Datacolor User to User Support Group.

The original posting and CDTobie's response seem to imply that Snow Leopard is now treating Epson print drivers properly.

This has *not* been my experience with OS X 10.6.x (currently 10.6.4) and CS5, CS4, and LightRoom 3 when used with the latest Epson-supplied driver for my 4880.

If I try to print with software managing the color --- e.g. "Photoshop manages color" --- the Epson printer driver greys out the choices in the "Color Matching" panel. That is a problem because "ColorSyn" has been automatically selected.  Once "ColorSyn" has been force-selected in the "Color Matching" panel, setting "Color Mode" in the "Printer Setting" panel to "Off" does not do what must be done.   It turns off *Epson* color control (since it is an Epson driver, after all), but does not turn off "ColorSyn" (which is an OS X control).

With current versions of OS X and the Epson 4880 driver, to print properly with Photoshop/Aperture/Lightroom managing printer color, the Epson driver must have the following combination of settings:

COLOR MATCHING:  Epson Color Controls  selected
PRINTER SETTINGS > COLOR MODE:  Off (No Color Management)

In the Printer Settings panel, if you click on Advanced Color Settings once you have set Color Mode to Off, you will get the following message: 
Epson Driver Color Management is Off

It seems that it means exactly what it says and no more.  *Epson* Driver Color Management is off, but ColorSync is something the Mac OS X does to control color. It has *not* been turned off.  And with the Color Management choices greyed out, there is no obvious way to turn it off.

Why am I so sure that this is happening with my system?  Simple. If I print with LightZone 3 or Photoshop CS (the original CS), the Color Matching choices are not greyed out, I can choose "Epson Color Controls" (if it isn't already selected) for Color Matching, set Color Mode to Off in the Printer Settings, and get prints that look as they should, given the printer and the profile I used.

I get exactly the same results with two different computers and the Epson 4880.

Myron