Epson R2400

[jonathan_01uk]

Hi everyone
I have an Epson R2400 and am finding that all the prints are nothing like those I see on screen. The screen is calibrated and I have profiled the printer. I use CS3 and have variously tried letting PS and the Epson driver determine the colours using the correct profiles for paper, colour space, different rendering intents, etc. I wondered if anyone could offer and guidelines from their experience as to how to get better colours?
Thanks :-)

[flybybry]

Are you using Epson cartridges and papers? this can have an enormous effect on the end result!

We have the same printer and use the printer colour profiles for the various papers and up to now no problems.

We NEVER let photoshop determine the colours.

[Homera1]

have you tried doing the Nozzle check? the print shows if there are any nozzle's blocked. With half a dozen blocked you get streaked lines, but on my R2400 I once had a colour completly missing and all my prints went completly off and I couldn;t work out why...... worth a check :-)

[jonathan_01uk]

Are you using Epson cartridges and papers? this can have an enormous effect on the end result!

We have the same printer and use the printer colour profiles for the various papers and up to now no problems.

We NEVER let photoshop determine the colours.
Hi flybybry, yes, using all Epson products (tried other manufacturers papers and some are great but all results were roughly the same colour/quality wise) and not letting PS determine colours.

[jonathan_01uk]

have you tried doing the Nozzle check? the print shows if there are any nozzle's blocked. With half a dozen blocked you get streaked lines, but on my R2400 I once had a colour completly missing and all my prints went completly off and I couldn;t work out why...... worth a check :-)
Hi Homera1, yes, all nozzles A-OK. The prints come out fine except for this lack of, for want of a better description, "depth". It's not a colour matching or contrast thing - it's more that by comparison the screen image seems almost 3D compared to the prints.
Jonathan

[William]

There are a number of routes that you can explore start off doing a soft proof in CS3.

Does your soft proofing show a similar result to the final print or is it closer to your displayed image?

[Kenny]

HI mate

Ive had the same problems with my R1800.At one point I figured the heads must have gone even though I got a full nozzle check.Its was just that every time I printed summat out it looked...well,flat and lifeless like,as you said,something was missing.I got the pro profiles from epson america(for some reason you cant get them on the UK site) and tried them but no joy.I too was using epson carts and tried everything.In the end I was so desperate I sold continuous studio lights kit to buy a canon printer because I needed to print four images and contact sheet for every assignment on the course Im doing.Funny thing is,I ended up not being able to get carts for the Pixma IP4600 because they were in short supply and I couldnt afford to pay £90 for a set of epsons again.I rang Epson up and was told that they could pick it up and refurb the heads for 190 quid(which I didnt have) and thats when I went into town and spotted a place selling compatables made by Jettec.They cost me thirty quid and I put them in the R1800 and you know what.....I wouldnt buy epson again.Those carts come with 37 mls of ink as opposed to 13 mils in an epson cart and the prints are just beautiful.Ive printed out some of the shots I posted on the forum last night and I am soo chuffed with how they turned out.Jettec have won loads of awards and DCM mag said they tested them against genuine ones and they came out hands down better than the originals.

JUst to be aware that there are counterfiet carts doing the rounds supposed to be from Epson but are really cheap water based dyes in them made in china.

Hope you get your print issues sorted.One thing you might want to try is not to use the print option on photoshop but to use the epson print software that came with the R2400.I think its the same as on the R1800 and is called epson easy photo print.If your prints come out crap using that then just try to change to jettec for a one off.They do them for the R2400 and they are pigment inks made by OCP which is the best ink company in europe.

Bessy regs

Kenny