Dark prints w/R2400, LR 1.3.1 & OS X 10.5.1

I print from LR with an Epson R2400 and color-managed workflow primarily, although I do occasionally use the ABW mode. Running Tiger, I was very happy with the WYSIWYG results; in other words, my prints very closely matched the colors and luminance of the image onscreen.
Then I upgraded to Leopard last weekend and installed the latest v6.1.2 R2400 driver. When printing B&W images using my normal color-managed workflow, the luminosity of the prints is a good match for what I see on screen. However, the tone is much cooler and has a green/blue cast that I never noticed in Tiger.
When I make that same print in ABW mode, the tone is very good but the luminosity is a few shades darker than what I see on screen. In the ABW driver I am selecting neutral color, best photo and "dark" (that is what worked for me in Tiger). I use perceptual rendering intent and "managed by printer" for color management with ABW.
I know that the results for B&W photos are generally better with ABW mode, but I really prefer to do my color toning with Photoshop and Lightroom rather than the Epson driver. For this reason I have mostly used a color-managed workflow for making B&W prints, which always worked great in Tiger. In Leopard, however, I'm getting prints that are significantly cooler than what I see onscreen and have a blue/green cast as mentioned above.
I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this. If not, what settings are you using with the Epson R2400? What version of the driver are you using?
Thanks.

Chris
I'm presuming that you're not using custom profiles for your R2400 workflow but if you have a read of the post I wrote (see link below) then this may help shed light on your problems.
My original post is at:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?224@@[email protected]
I've actually seen the green/blue cast in some neutral colours whilst trying to resolve my other issues so I think we may be seeing different results of the same bug.
I'd also be interest to know what the Colorsync Utility shows as the default profile for the Epson R2400 on your system. Let me know if you need more details of how to find this.
Cheers
Jason Hicking
Replica Imaging Limited - UK

Similar Messages

Dark prints using CS5 & Epson R2400 ongoing problem, now new PC and magenta cast

Have tried every combination of set up in trying to solve problem. Had One Eye (now defunct lamp) various experts etc etc but compensated for dark prints by having screen lightened to bizarre point. Now having a new PC am faced with massive magenta cast. I really don't want to buy a new printer but have had the dark print problem since I got it. Have spoken to Adobe and Epson at length but eventually washed their hands. I feel it is something to do within the computer set up or Photoshop - don't think its printer problem. All drivers updated regularly. Thought it could be monitor problem but don't really think this is the case.
Any ideas welcome as I think I have tried everything. Use Windows 7.
Am retired and not very technically minded! Serious amateur photographer.

I have an Epson 1280 printer, and I have the same problem with prints. Part of the problem are the different color profiles in the monitor and the printer. The other problem to deal with is the type of photo paper used. While looking at web sites, I found that the ICC Color Profiles for the printer are on the install disc and are not automatically installed. One of the links describes which folder to install the profiles on both Mac & Windows computers.
As station_two wrote, calibrate your monitor first.
Below is a link about calibrating.
http://dpexperience.com/2009/12/18/calibrating-your-monitor-to-your-printer/
The next link is for printer tips
http://www.normankoren.com/printers.html#Printer_tips
And some more here
http://www.digitaldog.net/tips/
I do not have an exact answer for you because I have not figured it out myself, but here is what I have been doing on my prints. I might recommend that you work on a copy of the original.
In the Layer floating window, create a New Adjustment Layer by clicking on the half black/half white circle, and choose Hue/Saturation or Color Balance or Selective Color. Because the prints come out too red, you want to increase the green sliders, which is the opposite of red, and/or decrease the red. (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Color Balance) is another way to do it.
Under the menu item Image>Adjust Levels. Move the center triangle at the bottom to lighten the mid-range, or use the center dialog box and change it to 1.20 or 1.30, for example.
Now press Print with Preview (but you really are not going to print).
When the dialog box comes up, make sure the Print Space: dropdown is set to Epson Paper or whatever you are using.
I have been using Relative Colorimetric. Press Print. Another dialog box will come up. At the bottom will be a button for Preview, which will generate a preview of what the photo will look like if printed.
Keep going back to the original and double click on the Adjustment Layer and adjusting it until the Print Preview looks ok.
Be sure when you actually print that the paper and color settings in the Epson dialog box match your settings in Photoshop. There is a dropdown that has Print Settings or Color. Often they don't match unless you print several photos in a row. I have found printing at the lower settings (less than 360 dpi) also messes up the color.
It is not an excellent solution, but until I can figure out more, I am in the same boat as you.
I'd suggest saving the lightening and color adjustments as two different Actions.

DARK PRINTS on Epson R2400

I know this has been discussed in other threads. What I did not find posted elsewhere was "the" solution to my problem of dark prints with Lightroom on an Intel Mac, that was provided by Epson Tech Support this morning. First, I've tried all the other suggestions including-
1. direct USB connection
2. Not color managed
3. calibrate monitor
4. update drivers
5. select correct ICC profile
etc., etc., etc!!!
What did it for me-
DUH!
Nozzle Check - to indicate that there was a problem, and
Head Cleaning - to correct the problem.
Now, printed photos look like previews on screen.
Hope this helps someone else.
Thank you Epson!
Dave

I have to chime in and say that:
1. I used to have the same problem with dark prints from LR to my Epson R1800.
2. I'm quite convinced that the problem is due to either a combination of the following, or just one of the following:
2.a. A "faulty" driver installation. Wrong driver ppc driver instead of macintel driver. Multiple drivers installed with different version numbers. It is possible to end up with two drivers for one epson printer. I know. I have.
2b. Not setting up LR AND the Mac OS print dialog options correctly when printing.
2c. Not installing the printer correctly in the System Preferences.
2d. An ink problem in the printer. Clogging etc.
Possible solutions:
Check in Computer:Library:Printers: to see if you have more than one driver installed.
Or just trash anything Epson in this folder and reinstall the driver. (Keep a backup if you don't know what you are doing, and don't blame me if you mess things up ;-) .
Make sure you install the correct driver, don't use the ppc-driver on an intel-mac.
When you add your printer in the system preferences make sure to click on the "More Printers" button and choose either Epson-USB or Epson-Firewire (Depends on how you connect it obviously). DON'T install it in the first dialog window that appears after you click the +button in the Printers and Fax window in system preferences.
In LR you have to set up correctly with the correct icc-profile for your paper.
In LR press Page Setup and choose the correct printer and paper format in that os dialog.
In LR press the Printer Settings button and in that os dialog window you have to choose no color management - as stated many times before :-)
And of course you have to select the correct paper here as well and other settings like "best photo" and so on.
Make sure you have Standard selected as the Preset in the Print Settings dialog and then Option-click on the Save button to save your settings.
Now you can make a template in LR with your settings.
You shall always use Standard as the preset even when you make a new print template in LR with different settings. Somehow they stick when you use Standard, but they don't stick if you choose a different name for the preset in the os print settings dialog.
I hope you can understand all of the above let me know if not and I will try to explain.
/Andreas

Leopard + Aperture 2 + Epson R1800 == very dark prints

Hi,
Before I upgraded to Leopard, I was able to get very nice prints from Aperture on my Epson R1800 printer.
After I upgraded to Leopard, the prints end up very dark. A bit of additional info follows.
My monitor is correctly calibrated.
I installed new drivers from Epson's website (v6.12), and I verified I'm using those, and not Apple's Gutenprint drivers.
In the print settings I turn color management off, and than select correct ICC profile in the Aperture that matches paper and quality settings. For example, for printing on Epson Premium Glossy paper with PhotoRPM settings, I select "SPR1800 PrmGlsy PhotoRPM.icc" profile. Hit print, and after a bit of time the print comes out of the printer very dark. This sounds like ICC profile got dropped someplace along the way (in Aperture? in driver?).
If I go the other route, and let driver/printer manage color by selecting either normal or vivid options in print settings, and than use "system managed" setting in Aperture, the prints come out bright (maybe even a bit too bright). However, in this case the colors are off. Very off. Skin tones are especially bad with strong yellowish cast (people on the prints look if they were seriously sick).
Has anybody managed to get usable prints from Aperture 2 + Leopard combo on Epson R1800? Or any other comparable Epson printer (R800, R2400, new R1900)?
Searching forums, I found a lot of articles discussing Leopard and Epson printers problems for Adobe products (CS2/CS3/LightRoom), but not much for Aperture 2.
Unrelated question... I attempted to ask this in Aperture forum, but there was no post link. Do I need something special to be able to ask questions there?

Well, believe it or not, with the help of Epson support on the phone, I've figured this out. First of all, there is definitely a problem with Aperture's color management. What used to work (setting a color profile in the Aperture print dialog, and selecting "no color management" in the printer dialog) definitely does not work at this point.
If you want color management, what you have to do is select "System Managed" in the Aperture print dialog, and select "Color Controls - Epson Standard" in the Epson dialog. What this does is select the standard Epson profile for the paper you have selected. For example, if you've chosen Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper, the printer driver will use the "SPR1800 Premium Glossy" profile (Epson's standard profile for that paper, assuming you've downloaded it). Of course, that gives you Epson's version of what you want to print. If you have created your own profiles, using a spectrophotometer for example, you need to get the printer driver to apply YOUR profile instead of Epson's.
Here's how to apply your profile: Open Colorsync (in the Utilities folder), and select "Printers" in the Devices menu. Under the printer model, Stylus Photo R1800, for my case, select the profile for the paper you're interested in, say "SPR1800 Premium Glossy", and look on the right side of the window at "Current Profile:". Click the down arrow, and select "Other". Navigate to the profile you've created, and click "Open". This will set the profile you've created as what the printer driver will use when it thinks it's applying the SPR1800 Premium Glossy profile. Set other paper profiles (e.g., "SPR1800 Enhanced Matte") to whatever profile you've created for those papers.
Now, when you select "System Managed" in the Aperture dialog, and "Color Controls - Epson Standard" in the Epson dialog, it will apply your own profile.
Hopefully, Apple will fix the problem with color management, and we'll be able to go back to color management as it was before. In the meantime, this is the only work-around I've found.

Dark prints with B9180 printer

I've been getting dark prints using the B9180 printer. They are all darker than what I see on the monitor. I'm using PSElements 8 and Windows XP Pro.
I've tried about every combination possible using both the PSE 8 options and the HP color options [Optimize for Printing...for Computer Screen, No Color Management, PSE Manages, Printer Manages, colorSmart/sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), Application Managed Colors, etc], and some of these just make it worse than other combinations, especially anything with Application Managed Colors. I've read many postings on various web sites and they all seem to deal with Photoshop users, not Elements. Can it be as simple as my new HP S2331 23 inch monitor is out of calibration, after about 1 month's use?
I would really appreciate some suggestions and help.
Thanks in advance.

As to my printer drivers, after installing Snow Leopard, I was unable to print using LR2.5. The print would fail generating an error. I then installed the new drivers from the Epson web site: epson13113.dmg for my Epson R2400. This "worked" in that it did not generate an error, but would just transmit to printer and then quit.
Up to that point I had done a minimum of web reading, I just had seen that Matt K. from Kelby and others had been using SN and LR2 successfully. With my two failures, I googled extensively. I deleted all my printers, downloaded the new 10/22 Apple Epson drivers, re-ran the Epson drivers, etc, etc, etc, stopping and restarting along the way until I was able to obtain CS4 prints using SL with my Epson R2400.
At that point, I returned to my initial objective, which was to obtain (re-obtain, if you will as I previously had them) quality prints from LR. The early prints were harsh and less than acceptable, and when I got the "Sun in the dark" picture that I could quantify, I knew I had a definite issue and posted to this forum.
(I am assuming that my deletion of the profiles while seeking to update driver is how I generated my initial inconsistency that was part of my original post).
I now looks like I had a color space problem. I have deleted and re-generated the psd "Edit in Photoshop" image. Again, on the screen, the edit and the original appear identical and as the CS4 print is correct, I am left, it appears to me, with a LR2.5 printing issue unless I can find some configuration issue. The two pictures are definitely different with the flesh tone pink and some of the background colors "lighter" in the LR2 print.
(As a side, I don't think this would matter, the original pics were taken as raw nef from a D700 camera using a 105mm VR2 macro lens).
Thanks for your time.

Another "Dark Prints" with Lightroom discussion

Ok, i've read every post on the internet on this topic. I've tried EVERY combination and solution out there. I have an Epson rx580 photo printer with iBook G4. Prints great in PSE4 and other apps (iphoto, etc). When printing in Lightroom...everything is really dark. Not just a tad. I've used epson profiles, managed by printer, managed by lightroom, changd color profiles, no color management,epson vivid...you name it. The only thing that comes close is choosing colorsync. My monitor is calibrated thru color vision Spyder system. I've reformatted HD, reinstalled lightroom, epson drivers, software. eliminated all non epson drivers. Hooked directly in USB slot on laptop...cleaned heads, alighned heads....changed cartridges. What gives???? I should not have find printing anymore difficult in lightroom than PSE 4. Oh yea..I only loaded lightroom when reformatted HD (no PSE4). Did I miss anything else? Please don't reply with any obvious answers that are already all over the net. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Abery-
I've previously posted a thread similar to yours. I use an Epson R2400 with a MacPro using OS 10.4.10. Every print came out darker than what appeared on the screen. I too tried "every" solution mentioned, which I won't repeat here. Alas, while roaming the forums I came upon a solution that appears to solve the "dark print" issue, although I'm not completely sure why. Here it is. With a photo selected from Library, select an appropriate template in Print. In the Print Job select the appropriate paper Profile in Color Management. Use Page Setup to select your printer and the appropriate paper info. Next select Print Settings to select your printer AGAIN and make sure the Preset is STANDARD. Select Print Settings, then appropriate Media Type. In the same box I've selected the Mode-Advanced, Print Quality-Best Photo, checked High Speed and Finest Detail. Under Color Management (especially important) select No Color Adjustment. All of the above has been mentioned in many previous threads. What comes next is the critical part I found recently one dark night when I was too tired to remember where, although I wrote down the procedure to try later. With all the above set up the suggestion was to then HOLD the OPTION key and select Print. This apparently bypasses the subsequent printer dialog and sends the info from LR directly to the printer. Therefore there is no double management as has been mentioned in other threads. The process results in the print being as nearly identical to the monitor as I have ever been able to produce.
David

[FIX] Darker prints and color shifts when printing from Lightroom 2

Hi,
The problem :
When printing RAW or TIFF files from LR2, you get a printer output that
is much darker than it should be and that presents various color shifts.
I'm using an Epson Stylus Pro 3800 with the latest Windows driver
(6.50 - which is rather old by the way). The workaround described below
works for me under Windows XP SP3. It should also probably work with
other systems/printers/drivers. Use at your own (minor) risk.
The "official" procedure for printing from LR is as follows:
1. Do not let the printer manage colors and select "Other..." from the
profile dropdown list and select the ICC/ICM paper/printer profile that
you want to use.
2. Click on Print... in LR which opens the Print Settings dialog.
3. Select the options you need and the paper you're using.
4. **Disable the color management from the driver's side** (in Epson's
drivers, "Mode | Custom | No Color Adjustments").
5. Print
Unfortunately, **this doesn't work** for many of us and this produces a
print that is dark and has color shifts as mentioned above. Note that
the same image prints correctly from QImage or Photoshop CS3 (that is,
the printer output corresponds to what you see on your calibrated
display).
Apparently, although color management has been (allegedly) disabled in
the driver, there's something wrong between LR and the driver which
makes that *both* LR and the driver are still trying to manage colors.
In other words, the "No Color Adjustements" option of the driver doesn't
seem to work with LR.
The workaround (found after hours of hair pulling and paper and
expensive ink wasting):
In step #4,
1. Instead of selecting "No Color Adjustments", set Mode to "Custom |
ICM
2. Click Advanced...
3. Check "Show all profiles".
4. Select Driver ICM (Advanced)"
5. Set **both** the "Input profile" and the "Printer profile" fields to
the very same profile that you specified in LR.
That is, if you specified Pro38 PGPP (Premium Glossy Photo Paper) in LR,
then also select Pro38 PGPP in both "Input Profile" and "Printer
Profile". This has actually the same effect has disabling color
management in the driver (what "No Color Adjustements" should normally
take care of).
That's it. When printing, you'll get exactly the same color results as
when printing from QImage or Photoshop. No more dark prints. No more
color shifts.
One might think that the bug is in the Epson driver but in that case,
QImage would have the very same problem. So I tend to think that the bug
is on the Lightroom side.
Note: Although Photoshop CS3 produces a correct printer output, it
demonstrates the same problem as LR when using the "Match Print Color"
option for soft proofing. But in that case, only the preview colors are
wrong. The printer output is ok. Which also tends to demonstrate that
Adobe has the problem, not Epson. Or maybe both... :-) .
Don't ask me why some users have the problem and other don't.
Hope this helps.
Patrick Philippot
MainSoft Consulting Services
www.mainsoft.fr

A sincere thank you for your reply, Michael. Sorry about the "it just doesn't make sense" shortcut. I have been trying to solve this issue since LR 1.1, spending dozens of hours on different trials and digesting everything written on this forum and the B9180 forum about color management and double profiling. My shortcut was a summation of my experience (and my frustration) but doesn't really advance the conversation. Here are some data that should be more useful in diagnosing the problem.
I am running Windows XP SP2. I calibrate my monitor monthly with the Spyder. The reason I suspect this may be an issue of double profiling is because the results (moderately strong magenta overlay plus an increase in contrast) match what more knowledgeable people than I on this forum describe when double profiling occurs. Perhaps I shouldn't presume it is double profiling, and follow Patrick Philippot's lead in naming the problem "color shifts." Patrick does refer in post #2 of this thread, however, to obvious double profiling.
I certainly do have a successful and consistent print method. With PS CS3, and either my Epson 1280 or my HP B9180, the output is almost always dead on. Here is how I do it. In PS from the print dialog box, under color handling I always choose "Photoshop manages colors." Then under printer profile I select the profile designated by the manufacturer for a particular paper/printer combination. Then in the printer driver I disable printer control of color. With the Epson I check the box "Off (No Color Adjustment)." With the B9180 I choose the option "Application Managed Colors." While I sometimes may tweak the final output, these procedures have served me well with PS for several years.
Contrasted with my positive PS experience, my experience with LR printing has been inconsistent. I regret having to be so imprecise but truly sometimes LR produces accurate results that match the calibrated monitor, but most of the time it does not. I use standard procedures with LR that parallel the PS ones described above. In LR's printing panel, under color management, I specify the correct profile, just as I did for PS. Then in the printer driver I use the same procedures I use with PS. Most of the time the prints have the magenta overlay and too much contrast.
BTW, the inconsistent LR printing only takes place with my HP B9180. I have never had any problem with off-color LR prints with my Epson 1280. Again, I emphasize that I have standard procedures that always work with PS (no matter which printer) and LR (but only with the Epson).
Unfortunately the LR printing problems are intermittent. Some of the time (perhaps 20%) LR produces fine prints in the B9180, indistinguishable from PS prints. When LR is printing well, it will continue to print fine until "something happens" and the output shows the color shift. This means I do not get a random sequence of good-bad-good-bad prints, but rather good-good-x factor-bad-bad-bad. Ths problem is that I do not know what this "x factor" is. Once, when LR was giving me accurate output, I simply changed the default printer (Control Panel-Printers and Faxes) from the B9180 to my Samsung 1430 laser; immediately afterwards the LR output colors shifted. Did LR react to this change in default printers? Another time I had good LR printing success with version 1.2 but ran into the problems described above when I upgraded to version 1.3.
Sorry for the long post. I am hoping that someone will see something that I am missing and provide a hint. I think, though, that Patrick is correct when he states, "I tend to think that the problem is with LR. After all, similar issues (obvious double profiling) are observed only in LR but with various printers."

Photoshop, Epson 7880 and Dark Prints

I use Photoshop exclusively for printing to my Epson 7880. Recently upgraded to Snow Leopard ( 10.6.6 ) which has resulted in my 7880 prints being too dark. Printed beautifully under 10.5x. Looking for discussions on possible solutions or approaches. Anybody out there in the same boat? I have the latest drivers - at least according to Epson - and would be happy to upgrade to CS5 ( currently CS3 ) but only if there is good evidence it would help. Sorta desperate here, have orders unfulfilled.
24" 2.8 Ghz iMac, OS 10.6.6, Psd. 10.0.1

I have the Epson 7880 setup under 10.6.6 and Photoshop 12.0.2 and it seems to be working under this "Photoshop Manages Colors" Off (no color management) work flow:
http://www.gballard.net/photoshop/epson/cs5/
You may aso want to review Adobe's spin on the Dark print issue
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/875/cpsid_87512.html
but it was also written for CS5...

Help me solve color and dark print issue with a new monitor recommendation!

I know, I hate "surveys" too. I'm thinking of attacking my color and dark printing issues w\LR and CS4, by investing in a new monitor. I currently have an 20' early edition Apple Cinema Display. The monitor is the last hardware (software) item in my current upgrade cycle. From those folks who are NOT having color or print problems, what displays are you using (or would recommend)? Ah, and price is an issue. Apologies in advance to those who think this is not appropriate use of the Forum.

Monitor calibration is the first port of call. Sometimes changing one item in a system is enough to show up a colour management issue. You suggest that the monitor is the last item in your upgrade cycle, what all have you changed? Computer, printer? There may also be a setting you have failed to set when you installed the new software, eg. have you remembered to set relative colorimetric with the black point compensation box ticked, disable colour management in your printer driver and put an appropriate colour profile for your monitor onto the new computer? You also need the correct profile for your printer/paper combination set up in Photoshop.
If you haven't calibrated your monitor, that on its own will give you poor prints, but all the other bits are needed also.
Jo

CS4 and Epson 11880 dark prints

I read about some issues with dark prints and CS4. I am able to print correctly to an Epson 9800 and 3800 but the 11880 prints dark when using CS4 (color or b&w). I use OS X 10.5.5 and have the latest drivers and firmware. Is this the same issue others are having? Any ideas for a fix?
Settings:
Photoshop dialog = Photoshop manages color
Epson driver = No color management
Print = dark output
P.S. The soft proof on the screen looks like it should (similar to CS3 soft proof) but the print does not match the soft proof, like I said too dark.
Thanks in advance for any help or info...
Jeff

Here we go again.
The first thing I would do is try the ColorSync workaround to determined if double profiling is going on here.
You could also try convert to profile (paper/printer) and then choose Printer Manages Color in the PS dialog and then turn off CM in the driver. See if it makes any difference.

Dark Prints from Epson R1900 w/ Colormunki

I use the Epson R1900 and Colormunki and still get dark prints. Here is my setup.
GEForce 8600 GT video card
Sceptre DCLCD20 monitor
Epson Stylus R1900 printer
In the calibration process, I have to turn my monitor Brightness control all the way to 0 to get to come close to what Colormunki wants.
I have to turn off the Enbale DDC Calibration function in the preferences or Colormunki sets my monitor so dark, I can barely see it.
I've tried printing in both Lightroom 2.4 and PS CS4 using the Colormunki generated profile and both prints come out dark - the same but dark
In LR, my color management settings are Profile: Epson ... (my profile) and Rendering intent: perceptual.
In PS CS4, my Color Handling settings are Photoshop Manages Color; Printer Prilfe is my colormunki generated profile, Rendering intent is perceptual.
Both print previews look fine.
Both prints come out dark
Any suggestions would be appreciated?

I don't use a Colormunki..but what you say here
kentmcpherson wrote:
In the calibration process, I have to turn my monitor Brightness control all the way to 0 to get to come close to what Colormunki wants.
I have to turn off the Enbale DDC Calibration function in the preferences or Colormunki sets my monitor so dark, I can barely see it.
sounds very strange. Usually when profiling a monitor and setting the luminance value (which is either called the brightness or backlight) control, you start from the brightest point the monitor will go to and then the device measures this and sets a recommended luminance value measured in cm2 (that is candles to the square meter) and you reset your monitor brightness until it matches the required value. Are you reading the instructions carefully as what you say here just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Setting the monitor to 0 (o what?) and saying the calibration device sets your monitor brightness (this will be done on the monitor controls not by a calibration device)
If you are also using the colomunki to make printer profiles I have heard of several serious problems with the device regarding this. I understand it makes icc v4 profiles and your printer drivers may use icc v 2...this will cause difficulties. You will usually be better using the canned profiles supplied by any paper manufacturer than attempting to make your own profiles with these cheaper end of the market devices in my experience.

CS3, Epson 2880 - Dark Prints

Hopefully some one might be able to help as I am a tad stumped with a problem of dark prints from CS3 on an Epson 2880.
Macbook Pro with 10.4 Tiger
I have a calibrated monitor
CS3 setup with American Prepress colour settings
Raw picture imported into CS3 with Adobe RGB profile
So I edit the picture as required and then open the print window where I tell photoshop to manage the colours and select the correct ICC profile for my printer and paper. I then go to the Epson print driver and select the correct media type and turn off colour management.
The picture that is printed is 1 to 2 stops darker than what is should be.
Now the strange thing is if I use the Epson Print Plug-in the picture that it displays is generally dark like the print output.
If I didnt know better I would say that another ICC profile is being applied to the picture as it moves either to the print driver or to the Epson Plug-in.
If I check the picture in CS3 with proofing then I get a small colour change as expected but not the dark print that comes out.
Any suggestions much appreciated as this is doing my head in.

Please do a forum search. There are already at least two other threads on the subject of dark prints.
Here are examples:
Eric Chan, "PS3 prints fine, PS4 prints too dark, same Mac" #12, 12 Dec 2008 6:07 am
Eric Chan, "Printer Dialog Box in CS4 - Printing Grayscale Images" #26, 4 Dec 2008 8:57 pm

Why do I get a darker printed picture than what I see on the screen of my iMac

why do I get a darker printed picture than what I see on the screen of my iMac

Because your screen is calibrated incorrectly? Because you are using an Adobe RGB color profile instead of the recommended sRGB? Because your printer is not working correctly?
With no information other than "it does not work" guesses are all that one can provide
What set up do you have? What color profile are you using? How is your screen calibrated?
What else can you tell us?
LN

IPhoto dark prints

I know this subject has come up in the past however, I have followed all previous suggestions on this and other forums and the results continue to be the same; dark prints. I have calibrated the screen on my MacBook several times (Gamma set at 2.2), change the files' color profile, and tried to edit my pictures in optimal lighting conditions with little to no luck. In order for my pictures to print with a somewhat good exposure, I have to make severe adjustments before printing them. I am about to start editing my shots with Adobe Lightroom but, I was hoping to keep iPhoto because I love the software's functions and user interaction. Any suggestions as to how to fix the print issue? Thank you!

Larry:
I am sorry I didn't include this info before. Here are the answers.
"What is the source of the photos?"
Canon 60D, Canon T2i, and Leica D-Lux 5
"What was the original Color Profile and What did you change it to?"
I went through all color profiles RGB, Adobe RGB, and sRGB. I got better results with RGB, and best results with sRGB however, I still had to make major adjustments before printing to obtain the right exposure from the print.
"How are you printing them? Local printer? If so what? Photo print service?"
All of the above. To be more specific, ordered prints through iPhoto, Polaroid photo lab, CVS and Walgreens photo services. In regards to local printer, HP Officejet 4500 with "photo paper from main tray" selected on the print menu on both iPhoto and Preview.
"What version of iPhoto?"
9.6
"Of the OS?"
OS X Yosemite 10.10
"Have you tried exporting one and printing using Preview? If so what were those results?"
I have and the results are much better. I have also tried to print straight from Lightroom and I am getting great results however, to be fair, Lightroom does give me more control when it comes to printing. I only seem to have this issue when the image is emailed, copied, or printed from iPhoto. I've had this problem for a while but I wasn't printing much in past so I just ignored it.
Thanks again!

Epson R2400: Printing Issue: Dark printing after 10.7?

This question goes out to all of the Epson R2400 printer owners whom, if you're like me and have had one for a while, seem to have printing issues after every little change in the OS:
In Brief: Printing to the Epson R2400 via USB direct from iMac was printing well; outputing from InDesign, PhotoShop, and Acrobat Pro (all are CS5). I am not 100% sure because this is not a printer that I use daily, but I believe that I am having these printing issues after upgrading to 10.7.2 from 10.7.1.
The issue is that an output is very dark overall, or (after tweaking settings) will have a dramatic color shift to heavy magenta/black. In general, my traditional printer settings no longer produce correct outputs.
Anyone that has any suggestions or similar issues, I would like to hear about it.
Notes:
1. Yes, I completed all of the tradional voodoo magic: I cleared the printer caches, removed the printer, setup a new printer, updated the drivers via Apple software update, then once that didn't work, updated the drivers from Epson - even reverting to the older v6.5 drivers. I'm now back to the v8 drivers from the Apple software update.
2. My printing tests are being conducted using a standard color test file that I've used to calibrate color on this Epson R2400 for years. I generally know that when this file doesn't print correctly something is afoot.
3. My first attempt at correction was simply checking head alignment and completing a general cleaning of the heads. Didn't help.
4. General question: Does anyone know of a compatible printer manufacturer of similar quality of output that actually cares about Mac users? Epson just never seems to really care about keeping their Apple drivers up to date or making sure that they work properly. Humble opinion.

Ok. I believe that it all comes down to the use of a third-party ink.
I didn't realize that there was a switch to a "refill" ink (to save money it appears) on the light-light-black and magenta. Switching back to Epson ink cleared the matter up.
I guess sometimes it's the simple things that elude us...

Dark prints w/R2400, LR 1.3.1 & OS X 10.5.1

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