Color management for the umpteenth time

Question

I am flummuxed by color management. I have read everything about it and still I have mixed results. Lets start at the basics:
1)I have a Canon pixma 6600d printer
2)I have calibrated by lcd monitor with Huey.
3)I use elements 5.0
4) I have assigned pictures for Adobe rgb.
5) I have read the instructions from Steves Digicam which recommends that I make the source adobe rgb and the target the paper profile that I am using. I am using the correct paper profile.
6) In Print preview, I set the color adjustment to manual, say no to icm, and none to media. This is according to the instructions of all color management gurus.
Some interesting things are happening. When I print a picture file that is Dng (adobe camera raw), the print looks terrible.Too much saturation. heavy magenta, etc. When I print a jpg file of the same picture, the result is much better although not the best. The best match is for one of 2 options. 1)Turn off icm in pe5, use printer color management. or 2) leave on Adobe rgb in pe5. In print preview: set source to adobe rgb. In printer profile, set to adobe rgb and relative colormetric. In Print driver, set color adjustment to auto. These are the most satisfying results.
Questions:
1) Are there problems in printing from a dng file or should I always try to print from a jpg file on my 6600d?
2) If I am using printer color management, should I always turn off color management in pe5 edit?
3)Is there anything else I haven't thought of that explains why I am having lousy results using the correct canon paper profiles in the print preview screen?
Thanks. I know this has been covered a million times.
Andy

Answer 1

Andy....
1. Same as Source - The data that's sent to your Printer is still the data that was created for the Colour Space of the Image. In your case the Source Space indicates sRGB. So sRGB colour numbers get sent to the printer.
What doesn't get sent is any profile information i.e there is nothing to tell the printer your sending it to that the colour space is sRGB. This means that if the printer is to perform colour management, it can't because it doesn't know the source profile - although there may be an option in the Printer Driver to force it to a preset.
2. In some Epson Printer Drivers there are two or more settings for Colour Management and yes they are confusing and I don't think consistent across the range.
I can't tell you all the possibilities but on my R2400, the ICM checkbox turns on Colour Management in the printer and then you have to select a bunch of other options about input profile, rendering intent, and output profile e.g. for the paper/ink type etc, etc,
However, by checking ICM ( on the R2400) it also makes visible an option called No Colour Adjust and by checking this it turns OFF colour management.
So, yes confusing, ICM appears to turn CM ON and then NCA turns it OFF. If this is the setting you use then in Elements you have to select a Print Profile that matches the printer/paper/ink i.e one of the Epson profiles.
3. The Printer Colour Management setting tells Elements to do no Colour Management but it will pass source data to the printer along with a profile.
Elements wont convert the Source Colour Space to the Printer/Paper Colour Space. The assumption then is that you set the Printer Driver accordingly to do the Colour Management Conversion. This might typically be to check ICM and select those features I mentioned in #2.
4. As for the R380 - I can't say what settings that have but take a look at the link below for more info about setting up Epson Printers.
It shows the R800 but the info may be similar for your 380
http://tech.epson.com.au/downloads/message.asp?platform=&techtips=techtips&EmailAdd=&Metri cIDReturned=1044920&submit=Search+%3E%3E&sCategory=Inkjet&id=stylusphotor800
Colin