Datacolor User to User Support Group.

Zounds! You're way more critical than I would ever be (or *could* be,  
with my red/green weakness), but in all kinds of situations that are  
logically similar, the best approach seems to be to repeat the  
process after all of the "machinery" has been completely "cooled",  
restarted and allowed to reach operating a stable operating state  
once again. Then compare the results. Since PFP produces numbers from  
which the profiles are created, it is a pretty easy thing to look for  
variation at that stage.

Other members of the group may be able to give you some idea of  
whether the variation you're getting normal.

*Does* your printer have the capability of reproducing the precise  
hues you want?

Yikes. I think I'll go back to black and white...

Myron



On 18-Feb-07, at 10:07 AM, prof_mgt551 wrote:

> Thanks for your detailed description of your procedure. I follow
> everything exactly as you describe with these exceptions:
>
> 1. I have printed the large 13x19 target.
> 2. I have NOT placed the target on a piece of black blotter paper. I
> am not sure how this would help.
> 3. I have NOT redone the measurements and made a number two
> calibration. It seems that if you are careful and precise in your
> measurements then this step is not necessary.
>
> My current profile prints the standard test target very accurately. If
> I made a landscape print, people would say it looks great and is a
> very close screen match. It is just that when I reproduce artwork, the
> color matching becomes critical, and it is here that the profile is
> not doing its job on certain hues. They are close, but close is not
> good enough for this type of work.
>
> I know the printer is working properly with no clogged heads. I have
> carefully examined the measurements of the patches on the monitor
> screen before building the profile and these look good. In some cases
> just to make sure I have remeasured some, but see no difference on the
> screen hue for that patch after remeasuring.
>
> If I didn't do the color critical artwork reproductions for artist and
> only did my landscape work, I would be very satisfied. Perhaps what I
> am seeing are limitations in the PrinFix Pro/ SpyderII Pro calibration
> profiling system and I need to consider an alternative.
>
>
> --- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, "PJS" <psandham@...> wrote:
>>
>> Try this:
>>
>> Starting with the basics, when you are printing your target patches
> to be
>> read, be sure the settings in the Epson print driver are correct. I
> would
>> set them to "Watercolor Paper - Radiant White"; Photo 1440dpi; No  
>> High
>> Speed; No Edge Smoothing; with the Color Management set to ICM; ICC
> profile
>> to "No Color Adjustment".
>>
>> Then print the target from PrintFix Pro (and I always double-check
> from the
>> "Select Print Fix Pro Target" page to be sure the settings have
> remained the
>> same. I also have found that printing the 3-page target makes for  
>> easier
>> reading than the large 13x19 target the 2200 will print. Be SURE to
> use the
>> same paper as you set in the Epson driver.
>>
>> After setting the white calibration using the white reference block
> on the
>> base of the PrintFix reader, measure each target. I place the target
> pages
>> on a piece of black blotter paper to avoid extraneous reflections  
>> when
>> measuring. After all measurements are complete, I go back over the
> on-screen
>> pages to be sure that one patch has not been misread - it's pretty
> easy to
>> see as the square will be "off" in color in relation to surrounding
> squares.
>> More than once I have mis-measured one or two squares. I have also  
>> found
>> that using the audible "click" when measuring helps avoid errors.
> You should
>> hear TWO clicks for EVERY measurement. If you don't, re-measure the
> square -
>> trust me! These procedures apply for the Black & White calibrations
> as well.
>> Once measurements are complete, be sure that the "advanced"  
>> options in
>> PrintFix Pro are all set to neutral (this would be the sliders and  
>> B/W
>> reference measurements).
>>
>> When you have saved your profile, you need to be sure that the
> settings in
>> the Epson print driver remain the same for any printing. If you use
> PS, as I
>> recall, use "no color management" for your monitor (this allows your
> Spyder
>> calibration to be the default viewer), and load your PrintFix Pro
> profile to
>> the output section of PS. Be sure that all options are OFF. I no
> longer use
>> PS for printing (Qimage is the only way to go, IMHO), so I'm working
> from
>> memory, but it is very easy in most programs to either double  
>> profile or
>> select color options that will alter your prints, especially if  
>> you are
>> playing with "localized" adjustments. Again, more than once I have  
>> left
>> something changed that I played around with and should have just
> left alone.
>> The hazards of too many choices!
>>
>> Once all of the above is correct, I would print the PrintFix Pro
> calibration
>> targets using PS and compare them to the targets printed out of  
>> PrintFix
>> Pro. The target files can be found at C:\Program
> Files\ColorVision\PrintFIX
>> PRO\Targets on a PC. For a MAC - ??? If the prints are not the same
> as the
>> ones printed from PrintFix, I would first check that the printer  
>> is not
>> clogging and the inks were OK.
>>
>> After all of this, I do the whole profiling process again and name  
>> the
>> calibration file #2. Print a test target or photo on the type of
> paper you
>> have profiled using both the original calibration and the #2  
>> calibration
>> (changing NOTHING ELSE on the computer) - if they are not EXACTLY
> the same,
>> either you measured wrong or your printer is malfunctioning (and
> there are
>> probably other obscure reasons, too, but I've not had to go past
> this point
>> to solve the problem). I've done this procedure for my 3800 for 12
> papers at
>> this time and my prints are spectacular. I also did it for many
> papers on my
>> now sold 2200 and was very happy with the results. And even my old
> 1270 can
>> put out a pretty good looking print!
>>
>> Hope this helps……
>>
>>
>> pjs
>> kansas "the flat & happy state"
>> "the better the photographer,
>> the bigger the wastebasket"
>> pjs 1972
>>
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