black level are good, tubes are full of ink. I've done 9 deep cleaning (via Canon software) but when I print the print head alignment page, the magenta is light violet, the yellow is light green. The cyan and black are fine. I wonder what the fix is? Is this software or a hardware problem?
The MP280's driver's been reinstalled (the latest was a 2021 driver).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
Ah, I'm afraid I don't really cover this style of printer use at all - Continuous ink systems have a habit of working until they don't.
It's a basic 4 colour printer that was never designed for such use - sure, it works, but it's not a choice I'd make for the sorts of prints I'd want.
@@KeithCooper Thanks sir Keith, so true, I wish someday they would design it to be direct refill, the cartridges park themselves open it's holes (motorized) then a motorized telescopic nozzle funnel goes into the cartridge holes in that "refilling station" where it parked and you can directly refill it, the motorized telescopic nozzles retract and the motorized hole pluggers plug the cartridge holes. No need for it to travel to tubes, saving the planet of plastic waste (I'll contact the manufacturers). :-)
I found the problem the blue leaked into the yellow (making it greenish) and magenta (making it violet). I put the CISS tanks too high above the top of the cartridges where the tubes go into cartridges creating too much "water pressure" like a high water tank on top of when the printhead sucks ink when it does the cleaning. I'll clean out the sponges w/ warm distilled water in a cup in a hypersonic cleaner (will need to be cracked open then superglued).
I'll calculate the height of the top of the cartridges and make sure I make a long hole on the side of the printer so the tubes can be shorter and put pillars of sorts inside, if I can, so the tubes are gradually slightly at a higher angle and the ink tanks are slightly higher (just a bit).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
Hi Keith - Just received an ET8550 printer and set that up over the weekend. Also created a custom profile for the paper I'm using using a ColorMunki Design. The printed colors are accurate but the prints are definitely a bit darker than what I see on my monitor. That said, I ignored the brightness recommendation when calibrating my monitor with a Spyder Elite and set that higher. I'm guessing that's part of the problem! I did experiment by increasing the exposure of the image to 1.0 (using Capture One) and that yielded very good results. So... this might end up being a compromise between editing files for online (monitor) use vs offline (printed) use. I don't suppose there's any way to modify the custom profile to compensate for this, is there? guessing not... Anyway, like your videos... Good stuff! 👍
Thanks -
In general, modifying profiles is 'a bad thing'. A dimmer monitor is something you get used to - of course it depends on how bright the room is... It's OK to have two monitor settings, one for print and one for other stuff.
Any ideea why my photos printed over phone or Canon Mark III come out smaller (cropped) ? I own a ET8550. Any advice would help. Thank you in advance
Yes any phone related stuff is often problematic - are you using the free Epson EPL software to print?
What is a 'Canon Mark III' - I can think of a stack of different cameras that might refer to ;-)
I'd also note that direct printing from cameras is rarely optimal, no matter how good the camera or printer...
@@KeithCooper sorry, my bad :)
I meant Canon 5D Mark III. Yes, I‘m using Epson‘s free software. Did bit of research and printed photos will always be a little smaller than the actual original photo.
Do you have any suggestions for winning back those few millimeters?
Thank you in advance :)
Do you mean printing borderless?
The 'actual photo' as coming from the camera has no 'size' as such - that is defined when printing.
See my 8550 review for more
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
15:41 - what if there is a noticeable difference between the screen and the print even after calibrating your monitor and editing your photos with the brightness set to about medium and your print comes out brighter than what's on screen. I am noticing that my highlights go up if not +1 then +2 stops in turn killing detail in the brighter areas. I make sure to use correct ICC profiles with the paper I'm printing. What could the issue be? Is it the paper ?
Have you tried this with a known test image? Just to rule out any errors in settings?
What have I done to make my prints come out in negative form just recently?
No idea whatsoever...
Printer? media? Software? System?
The problem with the 1st "dark" ... If the monitor is calabratited, and its still dark .. what do you do ....
calibrate it to a lower brightness?
Great video lots info I never even thought of. I've been having problems printing a photo for a relative from my phone . She says it is the best photo of her daughter she has ever seen but there is a lot of red colour around her eyes. I will try some of your suggestions and see what happens. Will also use my canon next time.
Thanks - generally if a phone photo is worth printing, I'll import it into Photoshop before printing. Phones and printing are rarely a high quality combination - better, but a way to go as yet ;-)
Any idea what settings I should change on Illustrator when printing to inkjet on heavy uncoated paper? The color is bleeding….
Inkjet on uncoated paper rarely works well - set the printer driver media setting for plain paper and it might take the ink.
@@KeithCooper I will try that - thank you! I am having so much trouble finding 130 lb coated paper - this is what I currently use to print some things for my business.
Sorry - 130 lb is a system only used in the US - means nothing here I'm afraid
It's typical for commercial papers - not inkjet media
Hi Keith your videos are always perfect, can I do Print Profiles for my Sc P700?
if so how?
Thank you
Yes, you can - it depends on why and how much money (and time) you want to spend on it ;-)
The i1Studio is one solution for this - I've written articles/reviews about it and will do a video once I next have a new printer to test.
That said you need good reasons for doing it, and lots of print experience (how else will you know if your newly created profiles are any good?)
Maybe someone asked but I usually use Photoshop to print my photos... and I printed the test photo and it came out fantastic but if I print one of my edited photos it comes out really different.... sometimes green cast, red cast, orange cast or the shadows look blueish Canon mp560. I've tried to re edit the photo to change the coloring and I've tried to print from different programs too like paint or word and it's the same...i have a BenQ monitor... it's not been calibrated yet but the test photo came out so good I figured it was pretty close but I'm not sure... using canon glossy paper and epson glossy paper
So many things that could go awry... Using 'Paint' or 'Word' is not a route for reliable printing ;-)
If the test image is fine, then it's something wrong about the image which came out wrong. Somehow it's been edited or processed incorrectly...
Unfortunately printers like the mp560 are not supported with profiles so it's never going to be entirely predictable
@@KeithCooper i appreciate your help...i just may have to purchase a decent printer after all lol
I was wondering if there was a link to download your test images to test my printer?
Sure, have a look at the Northlight site (links with video notes) - the printing pages contain all the info.
The main index page is:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
There perhaps 10x as many articles on the site as videos ;-) I only started videos in mid 2020 - the articles go back to 2003 and always contain more detail (the videos are there generally to support the written materials).
Hope you find things of use!
Any recommendations for a printer (Black and White photos 90%) . Around $300.00 budget. Thank you.
Not really I'm afraid - I don't follow prices around the world (US?) ...other than to say for B&W my choice is usually pigment ink based and they don't tend to come in that cheap.
I'm currently testing a cheapish Canon G550 and it's giving surprisingly good B&W results, BUT it's dye ink (longevity and metamerism issues) and absolutely requires custom profiling. B&W at a consistent good quality level is much more difficult to achieve than colour.
@@KeithCooper Thank you !
I’m feeling so defeated. I’ve tried every recommendation on here, except the monitor calibration. I would very much like to print my art prints from my iPad. I have a PC but the monitor is very low quality. I’d rather not have to transfer my art to the PC first. I very much want the art to print as it looks on my iPad. Will the calibration device change my iPad monitor color or will it just tell my printer to print as it looks on my iPad?
Sorry, but iPad colour management is pretty much broken from a printing POV
If I need to print a picture from my iPhone or iPad, it goes to a computer first.
I've tried it with many printers I've reviewed and it never reaches a standard I'd accept.
Now there may be workarounds people have managed - but nothing I've seen.
Hello Keith, very helpful information and videos. I have an Epson R1900 which has been a great printer over the years. But recently I (and a number of others I am finding) am having an issue where a deep red on the photo and the screen comes out deep orange like the enamel baking dish in your video. Any ideas on how to address this before I take the Epson out and smash it on my driveway?. I us a Spyder X calibration device and calibrate every 1-2 months on my IMac 27. I'm using Epson or Ilford papers.
This sounds more like a printer profiling issue - the monitor calibration is irrelevant to this.
Print a known good test image with the correct profile for the paper to be quite sure the issue is in your print workflow.
My suspicion is that an update/upgrade somewhere has changed something in the print workflow from a colour management POV
I'd also suggest asking on the printer forum at DPReview.com since there may be others who have found issues (I normally post quite often on this forum and follow threads for potential issues)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your reply. Update: It turns out that my Epson R1900 had a hopelessly clogged print head, particularly on the red channel which contributed to most of my problems. I sent a file to a 3rd party printing house and it came back with red instead of the orange I was getting. I purchased a Pixma printer and the colors are vastly improved for far less than I would have had to invest in time and money to fix the R1900.
@@1955mlynch Thanks for the update
So i just jumped in to the world of OS by buying my first MacBook M1. I just received a print (from Mpix) and it is grossly warmer than what the image is that I edited on the MacBook. To ensure it wasn't a Mpix issue I had it printed at our local Walmart which resulted in very similar white balance. How do I properly edit on the MacBook when the resulting print is so off? I don't believe its a calibration issue, in fact, you can't really calibrate the new MacBook. I'm left scratching my head and frustrated.
The screen needs calibrating - simple as that. Not sure why you'd think it can't be done?
It needs a hardware calibrator (x-rite/calibrite or datacolor)
I've seen a laptop yet (mac or PC) where the 'out of the box screen wasn't wrong in some way for print of any quality.
@@KeithCooper I guess I meant to say is that during my research I got the impression that the new displays are so good that calibration is almost not needed. So I downloaded the latest software for my colormunki Display device and performed a calibration. Since my printed photo was very warm, I assumed that the MacBook M1 screen would become much warmer as well. While it did warm a bit, it is still no where close to the printed image. I either did something wrong or I am expecting too much, but how can I properly edit photos if what is on my screen is very different from the printed product?
If the screens warms, you end up producing cooler edited files, which should print cooler
Of course it all depends on profiles used and their accuracy - it's worth soft proofing with the profiles for the print setup. This all rests on the software used for editing.
Accurate printing with outside providers is also a source for uncertainty. I'd want to seen a print of a known good test image to evaluate the supplier...
However, I know very little about many print suppliers - I've never evaluated them for accuracy/quality. I'd suggest asking somewhere like the print forum at DPreview - especially since you're in the US and 'Mpix' and 'walmart' are simply not even a thing here :-)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your reply. Mpix is a pretty reputable national printer here in the U.S. And of course Walmart is well... just Walmart. haha
Love these videos your amazing! Quick issue I’d love your opinion on, when printing 11 x 14 image with a solid color background on my Epson 8550 there is what looks like faded stripes about 1/2 in wide that is worse near the side edges and only noticeable on solid color backgrounds. I’ve also had no similar issues when printing on 8.5 x 11 paper. And all through the rear paper feeder. If you have any suggestions that would be amazing.
A clean and full alignment adjustment with the paper you are using (or of the same thickness [NOT weight]) is one option which has helped some...
Thank you for the suggestion I did the full alignment but it hasn’t helped:/ it’s just weird that my 8 x 10s come out perfectly but then when I switch to larger 11 x 14, even with the same image file, the ghosting lines near the edges start showing. Thank your for the help!
Does it do it with larger paper like A3+
11x14 just isn't a paper size here, so I've never ever seen any or used it in testing.
If this was a printer I was testing, I would be on to Epson about it.
I've noticed that (on the Mac platform at least) as the latest 12x/13x OSX versions have come out, they have created printing issues. For example, I was getting pretty close to monitor results on my epsom R3000 up to Big Sur, but since Monterey and especially Ventura, my prints are way too dark to the point of less than useless. Brightening up the screen doesn't. fix it. Looks like I am going to have to start from scratch and buy an expensive screen calibrator (still no guarantee of a fix) and mess around to try get back to where I used to be before Apple tweaked the monitor profiles, or whatever they did. Ideally what you want is a way to generate a profile that your system can adopt for output to your printer, once you get it right once, you pretty much sorted, but I don't think there is anything in software that does this. only an expensive high end hardware/software device would achieve that. With all the useless, unwanted OS bells and whistles Apple and MS push out today, why can't they give us something useful, like a fool proof way to match up any monitor to your printer with a built in application. Thanks for the video/explanation, all very useful information.
I've since set up an iMac running Mac OS 13 for test purposes - using the free Epson Print Layout recently, it worked exactly as I'd expect on older systems.
I looked at the Mac 'AirPrint' problem in a recent video - this has caused problems for some Mac users.
I don't however really test any 'built-in' applications for printing - they are rarely up to what I'd consider more 'serious' use
@@KeithCooper yeah, I made sure that I was using the correct driver and not getting caught with the "AirPrint" problem. To me it's pretty weird that a printing workflow was printing very close to screen as your going to get, and then went whack out of kilter (very dark prints) after upgrading to OSX 12x/especially 13x. TMK nothing else whatsoever was altered? I will get to the bottom of it, I need to check and recheck absolutely everything, maybe calibrate the screen/look at ICC profiles etc.Actually I dug out an old Spyder4pro calibrator (c 2014) that was hardly used/perfect, but Datacolor conveniently (for them) stopped supporting it, so the software wont run today. They lost me, I'll never buy another of their products, hopefully X-rite are not as greedy/better customer service ethics. Thanks for the reply, if I find it's anything other than user error,(still possible) I'll report my findings.
Don't pin any hopes on long term support... I see no differences in the current businesses...
Your device may well work with other software like DisplyGUI - something to learn, but keeps old kit going...
@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith. Do you have a download link for DisplyGUI? I cant seem to find it on google? Perhaps it is no longer available.
Sorry, it's now called DisplayCAL
displaycal.net
I want nice prints, but I hate printing so much... Last time i tried to get nice prints out of Pixma pro 10 was 2 years ago and didn't touch the printer ever since.. now again.. a try to fix this very dark dull muddy mood in prints and I simply can't understand why they come out of printer so dark.. Skin color is so messed up with green tint.. Trying to print from photoshop, lighroom, canons Print Studio Pro... this is driving me crazy
Test with a known paper and correct icc profile
What about certain papers print darker than others? I use one paper prints much brighter than another paper I am using.
Yes - depends on the paper and profiling.
Different papers do print differently, but use of correct profiles in a colour managed workflow helps
Finding the channel very interesting just subscribed the problem I have using just three colours and black in my printer the Colour photos on glossy paper not producing grey the grey is printing with a red tint in it but when printing on normal plain paper the grey is correct tried with different manufacturers glossy paper and all seem to be the same. Please have you any suggestions what could be the problem is it the printer only using 3 Colour instant ink service .
You don't mention the printer model or inks in use?
However with a 4 ink printer, custom profiling is likely the only solution and even then it may not be a particularly good one on some media and the results may vary under different lighting.
This is a classic problem with basic printers - they are generally very poor for B&W print or getting neutral greys.
@@KeithCooper Thanks for your reply IHP ENVY 5545 e-All-in-One think it's time to upgrade my printer the printer I'm using is with HP instant ink that's the only reason I kept the printer but now I need to print a few more images on glossy paper I will upgrade 👍
Ah, that definitely explains it...
Hi
Could you help me change the border on my prints please? One side is just slightly different to the other when printed!
Thank you!
Not really I'm afraid - you don't say what the printer is, the paper used, its size, the software you are using, or the sort of computer to print with?
There are loads of different reasons it could be...
@@KeithCooper
Sorry
A4 photo rag 308gsm
(But it’s the same on any paper) Canon my image garden, software. Canon Pixma ip 8750. Colour etc is great, just very slightly out on the border on one side.
Thank you
Sorry can't help with that software - it's mainly for casual printing and has no detailed settings to adjust. If you try the Canon PPL software, then it allows precise margins setting, which you can adjust on a sheet of plain paper. I believe it works with some of the smaller printers, but this isn't one I've ever looked at.
That's all I can really suggest since I tend to work with larger printers and software like Photoshop.
@@KeithCooper
Thank you for replying👍
I would had never known such little problems exists if i haven't got a color printer
Indeed ;-)
what could be the reason the photos come out a little bit sticky? very little but i can feel it sticky
Almost always the wrong sort of paper for the printer.
Some papers just never work well with some printers/inks, no matter what settings you change
My problem is my print does actually match my screen, but when I open the print preview it is the correct colour for 1 second, then a dark filter is applied over it. Changing the moniters brightness doesn't do anything because this filter applies regardless of the brightness.
Software? computer system? printer?
Not much I can suggest without rather more info...
uh. 13th gen intel(R) core(TM) i3-1315U 1.20 GHz
windows 11 pro 23H2
epson ET-2400.
I didnt think you'd respond 😂
Ah I almost always answer techy questions ;-)
But what software? ["a win PC" was enough info in that particular respect ;-) ]
Please can someone help as I am now pulling my hair out. I have an Epson HD XP 15000 and only use and iPad Pro M2. If I print a photo from my iPhone it’s decent and pretty much matches the iPad screen. However if I print procreate art it is way off. The greens are dark blue etc. looks awful. If I import into affinity photo and convert to CMYK it still looks the same but prints the exact same awful colour quality. It’s not that it’s washed out just completely different colours. I downloaded a vibrant procreate sample image that comes with the app and that prints almost perfect to my eyes. What’s going on here? Doesn’t help that as I use an iPad I can’t use ICC profiles. I use procreate ans affinity photo. Thanks for ANY help guys.
Print with icc profiles. Also CMYK conversion has no use whatsoever here
Given how awful colour management is with phones, that's more by luck than anything ;-)
No idea about 'procreate' - never seen it I'm afraid. Export image in RGB
See the main written XP-15000 review and look at using the free Epson EPL software
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-xp-15000-printer-review/
@Keith Cooper thanks for the reply, I am literally watching your review on this printer as I type this. I have to use AirPrint unfortunately as I only have an iPad but I note that affinity photo allows loading an icc profile. Would this work or would apples AirPrint override this. Sorry I am a complete newbie at this and only have an iPhone 14 pro max as my camera, just getting started in all this and now already thinking I have bitten off more than I can chew ha. Also one last question if I may. The printer allows me to set paper and settings on the actual printer lcd. What’s the point of this as you choose those settings anyway when you select print from the iPad? Probably a stupid question but it’s not clear to me. Thanks again
I've no idea about this I'm afraid, I don't actually use iPads or phones in this respect for anything more than showing that they can work, when doing a review or article.
You're asking directions when my only answer is unfortunately 'don't start from here' ;-)
@Keith Cooper got you. Suppose I better start thinking about a Mac and my first real camera then. Thanks again.
Changing my screen brightnes to correct the dark prints on my new Epston ET-2760 didn't make any difference and has never been a factorwith any other printer including two different models of Epson printers. Something else has to be wrong.
The standard test for this is to use a known good test image to print. Since the image is OK, if it's too dark, then it's printer settings somewhere. It removes monitor setup and image editing out of the loop.
I print my photos at CVS, with no tweaking or enhancements, just straight up the original photo (I prefer that), and it comes out exactly like that. It's perfect. I've gotten a Epson ET-2400 to use up until I can get a Epson ET-8550 and I want my prints to look like they do at CVS. Or, at least, as close as possible.
They may need some adjustment to look the same...
It's all about the inks and the paper and colour management
Your specific requirements suggest that to meet them, a degree of good luck may be required...
I just now tried to print something at CVS, a photo that's a bit dark and highly saturated, and it came out weird - JPEG artifacts more obvious than on-screen, values wrong in some places, almost looks like they ran an unsharp filter over it. I'm gonna ask them for some small test prints until I can figure out what I did wrong.
Very good video, I'm about to make my 2nd prints to put in my college dorm. And I wish I saw this before I printed my first photos for my first client a few months ago haha.
I hope they come out well for you!
New subscriber here.
Thanks
I noticed to my horror that my prints seem to change color after they are finished! I noticed it in two instances. 1) two identical prints were made, and a few days later I noticed that one was a completely different color than the other. The two had been sitting one on top of the other most of the time in between. 2) the same image was printed today and about 30 minutes later, there was some serious discoloration. It was as if there was a discolored shadow where another sheet had been sitting partially on top of it.
Is there a curing process after the print has been completed that stabilizes the colors?
Depending on the ink and paper there can be significant outgassing and changes in fresh prints. For any prints I sell, I like to leave them open to the air a minimum of 24hrs before rolling them in archival tissue for shipping in a tube.
Some inks and papers can take days to dry - I framed a print in a hurry for someone once and after a month I was round their house and noticed that a fine coloured 'condensation' had built up on the lower surface of the glass in areas. I asked if the print was always in the same position - no, it had been over a radiator for a while. This gave me the excuse to take it away, reprint on a slightly different paper and return with warnings about radiators ;-)
This was over 10 years ago and reminded me to stick to papers I knew well (for sales/gifts), not hurry and add extra warnings about print hanging conditions
Epson ET-8550 review soon? It´s a Ecotank device. Looking forward for that video .-) Thanks.
Epson tell me one is on its way...
The main review will still be one of my detailed written ones, but I will do some videos to go with it.
@@KeithCooper Great! I´ll check both; website and here .-) Thanks.
My printer seems to all be okay, except the black print looks very faded (gray). Can you help me?
printer settings - wrong profile (or not using a profile) - paper type setting - paper type
Sorry, but that's just a few reasons - without vastly more information it's impossible to give any firm suggestions...
I also facing problems of getting different colors printed than on screen... I m find it difficult and dont know how which and what profile to set ... For correction.. please help
@@mandeepP There is so much detail you don't say - I can't really answer...
Read the article for more actual detail
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
@@KeithCooper can u please tell what typr. Of details u require so i can tell everything u want yo know
@@mandeepP Sorry - far too much for a YT comment - Your question is equivalent to saying "my car does not run - what is wrong" ;-)
Read the articles - then email me at Northlight?
www.northlight-images.co.uk/why-prints-look-wrong/