Apple

I just profiled my Epson 1290 with EyeOne Match and EyeOne Spectrophotometer using the supplied TC 9.18 RGB target,

and something strange it's happening...

Of course the target has been printed with all the color management options off and has been left drying for a couple of days...

I printed a couple of files with the correct photoshop color management options:

Source Space: Same as document - Print Space: the created profile.

Then if I apply the same profile with the same rendering intent to my original file in the photoshop proof color option,

the file on my calibrated and profiled Eizo CG21 (6500 K - 2.2 Gamma) becomes very unsaturated comparing to the print,

while if i don't soft proof it, the original file is quite identical to the print looked at under a 5000 viewing booth

Anybody has any clues if I am doing something wrong?

My only guess is that EyeOne Match is not up to the challenge,

but then again it doesn't make any sense that I get a perfect print from the profile, and a terrible soft proof...

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You can usually expect some desaturation when converting/softproofing from the larger source RGB gamut to the smaller gamut of your printer, but this should also be reflected in your proof. I would be hesitant to blame i1Match as I have just used this same workflow on a few workstations (with an Epson 4000) and the softproofs are very accurate.

Since you mention you used the “proof color” option (aka command-Y), that leads me to believe that you might be softproofing your default CMYK working space rather than the RGB profile you created? Maybe not, but check this by selecting View->Proof Setup->Custom, then choose your profile and rendering intent and see if you are still getting the desaturation you describe.

If you were already doing this correctly, you can check the device-PCS part of the profile this way…

Create a profile using i1Match as you did before ensuring that you save the measurement data as a text file

Open the TC9.18 in Photoshop

Assign your profile (Image Mode->Assign Profile)

Convert to Lab (Image Mode->Convert to Profile->Lab Color) using absolute colorimetric

Compare the lab values you get in Photoshop to that of the text file*, should be very close.

*To get Lab from your text file, you’ll need to download ProfileMaker 5 from www.gretagmacbeth.com and use the MeasureTool module to it (can be done in demo mode) as i1match saves the measurement data as spectral.

If your results are good, than your profile is handing off accurate Lab to the monitor profile.

Michael Eddington

North American Color, Inc.