Printing colours

[derekpara]

When I print photos off my digital camera the results aren't the same as I see on screen, with the colours being less natural looking. Is it because I am not using manufacturer's cartidges or is this a normal feature of photo printing ? I have an Epson R300 printer and am printing on photo paper. Any ideas on what I should do ? I am not very proficient at image manipulation.

[Buenchico]

(Multi-part post):

Images produced by transmitted light (e.g. from your monitor screen) are extremely difficult to match with images produced by reflected light (e.g. by your printer).

The first thing to do is to ensure your monitor is properly adjusted. (The vast majority of monitors have both the brightness and contrast settings far too high). Wait until darkness and then turn off all room lights except for any lights which are behind, or to the side, of your monitor screen. Then, with no light reflecting off the screen, adjust both the brightness and contrast, keeping in mind that your aim is to set both of them as low as is possible in a way which is consistent with getting a good picture. (You've got a better chance of matching the printed image to the screen image if you're starting with a correct view of your picture in the first place).

[Buenchico]

Now I'll consider the inks you're using. Numerous tests, by computer magazines, have shown that you don't have to use manufacturers' own inks to get good results. However, they've also shown that some inks are far better than others. If you're buying from shops, markets or computer fairs, I recommend looking for the 'Print Aid' brand. If you're buying online, I recommend InkCycle:
http://www.inkcycle.co.uk/

Now I'll move on to something which rarely seems to get considered but is possibly the most important factor of all; the paper. You state that you're printing on photo paper but you don't state which photo paper. It's tempting to think that, because the printer will deposit the same amount of ink on any paper, it can't make much difference to the colours you see. Nothing could be further from the truth.

By way of example, I've just taken a look at what I've got here next to my desk and I'll tell you the results I get from them. (I've got a Canon Pixma iP3000). If I print a test picture, including skin tones, pastel shades and bright colours (with the printer's settings in line with the paper manufacturer's guidance), this is what I get:

Kodak Ultima Photo Paper: Very good results and quite close to the screen representation. Even so, for a really special picture (e.g. for framing as a gift), I'd probably run off several copies, while tweaking the printer's settings, for a 'near perfect' picture.

Kodak Everyday Picture Paper: Skin tones take on a marked reddish tinge. The results for, say, landscape pictures are OK but they're lousy for portraiture.

[Buenchico]

Ilford Photo Printasia: For general use, probably nearly as good as Kodak Ultima but for portraiture (with accurate representation of skin tones) possibly better. (It's also a good deal cheaper than Kodak Ultima)

HP Premium Plus Photo Paper: I've only just discovered a pack of this at the back of my cupboard. I'm not even sure that I've used it with my current printer but, as far as I recall, the results on my previous printer were generally quite good and certainly a thousand times as good as . . .

. . .Morrison's Home & Office Photo Quality Inkjet Paper: My biggest problem with this stuff is that it's too shiney for me to be able to wipe my @rse with it! That, most definitely, is all it's fit for! I think I'd probably get better photo results by asking the local chippy for a few sheets of the stuff they wrap the chips in! Gentle skin tones turn bright red, other colours are either completely inaccurate or simply washed out. It's a disaster!!

So, if you're using 'economy' photo paper, go out and buy something decent instead, like Kodak Ultima. (It's pricey but supermarkets, especially Sainsbury's, often have '2 for 1' offers on the Kodak range).

[Buenchico]

OK. You should now have your monitor set up properly, some decent inks in your printer and (by far the most important) some decent paper in your printer. The last thing to do is to ensure that your printer is correctly set up.

As I've indicated, I don't use an Epson printer but I'd guess that, like my Canon, you can set it to print on various types of paper. I'd suggest that when printing anything, you should never just hit the 'Print' button (which usually bypasses the advanced printer settings). Instead, go to File > Print. This usually allows you to alter the printer settings for the best results. Even when using a top brand of paper, don't always rely on the manufacturer's recommendations (which, with Kodak papers, come on a sheet included in the pack). Try various settings and see what gives the best results. (Some printer drivers have 'profiles' so that you can store the best settings for different papers or different types of pictures). To get really good results will take quite a bit of trial and error and (given that it's only worthwhile doing it on good quality paper) it will cost you a few pounds. Even so, I think that it's better to spend a few pounds now than continuing to waste money on poor quality prints for years to come.

Chris

PS: I really ought to have included some hints on image manipulation but, unless I know which software you're using, it's hard to do so. I use Photoshop (wonderful but expensive) for most image manipulation. If you need something which is simple, flexible and free, try Irfanview:
http://www.irfanview.com/

[rojash]

I make that 12 stars, Chris

[ugly_bob]

I think Chris has just about covered evrything there, I just wanted to re-affrim his point about the paper. I work in the print trade and each different media we print on has to have a specially configured profile for the printing to get as good as possible a result.
Even with this, you still find that different materials give different quality outputs, for instance, any matt medium will have a markedly shallower colour than something printed on gloss.
Oh, and my Epson R220 at home has 5 settings for different paper qualitties (although there's maybe more - I haven't really bothered to look cos I'm not printing photos), so you're R300 should be similar.

[heathfield]

Buenchico's comment about setting up your monitor is very apt. In Photoshop, this facility is provided for in 'Help' under 'Colour Management'. (But note that flat-screen monitors won't give such good end results as a CRT monitor will).
If you're not using Photoshop, there are several web sites you could use. Type in something like 'monitor test image' in Google.

[derekpara]

Thanks, you blokes - especially Chris. Fantastic answers. That's how AB should be used, eh ?

Owe you all a pint.

Thanks again.

Derek

[leeherbie]

images on a screen are RGB (red, green, blue), when printed they are produced from a different colour spectrun of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) which means there is ALWAYS a difference between screen images and printed images. Printed images in general dull slightly compared to screen.