Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Questions on certain printers and applications
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hi,

I am printing on an Epson SureColor P900 and my prints come out a bit too dark. Most of the colours seem to come out ok, but all of the very dark shades seem to come out way too dark. It almost seems like there is a fixed offset added to how black everything is. See photos below.

I am printing on Moab Entrada Rag Bright paper:

https://www.moabpaper.com/entrada-rag

Here are two prints I made:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/DSC01031.JPG

For the one on the right, I imported it and converted the profile from Prophoto RGB to the .icc profile from Moab company for Entrada Rag Bright, then I printed it using these settings in the dialog:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/moab.png

For the one on the left, I converted it to sRGB and then printed it using these settings in the dialog:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/srgb.png

I tried a couple times with and without checking the 'black point compensation' when converting the color profile in GIMP.

Here are a couple closeups illustrating the fact that you can't distinguish the dark blacks (compare with the screenshots):

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/DSC01039.JPG
https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/DSC01040.JPG

Here are the setting for the paper profile I'm using:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/paper.png

I also see similar results on the 'Lasal photo matte' when using an appropriate profile.

Interestingly, when I first started testing with TurboPrint, I installed the RIP version of the printer by mistake, and the test prints I did with that version were able to show better gradient on the dark blacks, but the detail on RIP doesn't seem to be as good, so I switched it to the non-RIP version.

Here are my software versions:

GIMP 2.10.18

Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS

TurboPrint Studio XL 2.51-1 (13-JUL-2021)

Here are some of my questions:

1) Is there potentially a simple setting change that will fix this? I did a few prints to adjust be black level down, but seems to affect the other colors too.
2) If I get a custom turboprint profile made for this paper, will that likely solve this problem?
3) I am new the using color profiles when printing. Is there a chance that I'm not doing something right with the profile settings? Could I be 'double-profiling' or something like that?
4) Is there possibly some kind of 'printer manages color profile' option on the printer menu itself that I don't know about that's applying additional/incorrect color profiling? I looked and I didn't find one.
5) Any other tips for settings you see that I should change to improve the quality of the output?
6) I did some reading, and I saw some mentions of known bugs in Gimp related to using custom profiles (https://ninedegreesbelow.com/photography/patched-gimp-compared-to-default-gimp.html). Specifically, they say "As of August 2018, default GIMP 2.10 does still have hard-coded sRGB parameters. So if you want to edit in RGB working spaces other than sRGB, these parameters will produce wrong results for quite a few — though not all — editing operations." However, I don't know if these bugs have been fixed, or if they even affect printing or not. The photos look ok after color profile conversion. Do you think this could be related?

Let me know if you want me to run more test prints and I'll take some photos.

Thanks for any thoughts you have,
Robert
zedonet
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Posts: 2156
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Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

Hello and thank you for the feedback!

The settings in the screenshot "srgb.png" look correct, the settings in "moab.png" look like "double-profiling" - the TurboPrint GIMP print plugin setting "RGB Color Space" must be the color space of the image to be printed, it should always be a camera or display color space like sRGB, AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB, not a paper profile like "Moab".

1) If prints are still too dark you can try the setting "Intent"="Perception Photo". With the setting "Intent"="Perception", the SC-P900 will print a very deep black on glossy paper. "Perception Photo" adjusts the image contrast as necessary, i.e. a bit less contrast on photo paper, more contrast on plain paper.

2) If the "RGB Color Space" setting is correct and suggestion 1) doesn't solve the problem with dark colors, a custom TurboPrint profile should fix it.

3) 4) see my remarks on the "RGB Color Space" setting in the TurboPrint GIMP print dialog above

5) see 1)

6) I am not aware of any real problems - parameters hard-coded to sRGB can cause minor inaccuracies e.g. in scaling algorithm
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hi zedonet, Thank you for your reply.

I think that my settings for the RGB Color Space are correct, but I am a bit uncertain about the typical 'workflow' of how high color accuracy printing works.

In my case, I have a graphic designer and an illustrator who are making some art work for me. The art work involves lots of bright high saturation colors that are difficult to show on paper.

Therefore, I downloaded the .icc profile from Moab Paper company for the paper that I plan to print on, and I have distributed this .icc profile to my graphic designers and asked that they use this profile instead of Adobe RGB/sRGB etc.

My reasoning is as follows: I presume that the .icc profile of this specific paper (Moab Entrada Rag Bright) will help to impose the gamut limitations of the paper on the artist and help to prevent them from creating designs that can't be printed accurately. There are also tools in photoshop to check for out of gamut colors and do 'soft proofing' to predict what the final print will look like. I presume that having them use the .icc file from the paper company for this is ideal. Is my reasoning correct?

Then, when I get the files from them, I open them in GIMP and at that point, the image is already using the Moab Entrada Rag Bright color profile. When I print images using this color profile, I use the settings like this:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/moab.png

In my experiments, I have found that images only print well if the current color profile of the image itself in GIMP matches the selection that I have for 'RGB Color Space'. In the two screenshots of the settings, you can see the current image color profile in the title bar of GIMP and in both cases it matches the selection I used in the print dialog for RGB Color Space.

In other cases where I open a file that is in a different color space (such as sRGB, Prophoto RGB, Adobe RGB etc.), I am of the understanding that I will achieve the best results if I first convert the color profile of that image in gimp to the 'Moab Entrada Rag Bright' .icc profile, and then use these print settings:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/moab.png

Also, all of my work here has been in RGB color space. I haven't used CMYK anywhere.

When I convert the color profile, I use the option here:

Image > Color Management > Convert To Color Profile

and chose 'Perceptual' rendering intent.

My eventual goal is to sell the art work, so I want to make sure it looks nice :)

Thanks,
Robert
zedonet
Site Admin
Posts: 2156
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

Thank you for the explanation. So you have imported the Moab profile in TurboPrint's dialog "Profiles" in tab "Printer profile" and also in tab "Color space"? This is possible and should also lead to correct resuts.

As explained in my last post, I recommend to try the setting "Intent"="Perception Photo". Of course you can also adjust the "Brightness Setting".

It is typical that despite correct color management, prints look a bit darker than the image on the computer monitor under typical viewing conditions (monitor is brighter than the print). When the print is viewed under good lighting this difference disappears.
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Thank you for the clarification. Yes, I set up a profile for the paper with these settings:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/paper.png

On the 'Color Spaces' tab I also imported the .icc profile for that same paper type that I got from Moab.

Yes, I've read a lot about issues people have with creating art work in RGB and then finding out that it appears a bit too dark when they print it, but in this case the dark squares are impossible to distinguish. #18 is barely visible:

https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/DSC01039.JPG
https://blog.robertelder.org/2021-08-06-printer-tests/DSC01031.JPG

I've seen YouTube videos of other people doing test prints of this image, and even from a distance in the video of their print you can distinguish down to at least #14.

I also tested out your suggestions, and the results were as follows:

When printing with "Intent"="Perception Photo" on the turboprint print settings, I did not notice any perceptible difference in the output. It was still impossible to distinguish between the darkest few dark boxes like in the photos above.

I did try increasing the brightness (through the turboprint control) up to 200%, the max value. This did make it so I could distinguish between more of the dark squares, but it was still impossible to distinguish between the few darkest boxes when using a magnifying glass. Overall, setting the brightness to 200% did improve the dark areas of this image, although the most light colors do seem a bit off now.

For fun, I also experimented on a different computer that does not have Turborint installed on it. I tested out the 'gutenprint' drivers, and a test print with default settings produced dark colors that look a bit more accurate and easier to distinguish. However, I wasn't able to figure out how to print with a custom .icc profile in gutenprint, and some of the accuracy in other colors is definitely wrong on the greends/reds. The gutenprint driver also has an issue where it will randomly produce prints that flood the page with ink and produce a huge mess.

Based on the above, I will assume that the issue with the dark colors is just due to not having a profile that is calibrated specifically for the turboprint driver. Therefore, today I purchased, printed and mailed a couple color charts for each of the papers that I have. Once I have custom profiles, I'll try again and hopefully that should resolve the issue.

- Robert
zedonet
Site Admin
Posts: 2156
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

Hello,

I found one potential problem in your settings:

When adding the new profile entry in TurboPrint Control, dialog "Profiles", please select "Ink limit"="300" (it is 250 in your screenshot).
This is essential when importing an ICC profile that is provided by a paper manufacturer.

A setting different from "300" makes only sense if you have a spectrophotometer and want to create your own ICC profiles.

I think it is worth a try to create a new color profile with our profiling service.
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hi zedonet, thank you for this suggestion!

I created a new paper profile with ink limit set to 300, and this has almost completely resolved the issue I was having with all dark colors being indistinguishable. I am able to distinguish down to #6/#8 on the black squares in the bottom of my test print, and I can also see the clearly defined border of the black square in the upper corner of the image with the electronics in it. Some of the other things I wanted to print are still a bit dark, but that may be another issue.

This makes me think that the message in turboprint should make it more clear why this ink limit value is significant. For someone like me who is just following instructions, the dialogue box says "To determine the maximum ink saturation for this paper print the ink limit test row with increasing ink saturation and choose the most saturated field without ink bleeding.". This made me think I was setting this value just to avoid getting messy prints with too much ink, but it seems like it's very important for color correctness too, and maybe has implications on the gamut?

This also makes me wonder about how choosing this value is significant when creating a custom turboprint profile: If I set the ink limit lower when printing the color chart, does this reduce the possible gamut of the images that I can print? Stated another way: If I want to get as much gamut as possible, should I always set the ink limit to 300? I have already mailed the color charts and I created them with a lower ink value. I suppose that those charts were probably printed with this ink limit baked into them? In that case I probably need to order new profiles if I want to use a higher ink limit (and maybe achieve more gamut)?

Also, another thing I wondered is this: Once I get the custom Turboprint profile, I understand that it will not be a standard .icc profile. Is it possible to import the turboprint paper profile into GIMP image editor's color management system? When I open an image, it will be in its own color space (like sRGB, Prophoto RGB, Moab Paper Entrada Rag etc.). But I assume that I need to first convert the color profile of the photo, to the one that I want to print with to match the paper (the turboprint profile). How is this possible? I have found that whenever the color profile of my image does not match the selection for "RGB Color Space", then colors look wrong, so I assume this conversion to have color profiles match must be necessary.

Cheers and thanks,
Robert
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hello again,

I received the calibrated profiles that were produced from the pieces of paper that I mailed in.

I did a few more test prints with the calibrated profile. For the Moab Entrada Rag Bright, the color chart I sent in had an ink limit of 250. When printing with this ink limit of 250, the turboprint based profile is definitely better than the same print that I did with the same ink limit of 250 when using a paper profile with the .icc profile from the paper manufacturer. In particular, I mean that it's better because I can distinguish between more of the dark squares with the turboprint profile compared to the .icc profile one for this ink limit of 250, and the dark areas in images look more accurate.

However, the previous prints that I did based on your suggestion of using an ink limit of 300 with just the .icc profile from the paper manufacturer (no turboprint profile) seems a bit better than both of them in terms of ability to distinguish between the dark squares. Overall, I am still not quite satisfied, since I can't distinguish the dark colours well in the prints generated from the turboprint calibrated profile. In particular, when using the turboprint calibrated profile #2, #4, #6 all look like the darkest colour when viewed in daylight. #8 is barely distinguishable.

This isn't just nitpicking since I have some images that I want to print, any many of the important shadowy details are not distinguishable.

This again makes me wonder if I shouldn't have used the max ink limit of 300 when creating the color charts that I mailed in? Would it make sense that I could get a better results in the dark areas by getting another calibration profile created using the max ink value of 300?

Also, here are the details of the print settings I'm using: I went back to the paper profile that I used when I created the color chart and clicked the 'import color data' button, then I selected the color data in the 'p060264-p900-moab-entrada-rag.pfprofile' file, which replaced the color data that I previously imported from the manufacturer's .icc profile. Now it says "Color data: ZEDOnet profile (proof/studio)"

When I do the printing, I select this same 'profile' for the 'Media Type'. For the color space, I use 'Color Space Moab Entrada Rag Bright P900 UPPPM.iccY' and the image itself in gimp has the same 'Moab Entrada Rag Bright P900' profile set in the image.

Also, when I imported the turboprint color profile for the Lasal Photo Matte paper, it said it would replace the quality from 2880 down to 1440. This was the same profile I used to print the color chart for that paper though, so I'm not sure why it wanted to change it. I don't even know if this has an effect on the gamut (I believe it does?).

The other thing I've noticed is that no matter what Quality I select, it always seems to use the lowest value of 1440 when printing. When I check the logs, I don't even see 1440, I see 'zedoResolution=724x720dpi'. This printer claims to be able to print 5760dpi. Is there a way to achieve higher dpi than I currently am with Turboprint?

Below, I have included logging data from /var/log/turboprint/print.log that should provide lots of insightful details. This log is from doing one print with the calibrated turboprint profile:

You'll note that I used 'Perceptual' instead of 'Perceptual Photo'. I tested that one too, and it seemed to make it slightly darker.

#######################################################
NEW PRINT JOB Mon 23 Aug 2021 01:37:06 PM EDT (pstoturboprint 2.48-1)
job-id 151
user robert
title PrinterEvaluationImage_V002_ProPhoto.tif
copies 1
options collate=0 ColorModel=RGB columns=1 cpi=10 Duplex=None finishings=3 InkType=Color_1 InputSlot=TopFeed lpi=6 media=Letter MediaType=Custom1003_3 number-up=1 OutputBin=Front PageRegion=Letter PageSize=Letter PrintingMode=Color Resolution=724x720dpi sides=one-sided zedoAdjustC=0 zedoAdjustK=0 zedoAdjustM=0 zedoAdjustY=0 zedoBorderlessExpand=2 zedoBrightC=0 zedoBrightM=0 zedoBrightness=0 zedoCMYKspace=0 zedoColorspace=1001 zedoContrast=0 zedoDithering=ErrorDiffusion zedoDuplexAdjust=0 zedoDuplexadvanced=manual zedoGamut=0 zedoGreyToneA=0 zedoGreyToneB=0 zedoGuiMode=advanced zedoInklimitC=0 zedoInklimitK=0 zedoInklimitM=0 zedoInklimitY=0 zedoIntensity=0 zedoIntent=perception_0 zedoLicenseType=License zedoMirror=0 zedoPreview=1 zedoPrinterDriver=Epson-SureColorP900 zedoRefLight=65 zedoScreenAngle=45 zedoScreenAngleCyan=15 zedoScreenAngleMagenta=75 zedoScreenAngleYellow=0 zedoScreenCartridge0=1 zedoScreenCartridge1=1 zedoScreenCartridge2=1 zedoScreenInkdropSize=1 zedoScreenInksaturation=200 zedoScreenLPI=50 zedoScreenLPICyan=50 zedoScreenLPIMagenta=50 zedoScreenLPIYellow=50 zedoScreenmode=0 zedoScreenSeparation=0 zedoScreenShape=3 zedoSettingA=0 zedoSettingB=0 zedoSettingC=0 zedoSettingD=0 zedoSettingE=0 zedoSettingF=0 zedoSettingG=0 zedoSettingH=0 zedoShadows=0 zedoTAC=0 zedoUCR=0 zedoUserColor=0 job-uuid=urn:uuid:99f89ed0-d4b5-3a6f-5df4-c298986d7f30 job-originating-host-name=localhost date-time-at-creation= date-time-at-processing= time-at-creation=1629740225 time-at-processing=1629740226
file
ppdfile /etc/cups/ppd/SureColorP900-TurboPrint.ppd
queue SureColorP900-TurboPrint
process info: uid=7(lp) gid=7(lp) groups=7(lp)
test directory access:
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 36864 Aug 23 12:29 /usr/share/turboprint/printers
linux-vdso.so.1
libm.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6
libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
device for SureColorP900-TurboPrint: tpu://Epson/SC-P900_Series/SN=SNIP
/usr/bin/tpprint -v2 -l/var/log/turboprint/print.log '--username=robert' '--ppdfile=/etc/cups/ppd/SureColorP900-TurboPrint.ppd' --psfeatures '---collate=0' '---ColorModel=RGB' '---columns=1' '---cpi=10' '---Duplex=None' '---finishings=3' '---InkType=Color_1' '---InputSlot=TopFeed' '---lpi=6' '---media=Letter' '---MediaType=Custom1003_3' '---number-up=1' '---OutputBin=Front' '---PageRegion=Letter' '---PageSize=Letter' '---PrintingMode=Color' '---Resolution=724x720dpi' '---sides=one-sided' '---zedoAdjustC=0' '---zedoAdjustK=0' '---zedoAdjustM=0' '---zedoAdjustY=0' '---zedoBorderlessExpand=2' '---zedoBrightC=0' '---zedoBrightM=0' '---zedoBrightness=0' '---zedoCMYKspace=0' '---zedoColorspace=1001' '---zedoContrast=0' '---zedoDithering=ErrorDiffusion' '---zedoDuplexAdjust=0' '---zedoDuplexadvanced=manual' '---zedoGamut=0' '---zedoGreyToneA=0' '---zedoGreyToneB=0' '---zedoGuiMode=advanced' '---zedoInklimitC=0' '---zedoInklimitK=0' '---zedoInklimitM=0' '---zedoInklimitY=0' '---zedoIntensity=0' '---zedoIntent=perception_0' '---zedoLicenseType=License' '---zedoMirror=0' '---zedoPreview=1' '---zedoPrinterDriver=Epson-SureColorP900' '---zedoRefLight=65' '---zedoScreenAngle=45' '---zedoScreenAngleCyan=15' '---zedoScreenAngleMagenta=75' '---zedoScreenAngleYellow=0' '---zedoScreenCartridge0=1' '---zedoScreenCartridge1=1' '---zedoScreenCartridge2=1' '---zedoScreenInkdropSize=1' '---zedoScreenInksaturation=200' '---zedoScreenLPI=50' '---zedoScreenLPICyan=50' '---zedoScreenLPIMagenta=50' '---zedoScreenLPIYellow=50' '---zedoScreenmode=0' '---zedoScreenSeparation=0' '---zedoScreenShape=3' '---zedoSettingA=0' '---zedoSettingB=0' '---zedoSettingC=0' '---zedoSettingD=0' '---zedoSettingE=0' '---zedoSettingF=0' '---zedoSettingG=0' '---zedoSettingH=0' '---zedoShadows=0' '---zedoTAC=0' '---zedoUCR=0' '---zedoUserColor=0' '---job-uuid=urn:uuid:99f89ed0-d4b5-3a6f-5df4-c298986d7f30' '---job-originating-host-name=localhost' '---date-time-at-creation=' '---date-time-at-processing=' '---time-at-creation=1629740225' '---time-at-processing=1629740226' /tmp/pstoturboprint15731.chunk /tmp/pstoturboprint15731.var
Searching PPD file and postscript header for options...
page size Letter overwritten by ---media=Letter
duplex overwritten by ---Duplex=None
check_flag_file: opening /var/spool/turboprint/robert/prv/SureColorP900-TurboPrint
check_flag_file: opening /var/spool/turboprint/robert/sml/SureColorP900-TurboPrint
tpprint: at end of main result=0
----------- Start of var file -----------
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoColorModel=RGB"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoCartridgeType=Color"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoInputSlot=TopFeed"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoMediaType=Custom1003_3"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoOutputBin=Front"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoPageSize=Letter"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoAdjustC=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoAdjustK=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoAdjustM=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoAdjustY=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoBorderlessExpand=2"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoBrightC=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoBrightM=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoBrightness=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoCMYKspace=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoColorspace=1001"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoContrast=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoDithering=ErrorDiffusion"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoDuplexAdjust=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoDuplexadvanced=manual"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoGamut=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoGreyToneA=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoGreyToneB=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoInklimitC=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoInklimitK=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoInklimitM=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoInklimitY=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoIntensity=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoIntent=perception_0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoMirror=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoRefLight=65"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenAngle=45"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenCartridge0=1"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenCartridge1=1"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenCartridge2=1"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenInkDropSize=1"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenInksaturation=200"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenLPI=50"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenShape=3"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoScreenmode=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingA=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingB=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingC=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingD=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingE=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingF=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingG=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoSettingH=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoShadows=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoTAC=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoUCR=0"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoGuiMode=advanced"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoResolution=724x720dpi"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoPrinterDriver=Epson_SureColorP900"
ZEDOPARM="$ZEDOPARM zedoDuplex=None"
PDFFILE=0
GSPPDFOUND=1
GSCOLORMODE=2
GSCOLORBITS=8
GSXDPI=720
GSYDPI=720
GSWIDTH=6120
GSHEIGHT=7920
TPWIDTH=8500
TPHEIGHT=11000
TPXOFFSET=0
TPYOFFSET=0
DUPLEXMEDIA=Letter
DUPLEX=0
PREVIEW=0
NOPRINT=0
BORDERLESS=0
PVXDPI=93
PVYDPI=93
PVWIDTH=790
PVHEIGHT=1023
----------- End of var file -----------
tpstdin --parsedsc result=0
GSRESULT=GPL Ghostscript Zedo3 9.05 (2012-02-08) GSVERSION=Zedo GSZEDODEVICE=1
GSCOMMANDLINE=gszedo -sDEVICE=zedo -dZCopies=1 -dZBits=24 -sZPixSize=6120x7920 -r720x720 -dSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH
TPCOMMANDLINE=/usr/bin/tpprint -a0 -e1 -s8500x11000 -p0x0 -v2 -l/var/log/turboprint/print.log '---collate=0' '---ColorModel=RGB' '---columns=1' '---cpi=10' '---Duplex=None' '---finishings=3' '---InkType=Color_1' '---InputSlot=TopFeed' '---lpi=6' '---media=Letter' '---MediaType=Custom1003_3' '---number-up=1' '---OutputBin=Front' '---PageRegion=Letter' '---PageSize=Letter' '---PrintingMode=Color' '---Resolution=724x720dpi' '---sides=one-sided' '---zedoAdjustC=0' '---zedoAdjustK=0' '---zedoAdjustM=0' '---zedoAdjustY=0' '---zedoBorderlessExpand=2' '---zedoBrightC=0' '---zedoBrightM=0' '---zedoBrightness=0' '---zedoCMYKspace=0' '---zedoColorspace=1001' '---zedoContrast=0' '---zedoDithering=ErrorDiffusion' '---zedoDuplexAdjust=0' '---zedoDuplexadvanced=manual' '---zedoGamut=0' '---zedoGreyToneA=0' '---zedoGreyToneB=0' '---zedoGuiMode=advanced' '---zedoInklimitC=0' '---zedoInklimitK=0' '---zedoInklimitM=0' '---zedoInklimitY=0' '---zedoIntensity=0' '---zedoIntent=perception_0' '---zedoLicenseType=License' '---zedoMirror=0' '---zedoPreview=1' '---zedoPrinterDriver=Epson-SureColorP900' '---zedoRefLight=65' '---zedoScreenAngle=45' '---zedoScreenAngleCyan=15' '---zedoScreenAngleMagenta=75' '---zedoScreenAngleYellow=0' '---zedoScreenCartridge0=1' '---zedoScreenCartridge1=1' '---zedoScreenCartridge2=1' '---zedoScreenInkdropSize=1' '---zedoScreenInksaturation=200' '---zedoScreenLPI=50' '---zedoScreenLPICyan=50' '---zedoScreenLPIMagenta=50' '---zedoScreenLPIYellow=50' '---zedoScreenmode=0' '---zedoScreenSeparation=0' '---zedoScreenShape=3' '---zedoSettingA=0' '---zedoSettingB=0' '---zedoSettingC=0' '---zedoSettingD=0' '---zedoSettingE=0' '---zedoSettingF=0' '---zedoSettingG=0' '---zedoSettingH=0' '---zedoShadows=0' '---zedoTAC=0' '---zedoUCR=0' '---zedoUserColor=0' '---job-uuid=urn:uuid:99f89ed0-d4b5-3a6f-5df4-c298986d7f30' '---job-originating-host-name=localhost' '---date-time-at-creation=' '---date-time-at-processing=' '---time-at-creation=1629740225' '---time-at-processing=1629740226' '--ppdfile=/etc/cups/ppd/SureColorP900-TurboPrint.ppd' --psheader=/tmp/pstoturboprint15731.chunk --jobid=151 '--username=robert' '--title=PrinterEvaluationImage_V002_ProPhoto.tif'
COMPLETEPIPE=/usr/lib/turboprint/tpstdin --paste /tmp/pstoturboprint15731.chunk | gszedo -sDEVICE=zedo -dZCopies=1 -dZBits=24 -sZPixSize=6120x7920 -r720x720 -dSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sOutputFile=/tmp/pstoturboprint15731.fifo - >> /var/log/turboprint/print.log
PREVIEWPIPE=
----------- Start of print job -----------
backchannel_fd=5
tpprint 2.51-1 x64 (13-JUL-2021) - TurboPrint printer driver
Copyright (C)ZEDOnet GmbH, Irsee, Germany. All rights reserved.
23-Aug-2021 13:37
PPD file: /etc/cups/ppd/SureColorP900-TurboPrint.ppd
header file: /tmp/pstoturboprint15731.chunk
Searching PPD file and postscript header for options...
GPL Ghostscript Zedo3 9.05 (2012-02-08)
Copyright (C) 2010 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
page size Letter overwritten by ---media=Letter
duplex overwritten by ---Duplex=None
interpret_ps: no output file specified
::set_info_paths: setting preview file to /var/spool/turboprint/robert/zmf/151.zmf
# CountGray=1 CountRGB=4435094 CountCMYK=0 DocWidth=612 DocHeight=792 AutoRotate=0 DocCopies=1Filetype=PBM Plusbits_per_pixel=32 bytes_per_line=24480 width=6120 height=7920
RGB mode 8bit
tpfile::complete_pageinfo: overriding cartridge_id 0 with 0
printable_width=8260 max_printable_width=0

command level=22 feature set=3 duplex=0
Printer=Epson_SureColorP900; Module=Epson; Id=P700
printable_width=8260 max_printable_width=0

Colormode=2; Cartridge=0=Color; Quality=1=Quality; Paper=1003=Moab Entrada Rag Bright
Pagesize=1=US-Letter; Paper Input=0=Top Feed; Paper Output=0=Front
Duplex=0=Off; Copies=1; Mirror=0/0; Dithering=0; Flip=0
Page x=5947 y=7747; AppDpi x=720 y=720; DitDpi x=720 y=720;
PrnDpi x=720 y=720; Overlay=0
Print Direction=Default (0:1,0,0,0); Black Enhance=Default (1:12,0,0,0); Gloss Smoothing=Off (2:13,0,0,0); Drying Time=Off (3:2,0,0,0); Paper Thickness=Default (4:3,0,0,0); Save Paper (Roll Paper)=Off (5:8,0,0,0); Platen Gap=Default (6:9,0,0,0); Ink Amount=Default (7:14,0,0,0);
Profile: /usr/share/turboprint/profiles/Moab_Entrada_Rag_Bright_1003.tpr
tpfile::load_colormatch_curves: reading linearization data from external zedonet profile
tpfile::load_colormatch_curves: reading profile info from external zedonet profile
tpfile::get_patchsample_table: paper=Moab Entrada Rag Bright
table::get_patchsample_struct: default_bright_ink set to default 100
table::get_patchsample_struct: default_black_start set to default 75
table::get_patchsample_struct: default_black_add set to default 50
tpfile_class::get_patchsample_table: reading M0Data table lines
patches; linmode=gamma
table::build_gamma_table: i=0 color=5 gamma=50 max=100 saturation=100
gamma 50 max 100 saturation 1000 for channel 0
correction=32767
table::build_gamma_table: i=1 color=6 gamma=50 max=100 saturation=100
gamma 50 max 100 saturation 1000 for channel 1
correction=32767
table::build_gamma_table: i=2 color=7 gamma=50 max=100 saturation=100
gamma 50 max 100 saturation 1000 for channel 2
correction=32767
matchtable->profile_datafile_version = 1
cmm::generate_memory_profile: multi3c_k_grey=1 lin_mode set to density
shadow: 0 => adjust 100 min 50/10 max 50; grey: a=0 b=0; colorspace=/usr/share/turboprint/profiles/MOAB_Entrada_Rag_Bright_P900_UPPPM.iccY__RGB1001.tpd; intent=perceptual; M2; daylight = 6500K
matchtable->numchannels=3
cmm::generate_memory_profile: multi3c_mode=TRUE
multi_profile_switch=150 multi_c2_switch=100 multi_m2_switch=100
ucr_up=255; max_ink=638; ucr_add=128
polyfit mode=2 channels=3 terms=52 patches=215
polyfit mode=4 channels=3 terms=40 patches=622
have_brighter_grey=0
max_dens_val[GREY_BRIGHT]=32767 min_dens_val[GREY_BRIGHT]=32767 max_dens_val[GREY_BRIGHTER]=32767 min_dens_val[GREY_BRIGHTER]=32767
bright_cyan_fac=0 bright_magenta_fac=0
black_fac=0 cyan_fac=-1 magenta_fac=-1 yellow_fac=-1
init_cmyk2multichannel: c2fac=0 m2fac=0 kfac=0 photoblue=0 k2fac=0 k3fac=0 k4fac=0 multi_max_ink=640
printer white:l=977 a-005 b+018
printer white poly:l=977 a-005 b+018
printer black poly:l=183 a-021 b+013
printer darkest poly:l=183 a-021 b+013
black l=04 a+00 b+01 => l=218 a+000 b+012: K00 C73 M81 Y76 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black94 l=09 a+00 b+02 => l=248 a-007 b+013: K00 C69 M68 Y71 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black87 l=15 a+00 b+01 => l=291 a-004 b+013: K00 C59 M59 Y61 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black75 l=28 a+00 b+00 => l=387 a+003 b+004: K00 C44 M45 Y45 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black62 l=42 a+01 b+00 => l=500 a+009 b+008: K00 C34 M34 Y34 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black50 l=58 a+01 b+01 => l=626 a+008 b+025: K00 C26 M26 Y26 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black37 l=71 a+00 b+02 => l=732 a-001 b+040: K00 C18 M18 Y19 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black25 l=82 a+00 b+02 => l=821 a-005 b+047: K00 C11 M12 Y12 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
black12 l=90 a+00 b+03 => l=890 a-011 b+054: K00 C05 M06 Y06 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
white l=97 a+00 b+01 => l=952 a-005 b+030: K00 C01 M01 Y01 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
cyan l=63 a-34 b-47 => l=667 a-282 b-397: K00 C99 M00 Y02 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
magenta l=67 a+64 b-12 => l=700 a+558 b-099: K00 C00 M75 Y05 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
yellow l=92 a-03 b+116 => l=906 a-060 b+1005: K00 C00 M02 Y90 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
red l=47 a+72 b+48 => l=536 a+627 b+406: K00 C00 M72 Y77 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
green l=49 a-71 b+21 => l=550 a-612 b+192: K00 C74 M03 Y72 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
blue l=29 a+17 b-63 => l=390 a+141 b-531: K00 C91 M59 Y03 c00 m00 k00 g00 h00
epson::setup_printer_info: number of channels: 3
epson::setup_printer_info: bits per pixel: 8
Epson init string: ESC ( K 2 ESC U 0 ESC ( m 1 ESC ( e 1
epson::setup_printer_info: color nozzles:1 color spacing:720 black nozzles:1 black spacing:720
epson::setup_printer_info: p700 nonstandard head layout
epson_info.top_feed=0 epson_info.top_margin=86 epson_info.bottom_margin=7834 epson_info.unit_y=720 epson_info.y_pixel_units=1
esc(C 1ef0 esc(c 56 1e9a
Microweave information
nozzlespacing=1 package=1 totalpasses=1 unitpixels=0
numbuffers=3
calculate_weave_parameters_sub(min)

nozzlenum=1 used_nozzles=1 cycle_length=1 feed_sum=1
Sequence 1>0(0),
calculate_weave_parameters_sub(reg)

nozzlenum=1 used_nozzles=1 cycle_length=1 feed_sum=1
Sequence 1>0(0),
feed_total=1 feed_minimum_total=1 feed_buildup_total=0 feed_builddown_total=0
total_passes=1 buildup_steps=0 builddown_steps=0
borderless_buildup=0 buildup_steps=0 y_builddown=7747 max_height=7747 builddown_steps=0
y_cover=3 color_max_off=1 unit_pixels=0
Colormatch file=P700; Curves=720dpi; Table=Moab_Entrada_Rag_Bright_1003
Report at end of pdrive_class::begin_page
Total memory usage=1303038
PREVIEW y_offset=86 org_height=7920 src_scanline=85 preview_scanline=6
calculate_dim: print left=0 top=0 width=5947 height=7747
calculate_dim: section left=86 top=86 width=5947 height=7747
check_add_logo returned 0
Printed section of picture:
left=86 top=86 width=5947 height=7747
Printer: resolution x_dpi=720 y_dpi=720 color_mode=2
Page - printable area in printer pixels:
left=86 top=86 width=5947 height=7747
Print size in printer pixels, relative to printable area:
left=0 top=0 width=5947 height=7747
tpprint::update_ink: black_type=2 rgb_mode=0
tpprint::update_ink: black_type=2 rgb_mode=0
Time for <Profile> = 1073
Time for <Color> = 1197
Time for <Dither> = 26
Time for <Print> = 447
Time for <Total> = 2951
Line counters: skip=0; bitmap=0; others=7747; 8bit=0; white=5857; b/w=0
Color 0 sum: 46
Color 1 sum: 56
Color 2 sum: 58
total sum: 160
pixmap_class::open: end of file reached
print_page: end of input file
Report at end of pdrivecontrol_class::release_printer
Total memory usage=0
tpprint: at end of main result=-21
------------ End of print job - result = 0 ------------
job cancelling procedure - TPPID=15761 GSPID=15763 PVPID=
------------ END of tpprint filter ------------
zedonet
Site Admin
Posts: 2156
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

Hello Robert,

thank you for your feedback.

- Ink limit

When using the TurboPrint driver "Epson SureColor SC-P900", you should always choose the ink limit 300. This will allow a deeper black.

- Print quality / resolution

When importing a paper manufacturer's ICC profile, it is not important which resolution you choose when creating the profile entry.
When creating a new profile, you should choose the print resolution that you will be using most (this one will have the most accurate color reproduction).

When printing, you will be able to select any print resolution and you should see a difference in print speed.

The print resolution number that is visible internally (e.g. 724x720dpi) is not the actual print resolution, it is just an enumeration value.
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hi zedonet,

Thank you for the clarification. If I understand correctly, I would likely be able to achieve a better quality result (with more gamut and darker blacks) if I order and print out, and mail in new color charts, but this time I set the ink limit to 300 for both (last time, I printed the color charts from profiles that used 200 and 250 ink limits for each of my paper types). My assumption now is that the 'ink limit' setting will have an influence on how much ink is printed onto the color charts and will therefore affect the measurements generated by the spectrophotometer.

Please confirm that my understanding is correct and that I will achieve a different result if I have new profiles created with the higher ink limit. I want to try and avoid unnecessary expense.

Thanks,
Robert
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

I hate to bug you again, but could I get a quick yes/no confirmation to my previous post?
zedonet
Site Admin
Posts: 2156
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

Hello,

the difference is subtle and I cannot guarantee that it is worth the effort.

Here is the explanation why I recommend 300:

The PrintFab printer driver "Epson SureColor SC-P900" internally works in RGB mode. To print maximum deep black the driver must send RGB=0,0,0 to the printer, which PrintFab's ink limit algorithm handles as CMY=100%,100%,100% = 300%.

The printer does the conversion from RGB to CMYK, so the actual ink amount is lower. RGB 0,0,0 is typically converted to Black 100% plus a bit of Color and Grey ink.

The alternative PrintFab driver "Epson SureColor SC-P900 RIP" internally works in CMYK+Grey mode. Here it makes sense to try 200%, 250% and 300%.
zedonet
Site Admin
Posts: 2156
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:02 am

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by zedonet »

PS: I am on vacation for two weeks and will not be able to answer posts.
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Thank you for the response. I have printed the new color charts with ink limit 300 and put them in the mail just now.

- Robert
roberteldersoftware
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:49 pm

Re: Epson SC P900 Dark Colors Are Too Dark

Post by roberteldersoftware »

Hi, I received the updated color profiles today, thank you.

I did some test prints, and I can see that the combination of having the ink limit at 300 and the custom profile does improve the quality of the output and provides the best result I've seen so far.

Overall, I think this result is satisfactory, and I think it's good enough to justify being able to sell prints with these results.

However, I can't help but notice that on the extreme dark end and the extreme light end, the brightness still looks a bit 'off'. For example, there is a black to white ramp on the test prints, and there is a fairly noticeable sharp transition on the end where the color value goes from #FFFFFF to #FEFEFE (but only on my calibrated test prints). When I look at one of the solid squares of #FEFEFE that I measured with the eye dropper, it's almost as if there is a minimum ink output that's being added to #FEFEFE color, but I've seen from other test prints (with different settings) that the printer is definitely capable of printing a 'whiter' #FEFEFE color. Some of the dark areas are also still a little difficult to distinguish, but it's definitely improved from what I had with the lower ink limit. Everything between the brightness extremes looks quite good though.

Anyway, thanks for your advice. I think I'll be able to live with this result and move on.
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