Color profile management ?

Dave Clee

Just received my new HP Z3100 24" printer, so far it looks like a real nice large format printer.

I have one question about color management in LR2. Do I leave it up to the printer driver s/w or change the setting and select the printer profile and let LR do the management ?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dave

Pittspilot

Dave Clee wrote:

Just received my new HP Z3100 24" printer, so far it looks like a real nice large format printer.

I have one question about color management in LR2. Do I leave it up to the printer driver s/w or change the setting and select the printer profile and let LR do the management ?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dave

Hi Dave

I would try each option and see which works best for you. BUT IN EITHER CASE make sure that you don't mix and match. By which I mean if you let the printer manage it, make sure that you DON'T choose a profile in LR too. And vice cersa of course.

Personally (given that I have a good profile), I switch off everything in the printer, and use LR2 to print. Make sure that you have the correct profile in the list of available profiles to use within LR.

Hope that makes sense, this is the area that I see many people struggle with. Let us know how you do....

Cheers

Dave Clee

Thanks for the reply, so when I select other for color management in LR2, it then presents me with a list of the printer and paper that is being used.

If I leave it at that, I then need to turn off any management in the printer driver settings. correct ??

Cheers

Dave

Pittspilot wrote:

Hi Dave

I would try each option and see which works best for you. BUT IN EITHER CASE make sure that you don't mix and match. By which I mean if you let the printer manage it, make sure that you DON'T choose a profile in LR too. And vice cersa of course.

Personally (given that I have a good profile), I switch off everything in the printer, and use LR2 to print. Make sure that you have the correct profile in the list of available profiles to use within LR.

Hope that makes sense, this is the area that I see many people struggle with. Let us know how you do....

Cheers

Pittspilot

Dave Clee wrote:

Thanks for the reply, so when I select other for color management in LR2, it then presents me with a list of the printer and paper that is being used.

If I leave it at that, I then need to turn off any management in the printer driver settings. correct ??

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

Short answer: Yes!

Longer answer. Not sure if you are Mac or Windows...

In the printer driver I choose 'Color Management Off' or (IIRC) 'Off' in the PC (depending on the printer, this can be hidden! In the R2400 driver it us under ICM for example). In both cases 'Print Settings' in LR2 gets you into the driver.

Then in LR2 I choose the appropriate print driver in the Color Management tab of the print module.

Cheers

Dave Clee

Great I will give that a try tonight. I am running on PC platform.
My lcd's are both calibrated, yet the first few test prints out of LR were
a tad on the dark side.

Thanks again

Dave

Pittspilot wrote:

Dave,

Short answer: Yes!

Longer answer. Not sure if you are Mac or Windows...

In the printer driver I choose 'Color Management Off' or (IIRC) 'Off' in the PC (depending on the printer, this can be hidden! In the R2400 driver it us under ICM for example). In both cases 'Print Settings' in LR2 gets you into the driver.

Then in LR2 I choose the appropriate print driver in the Color Management tab of the print module.

Cheers

Pittspilot

Dave Clee wrote:

Great I will give that a try tonight. I am running on PC platform.
My lcd's are both calibrated, yet the first few test prints out of LR were
a tad on the dark side.

Thanks again

Dave

Yup! That's 'normal' for me too. I have to back off the brightness quite a bit...

Dave Clee

I'm a bit confused you back off on the brightness b/c your prints come out a tad darker than on the screen ?

Or do you bump up the brightness to compensate for the darker print.

Pittspilot wrote:

Yup! That's 'normal' for me too. I have to back off the brightness quite a bit...

Pittspilot

Dave Clee wrote:

I'm a bit confused you back off on the brightness b/c your prints come out a tad darker than on the screen ?

Or do you bump up the brightness to compensate for the darker print.

:-)

It can work either way. I prefer to back off the brightness on the screen a little because the image I view and the image I print are identical.

If you increase the brightness in the print version, then it looks wrong on the screen.

Cheers

Dave Clee

Gotcha...Well I'll print off a few tests tonight and post up the progress..

Thanks again

Dave

Pittspilot wrote:

:-)

It can work either way. I prefer to back off the brightness on the screen a little because the image I view and the image I print are identical.

If you increase the brightness in the print version, then it looks wrong on the screen.

Cheers

pathfinder

Dave Clee wrote:

Just received my new HP Z3100 24" printer, so far it looks like a real nice large format printer.

I have one question about color management in LR2. Do I leave it up to the printer driver s/w or change the setting and select the printer profile and let LR do the management ?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dave

Definitely turnoff printer color management. Have the color management done by Lightroom, that is why you edited the picture in the managed color space in Lightroom.

Select the paper, and the profile for the paper and print. Make sure you have the print under a bright light, or sunlight streaming through a window, before deciding the print is too dark. They do look darker than a brightly lit LCD, unless they are properly illuminated.

If you can, spend an afternoon in a gallery where there is a lot of printing and evaluating of prints going on, and you will get a better idea of what to expect between monitor and print. The print evaluation tables are very brightly lit, much brighter than general room illumination.

Pittspilot

Dave Clee wrote:

Gotcha...Well I'll print off a few tests tonight and post up the progress..

Thanks again

Dave

How did the prints come out, Dave?