Datacolor User to User Support Group.

>I have made a few profiles now with Frintfix Pro 2.0. Each time, I
>ensure that the ICM is turned off when making the print targets, and
>I have been reading in both the 729 patch chart and the B/W chart.
>
>Each time, I review the readings to make sure that all the boxes
>look right (no out of place colors using the Measured View).
>
>The good news... In all 3 cases the print matchewd what I saw on
>the monitor when doing a Proof in CS2.
>
>The bad news... The profile someitmes drastically changes my
>image.
>
>On a glossy paper, I viewed the proof and it was noticibly darker
>than the image without the proof. The Print did match the proof
>though.
>
>On a FineArt paper, I viewed the proof and it was very close to the
>image without the proof.
>
>I did a Rag paper last night and I viewed the proof and it was
>noticibly brighter than the image without the proof.
>
>Why am I seeing this variance? The Rag paper profile from the
>vendor has its issues, but it is not way too light like the Printfix
>profile.
>

There's no guarantee when you build the profile that printing through the
profile is going to be an indistinguishably close match to Photoshop's
-non soft proofed- version of the image. It's normal for the image window to
visibly change (overall) when you turn soft proofing on through the profile.

What's most important is that the print will be a close match to the
-soft proof- on the calibrated display, and this -is- what you're already
telling us that you're experiencing.

If calibrated-screen-to-calibrated-print matching is important, then you're
always going to turn soft proof on through the profile as you're editing the
image, before you print; and then make your final adjustment tweaks when
looking at the image that way.

This is the purpose of soft proof: not only to see the effect of printer
gamut on the colors in the image, but also any other effects that the profile
might have on the image while printing. ICC profiles, if done well, are supposed
to create pleasing output on a printer and, along with that, render a good
soft proof; but there's no requirement that in addition to doing this, that
they would also transform colors so that the print will match your preview
on a non-soft-proofed display.

This isn't unique to PFP-created profiles; depending on the profiling package
you're using, you may see more or less of this effect. For example: I have
an HP B9180 installed on my system, so I have a full set of the HP profiles
for the printer available. If I go into Photoshop:Proof Setup:Custom, choose
one of the canned HP profile and toggle soft proof on/off through it, I see
noticeable changes in Photoshop's image window when I do so. If I do
the same with Epson profiles, I see less brightness shift but more color shift, and this is looking at images which are completely in-gamut for the
printers. Some manufacturer or 3rd party profiles show more of shift in
brightness, plus or minus; others more of a shift in color; but in general,
you're always going to see a certain amount of shift in brightness and/or color
in a Photoshop image window when you soft proof, and that's normal.


Best regards,

-- 
David Miller
Senior Software Developer, Digital Color Solutions
ColorVision