printer profiles mystery
printer profiles mystery
- Subject: printer profiles mystery
- From: "shAf" <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 11:20:47 -0230
I'm just beginning to create printer profiles for my Epson 1280 with
ProfilerRGB (for Windows v.2.1). I followed their suggestions for printing
and for setting up the scanner for 2 softwares, Epson's own and Vuescan. I
even read Ian Lyon's suggestions which aren't too different. Using both
scanner softwares I noticed the following ...
The difference between my AdobeRGB space and the softproof implies a lighter
print, but fairly accurate color ... and both profiles are not perceptably
different. However, the actual prints are relatively darker than my
AdobeRGB, but still relatively accurate, and again neither are different.
Striving to remedy the light soft-proof vs dark print issue, I "poorman"
inspected the profiles and found gamma values of 2.5 and 2.4. Thinking
these were high, I rescanned with different gamma settings. I used Vuescan,
because I can ask for an absolute gamma value, and because it seems to be
the simplest software for disabling all color corrections, except gamma.
I ended up with a variety of profiles which ALL softproof equally (lighter)
and print equally (darker). The mystery is "how is this possible given the
differing gamma values?" The following list expresses the variety:
2.56 ... Vuescan gamma=1.5 (suggested)
2.43 ... Vuescan gamma=2.0
2.38 ... Vuescan gamma=2.2
2.28 ... Vuescan gamma=2.6
I haven't used the following, but compare the above with:
1.79 ... the Epson profile which came with the scanner.
2.34 ... Ian Lyon's SP1290 RC profile
It is also true the RGB primaries are all over the map, but my "poorman"
method may be inaccurate in that respect (I simply ask the Photoshop 6 color
setup dialog to customize the profile, which presents its matrix equivelent
values of the 3D LUT). I can make these profiles available if someone wants
a better look.
shAf :o)