Epson R1800 new driver has caused colour change

<p>The hard disk on my Mac Book Pro crashed and I had to reinstall everything. The original driver for my R1800, which had produced perfect prints with a minimum of setting-changing, would no longer work with Snow Leopard and I had to download Epson's latest driver. That being the ONLY change, my prints now have a magenta/dark look to them, not severe but enough to want to correct, but nothing I've tried makes it any better.<br>

I should point out that I'm a working photographer and what I see on screen is the same colour as what appears in print and what prints out from my smaller Epson R285 printer. I'm not worried about calibrating my screen. As far as I'm concerned it displays the colour correctly.<br>

I'm loathe to buy a new printer as there's nothing wrong with this one but it looks like I might have to. Epson, as you might have guessed, have been no use at all.<br>

I've got through loads of paper trying various profiles, paper, print from Photoshop/print from Printer options and all the usual stuff but nothing helps.<br>

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.</p>

<p>PS. The older driver the one that worked perfectly) is probably on a back up disk but I've no idea what it might be called or how I would install it even if I found it.</p>

<p>Have you tried using Apple's version of the driver instead of the driver directly downloaded from Epson's site?</p>

<p>I've had the same issues with my $70 Epson NX400 "3 in 1" where in Tiger I could have the image in AdobeRGB and use specific non-traditonal settings in the Epson driver using "Printer Manages Color" and get almost perfect color match on Ultra Premium Gloss.</p>

<p>Bought a new Snow Leopard system and used Apple's driver for my Epson which Epson had none available on their site and now have to convert images to sRGB to get the same results. Don't know what changed but it's my way of rolling with it.</p>

<p>You may have to try other settings or do a search online for what others did to fix the issue.</p>

<p>You can save on ink and paper by creating a 1in. by 3in. color test strip. I use the skin tone section from the PDI target and a grayramp.</p>

<p>i had the same problem--but very dark and greenish--and spent hours and much ink with adobe and epson tech support. no joy. finally, epson high level tech support basically admited the drivers were lousy. i figured out that i can print in lightroom and use printer control [not ps] and get good color altho not as reliably as i used to get.</p>

<p>Neville, this is in response to your message you sent me.</p>

<p>This can get complicated so before you start switching drivers or downloading anything, try printing from another app like Safari, Preview or any other app that allows printing. Note the differences in feature selections in all the menus. Some features will be left out and added.</p>

<p>Do a straight print test with a small color test file that doesn't use up a lot of ink. Do several prints using different settings with two versions of the image, one converted to sRGB and the other AdobeRGB. Do the AdobeRGB version first and check for desaturation and if so then stick with the sRGB version. Try using another paper profile similar to the one you're using in the Epson driver for instance Matte vs Glossy. I print to Ultra Premium Glossy paper but select the Premium Glossy profile which makes a world of difference in getting a match.</p>

<p>Another thing is I'ld suggest you get very familiar with Printer and Fax Preferences in System Preferences panel by clicking on the (?) mark symbol in that specific preference panel and read all it says. I had to do this to figure out specific steps in determining which driver (Apple or Epson) was being used for my NX400.</p>

<p>I had to rely on Apple's Software Update which alerted there was an updated driver for my NX400 (that's how I knew I was using Apple's version). When I went to download from Epson's site, there wasn't a driver for Snow Leopard. So I basically relied on process of elimination. You'll have to induce Apple Software Update to get the Apple version of yours which may require a complete uninstall of ALL Epson drivers associated with your model.</p>

<p>Another thing from reading about Epson and Snow Leopard printer issues with users online is that it may or may not require an uninstall of the existing Epson driver in <strong>combination</strong> with whether to plug or unplug the USB connect at the right time which I'm not sure about off hand. It may be different for your Epson model. </p>

<p>I'ld also suggest reading up on these Apple tech docs on printing out of Snow Leopard.</p>

<p>http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3771<br>

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669</p>

<p>I'm still not sure what the differences are between Apple's version of the driver and Epson's for my model because their interface menu settings are identical which don't allow Photoshop's control of color. Your model may have different steps that offer much more features and options that have to integrate with Photoshop's Color Management.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Tim,<br>

Thanks for that. I have downloaded the latest Gutenprint driver for the R1800 and Snow Leopard and tried a print. It's better but now it's too yellow! AND, I only managed that one print, all the subsequent ones have come out black and white. I've checked all the settings and nowhere does it say print b/w. Time to start tearing my hair out I think.</p>

<p>i assume people are using photoshop. try printing out of lightroom using the 'epson vivid' setting under printer controls output, with the correct paper profile enabled. i'd be curious to know if it solves the problem for anyone else. i went nuts before discovering this fix.</p>

<p>Terry, a good suggestion if I had Lightroom but I don't. I can't help thinking that it's this "Epson Vivid" setting that has caused the problem. It only appeared with the new driver.<br>

I've got it back to printing colour now so that's something!</p>

<p>1_theres no difference printign from lightroom or photoshop.. if you dont get good result with one, you wont get with the other.. and if you do.. thats because you are not doing the same thing.</p>

<p>Theres 2 way to pritn with a epson; from a color managed software like Photoshop or Lightroom let say and turning OFF color management in the Epson driver. Or turn off color management in your Photoshop / Lightroom (by choosing Let printer determine color) and setting all the rest in the epson driver... other than that you are just making everything way more difficult than it is.</p>

<p>2_using the gutenprint driver with any epson for color printing is ok at best.. but dont work as the epson driver, and will not give you what you are suppose to get.</p>

<p>I've tried to simulate what's happening, with what I print, with the pic below. The first column is what I'm happy with on screen, the second is what the horrendous new driver from Epson did and the third one is what the Gutenprint driver does. As the Gutenprint driver can be adjusted for each ink colour, can anyone tell me what I should be tweaking? I've tried reducing the yellow and then the magenta and then tried increasing the blue but without any decent result.</p>

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<p>im not gonna even talk anymore about the gutenprint since you are probably the first and last person that will use it (really a bad idea).</p>

<p>So about the middle shot.. how to you EXACTLY print via Photoshop... and with what EXACT epson driver... because what you show here look more like a bad paper profile than a 1800 driver problem.. could be, but the only problem i know is the way over dark print that people now get with the driver (on PC at least) vs what they used to get printing properly in both case.</p>

<p>I think you are or not using the correct icc profile to print, or not using the correct driver.. or not the correct way.</p>

<p>heres a how to i wrote years ago and it still pretty much it even today.. have a look.</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00MBIJ</p>

 

<p>partick,<br>

what you say makes perfect sense, but i spent hours with both adobe and epson high level tech people and could not get good prints using ps5. i had had perfect results with ps3 or 4 on an old xp computer. i now have both mbp and a windows 7 desktop, and just could not get--even with their help--ps to print color accurate prints with my r1800. when used lr, the prints came out much more accurate--altho they needed some teaking as is to be expected. so if you can help me when the techs cannot print with ps i would be very grateful. i'd prefer to reduce the switching back and forth. thanks, terry</p>

 

<p>Terry, with all respect i have for both companies, and there (ok) support.. you are talking with people who are use to fix technical problem a la my printer dont print, i dont see it in the browser etc... not people that are use to deal with photographer with color problem.</p>

<p>Heck! i was at a espon show 3 weeks ago, and one of the most popular question was *how much it cost to make a 8x10 print* .. the rep there after all is speech could not give peoples a close answer.. 2$ would have been already in the ball park.. or he couldtn say that only printer starting with the r3000 can print BW correctly.. as for him, all of is printer can.. agree with him.. but he didtn say they print bw with a cast.</p>

<p>So all this to say that i and you should have low expectation when contacting people over the phone that are not sesible about photographic matters.</p>

<p>How do you EXACTLY print with Ps.. meaning make a screen capture of your Photoshop print menu. Then what printer driver are you using. and what are the option your are choosing in the epson driver.</p>

<p>Make me 2 screen capture showing me this, and i will do my best to give you the answer.</p>

<p>So, Patrick, do you think there's any point me delving into the millions-of-print-options business or should I just resign myself to the idea that Epson and Apple between them have ruined my printer and I should just buy a new one?<br>

If there was any such thing as a real expert out there, I'd be prepared to pay them to sort this out but, judging by the hundreds of different solutions to printing problems that I see on the internet, and I quote, "no one knows anything". It would also be nice if the manufacturers admitted when they'd messed things up.</p>

<p>Neville, if printing, business and clients are important.. you should invest in a more robust and pro printer for sure.. such as a r3000, a 2880 or a bigger printer (or use a Costco that print with a epson printer, they are coming to be everywhere now)</p>

<p>any printer below those number, are made for amateur in mind.. people with less demanding need that you, and me. Fortunatly theres is such thing as a expert out there, glad to present myself to you.. and my free advice will be to;</p>

<p>1_stop using gutenprint</p>

<p>2_use a better printer that is well supported as today</p>

<p>3_making test, and test and test will only make you more upset and non productive. I dont know for you.. but for me, time is money, and if i can get all up and running NOW by investing in a 600$ printer such as a r3000 (300$ for a used 2400) i will without hesitation IF it could make me on track.</p>

<p>Other than that i can feel your frustration, i understand that this printer was once working perfectly.. but Apple release new OS, Epson have difficulty following them up (or dont want to) and it is up to you (with or help) to find a solution for now. So send me those print capture showing me how you print from Photoshop and what setting you are putting in the REAL epson driver.. and i will do all i can to help.</p>

<p>To start with you could maybe reset the whole print center by going into system / preference / pritn and fax... and hold the ALT key while you click on the white window.. from there you will have a *reset printing system* and from there, you will need to <strong>download the latest printer driver from Epson on the epson web site.</strong></p>

<p>Then you return after in this print and fax menu, click the + sign and find your pritner using the epson driver. Now you try to print using the correct way (1 of the 2 i suggest) then if its fail.. you go into Apple Software update and you select the Epson that you should now have there to be download... go back to pritn and fax, delete the printer by pressing -, then add it back with the + sign.</p>

<p>Make sure you are not selecting the gutenprint driver... and redo a print following 1 of the 2 method i suggest again.</p>

<p>If both method fail (epson driver and update driver from apple) you have done all you can do to fix the problem. Other than another obscure solution.. get ready for a new printer... all of this can be done and fixed in the next hour.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks so much to Patrick. You save me when adobe and epson failed miserably. you were generous with your time and expert in your advise and you put up with what were, in retrospect stupid errors on my part, with patience. i am very very grateful. epson owns you a boatload of ink for helping keep a customer, when their tech support gave no joy.<br>

merci</p>

<p>Yeah, I tried the Gutenprint driver on my dinky $70 Epson NX400 and got terrible yellow results. See below.</p>

<p>Your purplish center version looks very close to what I get on my NX400 when using Ultra Premium Glossy Paper profile in the Epson driver printing on Ultra Premium Glossy Paper. I switched to the regular Premium Glossy Paper profile while still printing to Ultra Premium Gloss Paper and it gave me a better match as shown below.</p>

<p>Have you tried switching profiles of similar paper types like I did with the glossy?</p>

<p>I'll throw out my Epson driver setting workaround to getting color matches and see if it works for you.</p>

<p>I start out with the image in sRGB (converted from AdobeRGB). The numbers have to be written in sRGB.<br /> Then in PS (mine is CS3) print dialog I switch to "Printer Manages Color".<br /> In Epson Print Settings menu-Premium Glossy Paper selected, Print Quality: Best Photo/High Speed.<br /> Color Matching menu options are grayed out with Epson Color Controls selected instead of Colorsync so I skip it.<br /> In Color Management menu I have Color Control button selected/Mode: AdobeRGB (instead of Epson Vivid) and 1.8 selected as Gamma.</p>

<p>You may have similar settings as these but in different places and maybe slight variance to name or terms. If your results are too saturated, then go back and convert image to AdobeRGB and print again using the same settings above. I had to experiment to find these specific settings to get the match seen below.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Hello everyone. OK so it appears that Gutenprint is not a good idea. Trouble is, I don't know how to get rid of it and I can't find the proper Epson driver. Print & Fax/Options and Supplies/Driver/Other takes me a random place on my hard disk. Where will I find my Epson Driver?<br>

With reference to everyone's insistence that I'm using the wrong profile, to get my previously perfect results I let the Printer Determine Colours and used the right paper type - more info when I can get back to my Epson driver and get rid of this Gutenprint one. I'm also using Epson inks, which are new, they haven't been standing around or anything like that. I've tried mis-matching the paper but that makes very little difference.</p>

<p>Right, I found the right Epson driver, so here are my settings:</p><div></div>

<p>If I can only upload one pic at a time then this'll be the Photoshop print box and the next one the Epson dialog box:</p>

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<p>And the Epson dialog box. I should point out that the problem occurs with both CS2 and CS5.</p>

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<p>Patrick and Tim, I don't really understand about the sRGB setting you mention. However the camera produces the picture is how I keep it so is my sRGB IEC61966-2.1 the profile that comes out of the camera? If not, what should I be changing? Once again I stress that sRGB IEC61966-2.1 is the profile I've been using all along until now and it worked fine from screen to print to publishing.<br>

Is the window below of any help?</p>

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<p>i didtn mention anything sRGB related, as i dont see how it could or would affect your file if you work in adobe rgb or srgb before printing.. Tim must have discover something..but the panel you post is good as it is. And your setting that you previously post are good except the epson vivid that produce more saturated color and sometime push them too far making a color cast appearing (what you seem to have) .. better to let it at normal vs vivid.</p>

<p>Also, you are using the second method of printing, the one where it is epson that managed the color. it is good, but i prefer when its Photoshop that managed the color as that way you can use other paper than epson and there associate icc profile.. the way you print right now you wont be able to do so.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Patrick, glad to know (in a way) that I'm not really doing anything wrong. I have tried printing from Photoshop but the results are very dark and with colours nothing like what's on my screen. And the (Epson) Standard colour rendition is not much different to Epson Vivid as far as my magenta bias goes. Thank you for your help. It looks like a new printer then.</p>

<p>To print via Photoshop...You select in Ps print menu, PHOTOSHOP MANAGED... select your Stylus R1800 correct icc profile that have the name of the paper in it.. something like Stylus Photo 1800 SemiGloss paper or similar name... then relative colorimetric, black point compensation check, press print and in the Epson driver you select ICM, and turn color management OFF.<br>

Then you select all the speed, paper choice as usual.</p>

<p>When people have bad result printing from Photoshop, it is mainly due to the wrong paper profile selection, and they didtn turn OFF the color management in Epson... it append yesterday to Terry ; )</p>

<p>Neville, there is no sRGB setting. I meant the image you are printing must be written in sRGB. If your image was a jpeg from a digital camera, find out what color space in the camera was chosen. Usually it's either AdobeRGB or sRGB. Either one, the camera <strong>writes</strong> the RGB numbers to that selected space.</p>

<p>What is the source of the image you are using as a test print? Photoshop Color Settings does not change or influence the RGB numbers in an image as long as the image had an embedded profile when you first opened it in Photoshop.</p>

<p>Forget Color Settings. The RGB Working Space selection only assigns that working space to images that DON'T have an embedded profile when they are first opened. You should get a warning box indicating if the image has an embedded profile like sRGB or AdobeRGB when you first open the image.</p>