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Author Topic: Canon i950 printer  (Read 30924 times)
JohnA
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« on: February 17, 2010, 12:31:16 PM »

I am still happy with this printer, have great prints from it, I purchased an ICC profile from DDI in 2004, thinking it would give improved results.
Recently I have upgraded to Elements 8.
I have just realised though, from following the print routine in Elements 8, that I have not been using the profile correctly, the printer still managed the colour, not the profile, and amazingly the prints were good enough for club competitions.
In setting Elements for it to manage print output and selecting the ICC profile and now (at last) the correct printer settings as per the instructions from DDI, my prints are no longer colour correct, either too dark or too blue.
My monitor is profiled using a Pantone Color Vision Spyder.
If I reset the printer back to auto the prints are almost colour correct - very little difference between screen and print.
Anyone any ideas or can help me to use the profile correctly?
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Fred A
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« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2010, 02:32:35 PM »

I think I recall someone saying that Elements is not Color Management ready. Can you check that?
Fred
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JohnA
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« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2010, 04:28:24 PM »

Hi Fred,
Thanks for your comment.
Yes Elements 8 has colour management for linking the software plus the image to a printer and profile.
Unless Scott Kelby in his latest book on Elements 8 has got it wrong and what I see on screen is just a visual to make it look like it has something.
It is the one reason I went to Elements 8 without the pain of spending lots of money on CS4.
Thanks
John
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Fred A
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« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2010, 04:43:24 PM »

Quote
Yes Elements 8 has colour management for linking the software plus the image to a printer and profile.
Hello John,
I wish I had Elements so I could check it. Maybe someone who does have it will pop in and advise.
It's just a nagging memory in the back of my mind where I seem to recall that Elements didn't really use the printer profile.
I am probably wrong (again), so we had better wait.
PS I just called a friend with El 8. He said he will look into later on today.

Fred
« Last Edit: February 17, 2010, 04:56:10 PM by Fred A » Logged
Steve W
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« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2010, 02:33:08 AM »

Elements 8 can definitely use printer profiles in the same way Qimage does. Select the desired printer profile and make sure that color management is turned off in the printer. I have run comparisons of prints from Qimage and Elements, selecting the printer profile in the program and all other settings the same, and the results have been equal. Qimage is just so darned easier to set up.

Steve W.
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Fred A
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« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2010, 10:52:39 AM »

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selecting the printer profile in the program
Steve,
Thanks you so much for coming in and letting us know that EL-8 can handle printer profiles.
My friend never got back to me on that.
Could you help a little more with some steps to get to the place in the program where you are asked for the printer profile?
In Qimage there's a location that asks for Prtr ICC.
If I recall my friend's CS4, he went to FILE and Print. Then clicked Color management, Let PS handle the color, and that opened a box that said,
PRINTER PROFILE from which you selected the profile.
Appreciate it if you could compare the steps so I can call my friend and set him right.
He didn't call me back, because he couldn't find it. (Just spoke to him)

Thanks in advance.

Fred
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Terry-M
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« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2010, 11:27:05 AM »

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and the results have been equal. Qimage is just so darned easier to set up.
Steve,
You are right on there.
Really this is the best answer to the original question, use Qimage for printing. Not only easy CM set-up but all the advantages of quality prints, any size, any number on a page, arranged just how you like, etc.,etc.
JohnA, something to think about?  Wink
Terry
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rayw
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« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2010, 10:34:20 PM »

Hi John,

presumably, when you obtained the profile, you had to mail a print of a colour pattern, closely following the instructions for how to generate that print. The profile will only be accurate for that particular printer, ink, paper and exact printer settings when you come to use it. It should only be applied once, either by turning off the colour management in the printer driver, and selecting the correct profile in elements (if it is similar to cs4 in that respect, then Fred has answered more or less where you can do that) or alternatively set elements to not colour manage, and select the correct profile in the printer. For many situations, sometimes, the printer will select a generic profile for the type of paper you have selected, and as you found that gives a good enough result. That good enough result will be better in many cases than applying a better profile incorrectly.

Also, 2004 is maybe a long time to remember printer settings, etc. - are you sure you're using the same printer Shocked

hth

Best wishes,

Ray
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rayw
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« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2010, 11:50:27 PM »

Hi John,

If you are comparing prints to what you see on the screen, how do the screen images compare with photos you made back in 2004? How do those images print? If you are not aware, Adobe can install it's own colour profiles, and then you now have the mess of w7 colour management, if you have leapt into that snake pit...

Also, hopefully, you have converted your images when you load them to the working colour space, or similar. I would expect if not, then srgb will be assumed. Did the DDI profile work in 2004, or have you always been not applying it, and the printer doing its own thing?

Check that the screen is still using the profile you think it should be using.

Best wishes,

Ray
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JohnA
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« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2010, 10:57:16 AM »

Hi Guys,
Many thanks for all your comments.
My printer profile was purchased from DDIsoftware as a premade profile for the printer and the paper - canon pro plus.
I use to use Elements 3 and my prints were fine using this as the image management and output source but no colour management and the printer set to manage colour.
My prints were printed as seen on screen - no difference between either.
Now using Elements 8 and it's colour management with the DDI profile and the same images and paper my prints are lighter in colour - mainly a loss in red area.
To check my screen and output I have obtained an image from another source of the same shot I took on my camera that I am using as a test image - the two images onscreen are identical - so I am quite sure the screen is calibrated OK.
I have printed sample images to my printer using Windows Explorer and get the same lighter image result - so for now I suspect something has changed with my printer - but nozzle checks etc. all show each colour is being printed.
I will keep checking to see if I can find the problem.
Thanks everyone.
JohnA
Addendum
After two frustrating days I have found a workaround for my problem - noted here in case it helps someone.
My initial images are SRGB so I have set the whole work flow up as SRGB.
Elements 8 I have left as per screen in SRGB, I have loaded a SRGB printer profile, a screen driver for my Dell panel in SRGB. I have put my DDI printer profile to one side.
The printer is set at colour adjustments manual, enabled the ICM, image intensity increased to +5 and print quality high.
Result is very little difference between screen and final print.
Not ideal but gets me there.
Reason - I think Elements 8 is not recognising a part of the workflow that it should do.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2010, 07:42:18 PM by JohnA » Logged
Fred A
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« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2010, 08:50:02 PM »

Quote
I think Elements 8 is not recognising a part of the workflow that it should do.

Ok, guys,
I finally got hold of my friend with Elements-8.
YES! Elements-8 can and does use color printer profiles. It is not easy to locate the place to select the printer profile, but YES! it is there.
We were on the telephone so I didn't visually see what he was doing.
He was in FILE PRINT, set up the driver for paper type, quality, etc, and then More Options,,,, went into Color management, and selected Let Elements handle printing.
Then another more options button, and a box that says, Printer Profiles and a drop down arrow.
Select your profile.
Make sure the driver is set to OFF or No Color management.
You set that after you have selected the printer profile or you lose the ability to select or change the printer profile.
It's tricky, but it will work.
Fred
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Steve W
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« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2010, 06:41:50 PM »

Hi Fred,
I was just getting ready to answer your question about selecting and using profiles in Elements 8 when I saw you had answered your own question.
It is not easy to set it up in Elements. Actually I spent a few minutes trying to find out what I had done myself. As I said earlier, it is so much easier in Qimage. I do my major edits in Elements and save the image for printing in Qimage.

Steve W.
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JohnA
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« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2010, 12:46:26 PM »

Hi Everyone,
I really appreciate all your very helpful comments about my printer problems.
However unknown to me at the time the print head on my printer was evidently starting it's downward spiral into oblivion and is now delivering an excess of black ink.
The yellow is being contaminated. I have cleaned the ink cleaning pad and have seen some improvement in a less black yellow.
But I guess now is the time to consign one i950 to the printer graveyard as print heads for this model are obsolete and I can't find one anywhere.
So my big decision is to stay with Canon or go over to and Epson - both in A3 format.
JohnA
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Fred A
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« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2010, 01:14:22 PM »

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So my big decision is to stay with Canon or go over to and Epson - both in A3 format.

That is a question that will get you many answers; like which car do you drive and why?
My 2 cents sounds like this.
I have both a Canon and an Epson.... and there may be times when the Canon dye ink produces a slightly more accurate red than the Epson with the pigment ink, (which is improving as each new ink set is developed), but nothing beats a good Epson.

As for maintenance, I have this R1800 about 2 and a half years, and I print at least twice a week. I use Epson ink. I have never had a clogged nozzle yet.

Fred


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JohnA
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« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2010, 07:26:32 PM »

Dear Fred A
As usual your comments are to the point.
Thank you.
I have recently changed from a Canon EOS 300D to Nikon D300s so I am looking to maximise on this with prints that I can sell so my next printer choice has to be right.
Thanks
JohnA
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