Printing from Lightroom

[Ian]

I've just started experimenting with printing from Lightroom today. I have an Epson R1900 in for review and letting the printer handle the colour management results in very poor prints -too dark and lacking in contrast.

But printing with Lightroom using the bundled Epson profile for the R1900 and relevant paper seems to work normally.

Printing from Photoshop with the printer doing the colour management works, so I'm scratching my head as to why it's different with Lightroom. I was wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience?

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

I've just started experimenting with printing from Lightroom today. I have an Epson R1900 in for review and letting the printer handle the colour management results in very poor prints -too dark and lacking in contrast.

But printing with Lightroom using the bundled Epson profile for the R1900 and relevant paper seems to work normally.

Printing from Photoshop with the printer doing the colour management works, so I'm scratching my head as to why it's different with Lightroom. I was wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience?

Ian

Not a problem I have ever had but then I always let photoshop manage the printer and use custom profiles, works every time in both Photoshop and Lightroom.

Patrick

[norn iron]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

I do the same as Patrick and get excellent results using Lightroom.
The results are similar to the prints I get when using Qimage.

Ken

[carman]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

I had exactly the same situation with my Canon Printer. I put it down to 2 causes. My new LCD monitor was too bright. I had to use the correct profiles in Lightroom. I now print from RAW without intermediate file.

[Autumn]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Ian, I have today received my DGM 24" monitor. Everything looks so bright. I am delighted.

However, I am still having problems with my printing.

I tried printing through LR as is without profiling, letting the printer manage the prints. This was too dark.

I have now profiled my monitor and CS3 has picked up the new profile. The print is a bit better, but still not what I see on screen.

At this stage, I have to say I am using cheap paper and 7day shop inks. I do have some decent paper Epson A3 glossy can't just remember the weight. I also have some Epson inks at the ready.

Anyway, what I wanted to say was that when in LR and I click "other" (as opposed to letting the printer manager the prints, the "Choose profiles box pops up", but there are no profiles in it. It is totally empty.

Does anyone know how I can get the profiles to appear in this box, so that I can choose my Spyder profile?

[Stephen]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Ian, I have today received my DGM 24" monitor. Everything looks so bright. I am delighted.

However, I am still having problems with my printing.

I tried printing through LR as is without profiling, letting the printer manage the prints. This was too dark.

I have now profiled my monitor and CS3 has picked up the new profile. The print is a bit better, but still not what I see on screen.

At this stage, I have to say I am using cheap paper and 7day shop inks. I do have some decent paper Epson A3 glossy can't just remember the weight. I also have some Epson inks at the ready.

Anyway, what I wanted to say was that when in LR and I click "other" (as opposed to letting the printer manager the prints, the "Choose profiles box pops up", but there are no profiles in it. It is totally empty.

Does anyone know how I can get the profiles to appear in this box, so that I can choose my Spyder profile?

Audrey, firstly your Spyder profile is only for your monitor, and will not appear in the printer profiles when you choose "other" unless you have the box checked for "Include Display Profiles"

The box that pops up should have your Epson printer profiles that came with your printer and should be on the drivers disc. If you can't find them they can be downloaded from the Epson site.

If you let the printer manage colours, then when you click Print, a dialogue should appear that allows you to choose your paper. This should then select the Epson printer profile that suits the chosen paper

[Autumn]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Audrey, firstly your Spyder profile is only for your monitor, and will not appear in the printer profiles when you choose "other" unless you have the box checked for "Include Display Profiles"

Where is "Include Display Profiles" Stephen. I can't see it. ATM I am still using Version Lightroom 1.4.1. Do you know if it it in that version?

The box that pops up should have your Epson printer profiles that came with your printer and should be on the drivers disc. If you can't find them they can be downloaded from the Epson site.

The box that pops up is empty. There were no drivers for my Epson 1290 and Vista. I have to use a generic driver which came with Vista.

I will have a look at the Epson site to see if there is any change.

If you let the printer manage colours, then when you click Print, a dialogue should appear that allows you to choose your paper. This should then select the Epson printer profile that suits the chosen paper

Yes all that happens, but how do I know whether it is selecting the Epson printer profile?

[Stephen]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

V2 of LR must be slightly different , but the fact remains that if you don't appear to have any Epson profiles for your printer showing up, and you say the ones you had are not compatable with Vista then this must be your problem.

Someone was telling me recently that the Epson 1290 is still being sold so I'd be suprised if there wasn't something useable on Vista

[Stephen]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

There is some help from Epson HERE
It seems they don't directly support Vista with dedicated drivers etc. Its possible though that the latest ones available for XP may do the job

[Autumn]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Here are a couple of screengrabs of my CS3 settings.

I didn't input the information. They just appeared after I had profiled my new monitor.

Are these incorrect then? If so, what should be where?

Re my Epson drivers and Vista, I was told by Epson to use the ones that say "Epson Stylus (M)" Apparently these will work for Vista as there are no dedicated ones.

They do work. My printer prints, but I need my colour to be better.

I can also print through LR but again, thee colours are not very true.

[Autumn]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

I am attaching a couple of screengrabs of my CS3 settings.

I did not input this information. It just appeared after I had calibrated my monitor.

Are these settings incorrect then? If so what settings should I use?

The Epson people told me to use "Epson Stylus (M)" for printing with Vista and my 1290, as there are no dedicated drivers for Vista and the 1290.

It works, but the colours could be better both in LR and CS3.

[Ian]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

If Audrey has profiled her monitor successfully, then the colour matching with the printer should be good. But I do still find the profiled monitor a bit on the bright side, so it's possible if image brightness has been adjusted visually using the monitor that the prints will turn out slightly too dark. I'd use a reference image, which you know to be correctly adjusted, plus a check of the histogram, to verify the brightness of an image on-screen.

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

If Audrey has profiled her monitor successfully, then the colour matching with the printer should be good. But I do still find the profiled monitor a bit on the bright side, so it's possible if image brightness has been adjusted visually using the monitor that the prints will turn out slightly too dark. I'd use a reference image, which you know to be correctly adjusted, plus a check of the histogram, to verify the brightness of an image on-screen.

Ian

Audrey
I have never ever had printing success letting the printer manage the colour, I set in Lightroom "other" and a profile list appears tick the one you want and it will be selected as the profile the printer will use. I also use "Perceptual" rather than "Relative Colorimetric" it seems to be recommended and it works for me. In your screen grab you have the monitor profile selected as a print profile it should be a printer profile.

When I visit your club in a few weeks you will see some prints of mine and judge for yourself if I'm getting it right.

Patrick

[rogleale]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Hi Audrey,

My two-pennorth!

Most LCD monitors are far too bright and this is not usually taken account of in the profiling process, with the result that prints look much darker than the screen version. I had to turn my screen brightness down to 30% after profiling.

If you go to ePhotozine, at the bottom of their first page there is a 13 step grayscale chart on which you should be able to distinguish 13 separate steps - a good guide to contrast and brightness of your display.

In your CS3 screengrab you have your monitor profile set up as your working space - this is wrong! Your working space is not a profile, it should be set to a working space such as Adobe RGB or ProPhoto.

To find your installed printer/paper profiles go to: Start > 'C' > Windows > System32 and scroll down to Spool > Drivers > Color where you will (should) find all the profiles installed by Vista or Epson.
If your printer/paper profiles are not there go to Start > 'C' > Windows > System32 > and scroll right down (a long way down!) to 'Colcpl' where every available profile is kept. Click the 'All Profiles' tab and scroll to 'ICC' to look for your printer/paper profiles.
If they are not there click the 'Add' button, navigate to where you have stored the profiles required, and load them.

Next time you click the 'Other' button in LR, the profiles should be listed, click on the ones you want to show up when you click the 'Other' button in LR.

This morning there is a problem on DPNow, the second time I tried, I just keep getting a 404 "Can't find the page" when I try to see your screen shots.

Hope that helps,

Roger

[rogleale]

Re: Printing from Lightroom

Hi,

It's me again Audrey, I managed to see your screen grabs again later, and I see from your CS print dialogue that you have your printer profile set to 'WorkingRGB - Monitor'

This is wrong because it is not a printer profile. You should set here a paper/printer profile, either from Epson or your paper manufacturer.

On the subject of 'profile' versus 'colour space'. This is one of the major sources of confusion in colour management. When I am asked I try to explain it in painting terms, as a painter would see the difference.

Think of the colour space as the painter's palette - it contains all the colours available to him.

Profiles are the different tools that can be used to display the colours on the palette.

Does that Help?

Roger