The Printing Roadmaps Epson Printers

Transcription

1 The Printing Roadmaps Epson Printers Mac OS Windows Vista Windows 7 Photoshop CS4 CS5 CS6 CC Photoshop Elements 12 authored by Mike McNamee This information is provided in good faith but there may be variations in versions of operating systems, drivers and un-fixed bugs you have been warned!

2 Commentary Printers made by Epson dominate the enthusiast and printer market. Photoshop is the most common software application from which prints are made. The interfaces are flexible and with that flexibility comes complexity which is confusing to beginners (and experienced users also!). The interfaces are also different for different Epson printers, different versions of Photoshop and radically different between the Mac OS and Windows operating systems. This is a problem as it leads to many tens of thousands of possible combinations for document such as this or about 2,000 if you bundle similar interfaces together (there are, for example only about 5 variations in Epson printer interfaces even though there are dozens of printers). The problem for beginners is that a button that has been moved on an interface is extremely confusing and so it is hardly surprising that they run into trouble. This is compounded by the fact that the interfaces are sometimes quite simply wrong, especially with new versions of software in which bugs have yet to be resolved. Both Windows and Mac operating systems have been plagued with driver issues which have resulted in dialogue boxing changing, not working or being greyed out it is not always user error! This document attempts to illuminate some of the interfaces you might expect to see and more importantly explain what they actually do (or should do). Beware that some settings are 'sticky' but not at all times. So, for example, the latest versions of Photoshop save printer information with a file when you save it to your hard drive. This includes detailed settings such as your choice of say Advanced Black and White drivers and tone settings. However, if you change the printer being called up by Photoshop (and even if you do not make a print) when you revert back to the original printer the settings will have changed. Look at the quote from an Adobe forum below. Even this is no longer true my own versions does remember! The moral here is that installing a new driver solves the issue experience teaches that they rarely go public with issues and solutions, you have to grub around on forums to find this stuff out! Re: CS5 won't remember printer settings I have the answer for this! All you have to do is call Adobe directly ( ) and they will tell you that CS5 lacks a feature that saves the print settings. CS3 does have this feature, but somewhere since then they have left this out, making it very annoying when you have to edit thousands of different documents. You can always create an action and make it remember print settings, BUT, guess what? There's a flaw in that process. The action will remember the resolution of the original file you had open when you created the action, meaning that if you open another file it will adjust the resolution to match that of your earlier file. Despite all these irritations there are a number of thing that are universal requirements for good printing: 1. Use 'Photoshop Manages Colors' when printing in colour 'Printer Manages Colors' if you wish to use the Advanced Black and White Driver 2. Select the appropriate colour profile for the paper you wish to use 3. Use Perceptual rendering intent if your are a novice 4. Check the Black Point Compensation box this will prevent your shadows clogging up especially on matt art papers. 5. Go to the print driver settings and disable Color Managment either directly or, on smaller printers, by selecting Advanced, ICM and the checking No Colour Management. This is a universal requirement and is flagged in the Photoshop dialogue box The smaller format printers have a different interface to large-format printers (R3000 upwards) Imagemaker 2 46

3 Note how the image is not central on the page (14mm margin one end 6mm the other). This is for sheet fed 4900 images. The roll feed is central but also has different opions 3 46

4 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a PC by right clicking the file icon and then the Install button. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. To use your ICC profile you will need to follow some simple steps within Photoshop and your Printer Settings. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully as missing a single step can have dire consequences! With your image open in Photoshop go to FILE then click PRINT. This will launch a new window which varies slightly with different versions of Photoshop. The version below is for an Epson 3800 using Photoshop CS4 within Windows Vista. Make sure that Color Management is selected, not Output Set radio button to Document Make sure Photoshop Manages Colors is active Select the correct printer Select the correct profile from the drop down menu Choose rendering intent Check Black Point Compensation Check the image scale and orientation in the preview then click Page Setup and go to Step 2 Perceptual is mostly used for photographic images but may compress very saturated colours. Relative Colormetric is used when proofing for colour accuracy and may also produce a print with more punch. The options Absolute Colormetic and Saturation are rarely used by photographers. The use of Black Point Compensation is generally regarded as the best option. Imagemaker 4 46

5 Vista Photoshop CS4 Epson 3800 Colour Step 2 The Page Setup window looks like the one below: Select the Media Type defined by the profile/paper Select Color for colour pictures Choose Print Quality then Quality Options. Choose 1400 or 2880dpi and High Speed Off Check Custom then No Color Adjustment Note that the Current Settings box above confirms all your important settings before you commit to making a print Paper Config is used to control paper handling, adjust for paper thickness and (most importantly) to control the Platen Gap. For stiff papers such as the baryta inkjet type, opening the platen gap can prevent head strikes and ink scuffing. Once you are satisfied with the settings above, click OK and then click Print and then click Print in the final window to start the spooling process. 5 46

6 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a PC by right clicking the file icon and then the Install button. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. To use your ICC profile you will need to follow some simple steps within Photoshop and your Printer Settings. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully as missing a single step can have dire consequences! With your image open in Photoshop go to FILE then click PRINT. This will launch a new window which varies slightly with different versions of Photoshop. The version below is for an Epson 4900 using Photoshop CS4 within Windows Vista. Make sure that Color Management is selected, not Output Set radio button to Document Make sure Photoshop Manages Colors is active Select the correct printer Select the correct profile from the drop down menu Choose rendering intent Check Black Point Compensation Check the image scale and orientation in the preview then click Page Setup and go to Step 2 Perceptual is mostly used for photographic images but may compress very saturated colours. Relative Colormetric is used when proofing for colour accuracy and may also produce a print with more punch. The options Absolute Colormetic and Saturation are rarely used by photographers. The use of Black Point Compensation is generally regarded as the best option. Imagemaker 6 46

7 Windows 7 Photoshop CS5 Epson 4900 Colour Step 2 The Page Setup window looks like the one below: Select the Media Type defined by the profile/paper Select Color for colour pictures Choose Print Quality then Quality Options. Choose 1400 or 2880dpi and High Speed Off Check Custom then No Color Adjustment Note that the Current Settings box above confirms all your important settings before you commit to making a print Paper Config is used to control paper handling, adjust for paper thickness and (most importantly) to control the Platen Gap. For stiff papers such as the baryta inkjet type, opening the platen gap can prevent head strikes and ink scuffing. Once you are satisfied with the settings above, click OK and then click Print and then click Print in the final window to start the spooling process. 7 46

8 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a PC by right clicking the file icon and then the Install button. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. To use your ICC profile you will need to follow some simple steps within Photoshop and your Printer Settings. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully as missing a single step can have dire consequences! With your image open in Photoshop go to FILE then click PRINT. This will launch a new window which varies slightly with different versions of Photoshop. The version below is for an Epson 4900 using Photoshop CC within Windows 7. Make sure that Color Management is selected, not Output Set to Normal Printing Make sure Photoshop Manages Colors is active Select the correct printer Select the correct profile from the drop down menu Choose rendering intent Check Black Point Compensation Check the image scale and orientation in the preview then click Print Settings and go to Step 2 When 'Scale to Fit Media' is checked the resolution is also scaled proportionally. Ideally avoid letting this drop below 180ppi Perceptual is mostly used for photographic images but may compress very saturated colours. Relative Colormetric is used when proofing for colour accuracy and may also produce a print with more punch. The options Absolute Colormetic and Saturation are rarely used by photographers. The use of Black Point Compensation is generally regarded as the best option. Imagemaker 8 46

9 Windows 7 Photoshop CC Epson 4900 Colour Step 2 The Page Setup window looks like the one below: Select the Media Type defined by the profile/paper Select Color for colour pictures Choose Print Quality then Quality Options. Choose 1400 or 2880dpi and High Speed Off Check Custom then No Color Adjustment Note that the Current Settings box above confirms all your important settings before you commit to making a print Paper Config is used to control paper handling, adjust for paper thickness and (most importantly) to control the Platen Gap. For stiff papers such as the baryta inkjet type, opening the platen gap can prevent head strikes and ink scuffing. Once you are satisfied with the settings above, click OK and then click Print and then click Print in the final window to start the spooling process. 9 46

10 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a Mac by copying them to the folder. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. To use your ICC profile you will need to follow some simple steps within Photoshop and your Printer Settings. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully as missing a single step can have dire consequences! With your image open in Photoshop go to FILE then click PRINT. This will launch a new window which varies slightly with different versions of Photoshop. The version below is for an Epson 3880 using Photoshop CS5 within Mac Snow Leopard Make sure that Color Management is selected, not Output Set radio button to Document Make sure Photoshop Manages Colors is active Select the correct printer Select the correct profile from the drop down menu Choose rendering intent Check Black Point Compensation Check the image scale and orientation in the preview then click Print and go to Step 2 Perceptual is mostly used for photographic images but may compress very saturated colours. Relative Colormetric is used when proofing for colour accuracy and may also produce a print with more punch. The options Absolute Colormetic and Saturation are rarely used by photographers. The use of Black Point Compensation is generally regarded as the best option. 10 Imagemaker 46

11 Snow Leopard Photoshop CS5 Epson 3880 Colour 11 46

12 Paper Config is used to control paper handling, adjust for paper thickness and (most importantly) to control the Platen Gap. For stiff papers such as the baryta inkjet type, opening the platen gap can prevent head strikes and ink scuffing. Clicking Save causes the setting to be saved in the backgound and brings back the Print panel shown below. Print now causes the printer to start the actual printing process! 12 Imagemaker 46

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14 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a Windows PC by copying them to any file loaction then Right clicking and hitting Install. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. Photoshop Elements will print your files just as accurately as the full version of Photoshop and has the same level of control. Elements can handle both 16-bit and ProPhoto RGB files. It has to convert CMYK files to RGB on opening. To use your ICC profile you will need to follow some simple steps within Photoshop Elements and your Printer Settings. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully as missing a single step can have dire consequences! 1. With your image open in Photoshop Elements go to FILE then click PRINT. This will launch a new window. This might vary slightly with your version, the version below is for an Epson R3000 using Elements 12 within Windows Select the printer 3. Printer Settings Change Settings Set up Media Choose Paper Size Set Quality Imagemaker 14 46

15 Windows 7 Photoshop Elements 12 Epson Printers R1900 Driver R3000 & Large-Format Drivers Color Handling, Media Profile and Rendering Intent Printing Choices Scale to Fit media 15 46

16 ICC PROFILES AND EPSON PRINTERS Mike McNamee looks at this FAQ and shines some light onto it! ICC profiles are installed on a Windows PC by copying them to any file loaction then Right clicking and hitting Install. Generic profiles are installed by your Epson Printer Driver. Adobe Lightroom will print your files just as accurately as Photoshop and has the same level of control although the interface is quite different. It is slightly less forgiving in that it kicks into life directly rather than returning you to the application as experienced photoshop users expect. There is no equivalent of selecting either 'application controls colors' or 'printer controls colors'. Managed by Printer produces an inferior result choose Other from the drop down and then choose an appropriate icc profile for your printer/media combination. The choose you rendering intent. If you choose Printer then Properties you may change the Quality settings, etc. You must choose 'Off(No Color Adjustment)' at this stage also. 16 Imagemaker 46

17 Windows 7 Adobe Lightroom Epson LF Printers 4900 chosen as example The Layout tab enables the margind to be changed at will 17 46