Prints are always dark

[muzzy]

I am always having problems with printing renders. It looks fine on monitor but it prints dark.Seems like i need to save print versions as srgb mode or change gamma to 1.8 - 2.0 to print similiar. What you guys do to print renders same as monitor screen. do you embeed profiles in photoshop ?

any help appreciated, thanks

[thablanch]

Do you have a screen calibration hardware device?

I'm not often printing from photoshop, I'd rather have all software printing the same way, so no photoshop profile ( at least, my opinion)

[mikeh]

printing is the worst part of what we do. We make great images then they get destroyed at the time of printing. It is a never ending headache. Once you find a decent printer with good settings and you have figured out the best paper...something will happen to mess it up. I have given up and accepted that my stuff will never look as good on paper as it does on the screen...(after umpteen years of being hosed by printers, printer drivers, paper and such)
mh

[muzzy]

Do you have a screen calibration hardware device?

I'm not often printing from photoshop, I'd rather have all software printing the same way, so no photoshop profile ( at least, my opinion)

thablanch : My screens are not calibrated, factory defaults. Where should I print from Windows picture viewer ?

Main problem is when you send the final image to print house every print house prints it different and mostly prints dark.

mikeh, I agree. I found a print house prints my images close to screen. I always send clients to there but other than that it is a frustration.

Any help appreciated thanks

[thablanch]

If you have a few bucks, you could go with a device like this:

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/a...pyder2pro.html

If not, you can go to www.easyrgb.com, they have a calibration online little thing.


If you are always printing form the same printer:
You can print a color wheel and a black and white gradation, and tweak around your screen with the print just beside.

[Kyle_Grace]

There's a lot to getting a decent "wysiwyg" configuration. As said it starts with decent colour calibration of your monitors using a monitor calibration device, but you will also need to calibrate your printer (again, there are devices you can buy).

On top of this I think you also need to set up Photoshop and your printer to work correctly together with their various profiles etc. I think a lot of research and time will be required to get the desired results, and I *think* this largely depends on your personal set up...

There are services out there that will come and calibrate both whole set up for a fee... might be worth it if your regularly sending out prints to clients.

[jonahhawk]

We seemed to have lucked out with our monitor/printer combination. We get great prints that match our monitors pretty closely.

We have a Cannon IPF 8000 and Dell 30" monitors. Not the latest Dells but the first batch I think. they're 1000:1 contrast and I crank the brightness up a bit, use LWF to EXR and print from PS and compile animations in AE. lol

We love the IPF 8000. even on the standard setting the quality is amazing and so fast. We had an Epson 4000 but it was too slow and we had to clean the heads all the time which uses a ton of ink.

That said... anyone want to buy an Epson Photo Stylus 4000?