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Epson 9800 printing colors way off

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Liu-John

Guest
I am a graphic designer using Mac OS 10.6.8 with a Epson Stylus 9800 Pro printer (no RIP). I usually use the computer outputs as design presentations generated from Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator and PhotoShop). I'm sick of the poor color outputs from this fabulous printer, I need the colors to come close, but does not have to be exact. Can anyone advice on how I can get better colors, or do I need to purchase image management or RIP software and which one? Any input on best drivers and most economical paper and inks would be great too.
Your response is very much appreciated.
 

stngoldberg

Well-known member
Assuming that your monitor is properly calibrated, buy "imageprint." You will get perfect reproduction every time on wide variety of papers and their support by phone or online is first rate.
Colorbyte makes printing easy
Stanley
 
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Liu-John

Guest
Thanks for the response. I'm hedging on the $2495 price tag, is there a more economical alternative?
 
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Liu-John

Guest
An associate recommended using Chromix, a profiling service for my printer. After a lengthly and informative session with Rich Hatmaker at Chromix, I think this may be the most efficient and cost effective way to go. As it turns out RIPs are really high maintenance. I'll try that first and see if it meets my needs.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
It's not difficult to generate your own custom icc profiles for the Epson 9800. In general, custom profiles are much better than canned profiles for the 9800. I have found that canned manufacturer profiles have improved dramatically for the 9900, and this probably reflects better color management technology and understanding of color workflow.

You haven't mentioned color profiling/management of your monitor, which should be the first step in color management. Regular monitor calibration and proper media profiles for your printer go hand-in-hand.

ken
 

pfigen

Member
You don't need ImagePrint to get great prints from a 9800, but we do need to know what version of software you're printing from. It does make a difference and there were some wonderful little bugs that were introduced with certain software version and OS version combos.

Printing to a 9800 from Ps CS 5-6 is really straightforward, and if you're having problems, it's usually pretty easy to diagnose. Screen shots of all of your print dialog boxes and Color Settings would be the first step.
 
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