I had a demo version of your software running for a short while, without a spectro, I'm using the i1profiler software, and when I scan a patch sheet with 96 colors I get this after scanning, the scanned colors are displayed, the black patch here is the top left one, I can double click on it and get the actual values as scanned.
The black patch in your 50 color patch sheet is located at the cursor position with RGB=0,0,0
So how does your program/scan screen look directly after scanning - probably somewhat similar to mine ? Can you do a data read out with a double click on any of the color spots on the screeen ?
O.K. - fine, you are reading RGB= 39,37,33 for the black spot, I take an average for the gray value of 36 and devide it by 2.5 and get 14.4, this is the approx L value ( the calculation is not completely correct but good enough for this purpose, RGB ranges from 0-255, L values from 0 - 100 ), and this L=14.4 matches very closely your step wedge reading of L=14.7, there is no fault with the data, not at all.
These differences in the black level cannot be explained by reading errors, are these profiles for different papers ? I wouldn't know otherwise where such differences could come from, but I'm not familiar with ArgyllCMS and its parameters. And it's these black levels which deliver a good or not so good contrast.
In post #358 are profiles for exact same paper taken even from the same box. I am allways getting less contrast profile from argyll...also on glossy papers (ilford smooth pearl), hahnemuhle photorag Baryta... And what i would like to find out is argyll parameter/command error or i1Studio hardware limitation with argyll.
These differences make argyll profiles useless and even printing from driver with epson adobe rgb settings are giving much better looking prints with less accourate colors.
Argyll patches are printed with Adobe Color Printer Utility and i1Studio directly from application. Both is printing with driver, same settings (Photo 1440, unidirectional, same paper type, no color management...).
can you print the patch sheets for both programs stand alone with the same driver settings, not from inside of i1Studio and run the profile then again.
I'll be honest, the last two commands were copied from the internet and the first 2 have been trial and error after having issues with printing and trying to read them. Hopefully my first three commands will be enough to at least get a profile made.
Reading your posts you all seem to have a lot more experience than me when it comes to this so, how do they stack up?
I'll give you a breakdown on how I design:
• I design in Illustrator
• I use Pantone spot colours to design unless I need a specific colour then I use Pantone Colour Bridge
• The reason for using Spot colours is because the colours seem to pop more when using spot colours as apposed to using the bridge swatch
• Use Adobe 1998 colourspace
• Print Using PDF which have been exported using PDF/X1a
• I then use A RIP called Versaworks that drives my Roland Printer
• The colour management settings I use in there are
• Adobe1998
• WideGamutCMYK
• Matching Method
• Raster: Perceptual
• Vector: Colorimetric
• Finally I use Embedded Profile
• and Preserve Primary Colours
Hopefully that will give you an insight into my process.