Datacolor User to User Support Group.

On Feb 23, 2009, at 4:06 PM, hmpart1 wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> I recently did a clean install of OS 10.5.6 on my Mac Tower along with
> upgrading the printer driver to my Epson 3800. Prior to the system and
> printer driver update my profiled papers all worked well. New profiles
> created are now very very dark. The following is some additional
> information about what I did and noticed.
>
> I reinstalled my Spyder Elite and Spyder 3 Print software then
> proceeded to re-calibrate my monitor (went just fine) and then create
> a new paper profile. I noticed when printing the target, the new Epson
> Driver v. 6.11's drop down menu lists "color matching". Here you have
> a choice of color sync or printer color management.
>

That's the first thing:

When you're printing a TARGET from inside Spyder3Print, you must
NOT choose ColorSync here. (Choose "Printer Color Management" if
that's how the other radio button is labelled. On some Epson
drivers, it will be named "Epson Color Controls".)

> When color sync
> radio button is selected
>

(wrong!) :-) Don't do that...:-)

Whenever you're printing from inside Spyder3Print, "ColorSync" is
the wrong choice to make, because it will give you an Epson profile  
inside
the 3800 driver, regardless of whether or not you turn color management
off in the 3800-specific part of the driver.
> you have additional choices of all your
> profiles or automatic, PLUS under "printer settings" you can also
> choose the color mode of either CM on with the various epson choices
> or off.
>
>
When you do NOT choose ColorSync, the only additional choices you'll
have (when printing the target from inside Spyder3Print) will be the
paper type, output quality/res/speed, and color management (turn it  
OFF),
in the 3800-specific settins area.

Print the target this way, and you'll get the usual "dark", non-color- 
managed
target print that you're used to getting. That's what you need to  
measure, to
build a proper profile.
> When I print from photoshop and choose color management off,
> options are not available under "color matching". However when
> printing a new target from Sypder Print, I have all available options
> under "color matching" even when color management is turned off under
> printer settings. I wonder if this has created the new problem with
> new profiles.
>
>
When you've printed the TARGET from inside Spyder3Print as described  
above,
measured and built a profile, then you'll want to print, using the  
profile,
from inside Photoshop.

As usual: use the Photoshop Print dialog; choose "Photoshop Manages  
Colors",
choose the printer profile underneath that, go by our recommendation for
using the Saturation intent, and turn black point compensation off.  
Nothing
unusual there, that's how you'd have done it in the past.

In the Leopard print dialog that comes up next: if you look in the Color
Matching section, you'll see that the two radio button choices  
(ColorSync,
and whatever the other radio button is labelled) are still there, but  
that
they'll be dimmed, and that ColorSync will be automatically selected.  
Just
pretend you didn't see that. It looks wrong, but it's misleading. The  
driver
will actually do the right thing, and a ColorSync profile will NOT be
applied. So this isn't a problem, and don't be alarmed if you see this.

In the 3800-specific section of the driver, set everything the way you  
had
it when printing the target (including color management OFF).

That's all there is to it: you should get a perfect print.

David Miller
Senior Software Developer, Digital Color Solutions
Datacolor