I am also a new print fix pro user and have nothing but praise for what colorvision has achieved. I printed the small target and got the same dark results you speak about. I also kept tweaking sliders with horrible results until I figured out that I had not set up my printer driver correctly. I had my media setting at plain paper. I will make a long story short by stating that once I had adjusted my printer settings correctly the results were fantastic. I have since built two profiles using the 729 patch targets and am stunned at the quality prints they produce. It took me about an hour to read the target and build the profile. Kudos to colorvision. I am now getting far better results with my color managed system than ever before. No more canned profiles for me.
Thanks Colorvision
Tom Green
-------Original Message-------
Date: 08/05/06 22:55:43
Subject: [colorvision_group] PrintFix Pro profile problems
Hi all.
As a new print fix pro user I am finding I cannot achieve the results I was expecting.
I am presuming that I am doing something wrong, but of course I need direction to see if this is correct or it is another issue
I am hoping that the knowledgeable users on this forum can point me in the right direction
I am currently running a AMD 3000+(32 Bit) 2 gig ram with a ATI 9600XT.
The printer is an Epson 4800 with Epson K3 inks.
The monitor is a 17" LCD profiled with Syder2PRO and is shows reasonable consistency with printed material to date.
I use Qimage Studio for my normal printing and I also use Photoshop PS2 and Corel Draw X3.
Printer Colour Management is set to Off in the printer driver and I use the relevant profile for the paper type in all the programs above.
In Qimage I have the ability to select the same image multiple times and select different profiles for each instance of that image.
In this case, the paper I am trying to profile is Kodak(Encad) photo glossy Rapid dry 180 Gsm.
I wanted to profile a paper I have that I have known results with and am reasonably happy with those results.
The Epson Premium Glossy Photo paper profile downloaded from the Epson site produces a print similar to what the soft proof shows in either Qimage or CS2 and a final print that is acceptable.
I have printed a 729 Patch target and have measured this with the same paper type placed under the printed target.
The Spectrocolorimeter is calibrated after doing about 20 measures of the white tile. (I find that the measurements keep rising when first used up to a certain value then stay reasonably constant from that point)
I then measure the target, recheck to see if I have botched any measurements and go to create profile.
I create the profile, print the test image and it is very dark.
I then try and print with the new profile using Qimage and PS2. The Soft proof seems to be acceptable and about what I am expecting.
However when I print the image with new image it again is very dark and oversaturated.
So I figure, read the instructions and see what the story is.
After spending days on adjusting sliders ; and printing many sheets of paper, I have found a semi reasonable print.
But it is still not as good as the standard profile and I am starting to lose heart.
I am also finding that with the sliders set as they are. +18 Brightness, - 5 Saturation. Now my soft proof for this profile is showing very light and washed out compared to what the actual print is.
I was hoping to basically measure and create a profile with out doing dozens of prints and adjustments.
My first questions are.
In the help file of Printfix pro it says "Most PrintFIX PRO profiles need no adjustment. PrintFIX PLUS profiles typically involve several rounds of adjusting and test printing to reach an optimal profile.
Does no adjustment mean only small adjustments?
How much adjustment of the sliders does the average person on this group have to make with Print fix pro?
Is my adjustment abnormal?
Should my soft proof be that far out from the actual print being produced?
Am I expecting to much or am I just not putting enough effort in?
What suggestions does anybody have for me to try and resolve this issue.
Please note: I have re-measured the Target three times now and get pretty much the same result. I had also checked my printer for a proper nozzle check prior to printing the target.
The standard test image when printed at the start seems to print pretty well and would actually be acceptable as is.
But at the end of the process the soft proof looks substantially different to the end print.
Should I continue to play with the sliders to try and get my good print profile or am I wasting my time with so much change required.
Thanks and look forward to some advice.
Paul
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