I found a link: http://shutterbug.com/digital_help/0209digitalhelp/

Again, this does not seem like the right solution to this issue.

I am not implying anything.  I have installed all the latest firmware and driver updates from Epson for the Stylus Pro 3800 and I am still experiencing the dark prints problem.  As you can probably tell, I am pretty frustrated with this.

I am curious about this question: "Have you done the reinstall, make sure it is the default printer (checking CUPS interface), make sure it is registered in ColorSync thing?"

I have reinstalled the driver for the SP3800, but I do not know what you are referring to about registering it in ColorSync.  Have I missed something in this long thread?

Thanks.

PS:  I would still love to hear from an Adobe Engineer . . . .

grayscapes

WasDYP, Thanks for your response.  I hope I did not come across as snarky, as I did not mean to. I merely meant that I was not implying anything--instead, I was outright stating that the driver for the 3800 is not working right with my set up.  Part of my frustration with this issue is that I cannot tell if it is my fault, Adobe's fault, Epson's fault or Apple's fault that it is not working right.

I think I have checked the CUPS interface.  I will do it again.  I will also check the colorsync app to make sure that my SP3800 is listed there.

I assume that Adobe monitors these forums as a way of keeping in touch with their installed base?

Best,

grayscapes

this is a test post

Well I just fired up my iMAC with OS X 10.5.6 and tried to print using ABW on an Epson 3800: Prints come out too dark. (This is on Epson paper using their profile for it.) After reading this thread, it sounds like (1) it is still an open issue and (2) Epson doesn't think it is their problem. Correct? Are Adobe and Epson still talking to each other about it?

Also, is it true that the "ColorSync utility workaround" can be used to sidestep this issue?

As somebody else on this thread said: This is way more aggravating than wet darkroom printing ever was!

I did see that one, and made a note to try it, but in that same post Eric says:

"However, the catch is that -- as noted in this thread -- there is currently a glitch, which we (Adobe + Apple + Epson) are investigating. One of the symptoms of that glitch is that the above suggested workflow does not work on Leopard."

So that makes me think it's not going to work on my setup.

That's not too encouraging. It reminds me of the nonsense I have to deal with at work whenever a problem involves more than one vendor. We get them fixed eventually, though. If the driver coding is done in Japan, there could be a language-related communication issue as well.

Has Epson acknowledged that there is a problem?

What is a concise description of what the driver is doing wrong, from a design standpoint, that results in dark prints?

Does Epson know who to contact at Adobe or Apple to discuss it?

Having just spent over $3K so that I could make B/W prints, and now find I can't, I'm happy to help kick chairs over there. The more facts

I can bring to bear, the better chance of getting somebody's attention. Thanks.

P_Shock:

   When I look into System Preferences, the printer is shown as "Default, Idle". I would assume that means that it is the default printer, let me know

if that is not correct. Congratulations on the good prints. I will try Eric's ABW profile, thanks.

As an experiment, I loaded the latest Epson drivers onto my Windows XP laptop. Using the built-in profile for Epson Premium Glossy, I find that with the same printer options set, a B/W file that prints too dark from the Mac prints fine from the IBM. This particular image had the "canvas" resized in PS to create a white border. On the print from the IBM, that border merges with the white border created by the printer driver. On the MAC, the white border that is part of the image prints as what you might call a "zone VIII gray", making quite a contrast with the white of the paper. No wonder prints from the MAC look dark. Maybe this clue will help Epson realize there is a problem.

Nothing surprises me with this new forum, but at least I can edit it all out, I guess.

Message was edited by: Was DYP

There has been a number people mention these issues and what printer was set as default. But I wonder if this is a 10.4.x issue and the 10.5.x issue is something different. I have also noted that sometime setting the default printer in "Printers and Faxes" does not take. In that case one can usually set

the default printer in the CUPS interface. http://127.0.0.1:631/printers

Interesting, when I testing the default printer setting I could not find any relationship. There must be more than one problem causing this.

With the Canon drivers you could tell if the driver was defaulting to No Correction or to ColorSync. At this point the Canon drivers have been fixed. At least for the iPF series. The Canon DPP software still forces the driver to ColorSync though even though PS and LR do not.

It still would be interesting to know what the Adobe engineers found in LR 2.3RC that cause the default to ColorSync but was then fixed in the 2.3 final release.

I just downloaded and installed the driver update and will give it a try.  I will post my results.

~grayscapes

Don't assume this is limited ot MAC!  Here in Windows Vista 64-bit land with LR2.3 and PS CS4 and an Epson 4880 I can report:

Monitors calibrated, papers profiled.

Driver 6.52US

LR nearly gets is right but you have to brighten by about 10% on final print to get what you see on screen.  Colors are correct when brightened.

PS gets it so horribly wrong I give up.  Really dark and I'm not wasting paper and ink to find out the fix. I'll send the job back to LR for printing.

What I do find interesting (as others have observed) is that the UK site seems to have newer drivers, newer firmware for the printers compared to USA.  Not that the 6.60 fixed the dark prints!

If you get prompted by the UK site for a Post Code (Zip Code):

DD2 1BK

will work.

kenlsiegel wrote:

 

…so further proves it is an Epson "Mac" driver issues specific to the 3800…

…and most likely tied to the Epson driver under Leopard.

Epson recently posted "Common Driver Updaters" for most printers.  Have you checked to see if there's such a recent Common Updater for that printer?

I spent some time experimenting this weekend and have come up with a method of printing in Advanced B/W mode that seems to more or less work properly. By "work properly", I mean that the prints match the appearance of the display fairly closely-- close enough to be usable. My setup is:

IMac running Mac OS 10.5.6

CS4

Epson 3800 printer

Image source: Epson 750 scan from B/W film, 16-bit, gray gamma 2.2 profile

Latest software updates installed everywhere.

Steps followed are:

1. Edit image in CS4 with View-> Proof setup -> Custom set to the paper I plan to use (I have tested with Epson's PGPP profile and Crane's profile for

   Museo Silver Rag and gotten a good match in both cases)

2. Create a flattened TIFF and resize at 360 dpi. The gray gamma 2.2 profile is still embedded in the file at this point.

3. Prior to printing, select "Do not color manage this document" in the Edit -> Assign Profile menu. This causes the image on the screen

   to appear flat and light.

4. In the Epson driver, select Advanced B/W mode and "Printer manages colors". In the Advanced Color setting, select "Normal" instead of "Darker"

    (I don't have the Mac in front of me now so some of this terminology might be a little off.)

    I hope this is helpful if anyone is still struggling with this problem.

I am using the R1900 and this is what I found that works and might works for me

Photoshop managers printing

with Adobe RGB 1998 as the profile same as the document which is Adobe RGB 1998
and this is imprtant in the Epson print dialog I choose Color Settings>Color Controls>Adpbe RGB 1998.

Call me crazy but I don't see why you would profile an image and not make cerrtain you stick with it all the way.

Any way it works extremely well.

You will like it.

Wade, if someone could verify to me that one of the moderate priced

photo printers had canned profiles that were up to date with OSX 5.7

and with CS4 and Lightroom 2 to render accurate colors and brightness,

I would probably purchase the printer shortly.  If there is a basic

issue in CS4 affecting printers generally, that may not be an answer.

Obviously, this is a huge issue for photographers printing their own

images for sale.