Horrible photo colours from iP5200 and other printers under W8 64 bit

[websnail]

Windows 8 colour profiles:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/change-color-management-settings

 

[PeterBJ]

Thank you very much I will start studying this tomorrow. I hope I find a solution to the problem with TIFF files shown in wrong colours. If so I might start to accept Windows 8.

I got very angry and horrified, when I saw the print results of the "Printer Evaluation Image", fearing that my Canon printers all were useless for photo printing.

 

[jtoolman]

Something is definitely not set up correctly as I can print TIFFs through WIN 8 / 64 bit without any color problems.

Remember that those TIFF test prints do not have an embedded color space.

 

[PeterBJ]

Thank you very much for info

I will also start studying this topic.

 

[stratman]

I am about to build a new system and have been reading about Windows 8. I cannot help with your printing issues, yet, but wanted to comment on some other topics discussed in this thread.

There have been at least 5 software apps and 3 registry hacks to return a functional Start button menu. Whether all the hacks survived the Dev version of Windows 8 or not I do not know. Classic Shell looks nice, is free and well supported. Other software for providing a functional Start button at http://www.geek.com/chips/how-to-start-menu-in-windows-8-1526581/. There are also registry hacks to boot to the Desktop (which Classic Shell does natively) as well as bring back Quick Launch just like in good old Windows versions.

Here is an article about 4 different ways to close apps without a touch screen: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001372.htm. Additionally, Stardock which sells Start8, similar to Classic Shell Start button, also sells ModernMix that brings back the right upper screen "X" to close out Modern apps: http://www.stardock.com/products/modernmix/index.asp. My thought is that if Stardock has figured this out then others have or will have as well, including free alternatives.

A potentially useful folder/hack which supposedly gives access to every configurable option in Windows 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&feature=iv&src_vid=1o4nCXs4S6c&v=cobwlJfkyZ4.

I have seen video reviews of the upcoming Windows 8.1 update. It does enable a Start button but all it does is toggle you between Desktop and the Start/Metro tiles window. It is NOT a functional Start button as we have known with previous Windows version. Even worse, upgrading to 8.1 may break the add-on Start button requiring work-arounds or reinstalls of your 3rd party Start button app. It looks like Classic Shell is prepared for Windows 8.1 - good!

Last, Windows 8 has Client Hyper-V which will allow you to run an ealier version of Windows such as XP in a virtual machine. You will need to have/upgrade to Windows 8 Professional x64, have a x64 CPU that incorporates Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) technology, and then set-up Client Hyper-V, which is all explained in the links below on how to do the set-up. I'm not sure why The Hat said virtual environments are not good in Windows 8. I hope he can explain more because I was thinking of doing it. Client Hyper-V is different than Windows 7

Client Hyper-V Setup: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/wi...-with-windows-8-client-hyper-v-the-right-way/

Installing Windows XP in the Client Hyper-V: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/wi...l-windows-xp-in-windows-8-client-hyper-v/6732

There are a small number of reader comments in each of the two links, but they are interesting and might be helpful.

 

[The Hat]

I was reliably informed that virtual in Win 8 is a royal pain in the ass all together,
because it doesnt work nearly as well as it did in Win 7.

It wont support USB drives, you cant drag and drop and printing is just about next to near impossible
and if I hear any more news about it I will pass it on ok.
I bet that wasnt what stratman wanted to hear either, sorry.

 

[stratman]

USB Drives may be accessible with http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/wi...s-accessible-to-a-windows-xp-virtual-machine/. This article expressly discusses printing.

Drag and Drop with Client Hyper-V: http://tarekeltouny.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/how-to-share-files-between-a-host-a-vm-in-hyper-v/.

As I have not used Windows 8 or Client Hyper-V as of yet, I can only relay web sites with information but without personal confirmation it works.

 

[PeterBJ]

An update:

I haven't solved the original problem, but I have made a couple of file conversions so I can now use the test image with Win 8. The colours appear to be unchanged, so the test image is still useful.

Luckily all my Canon printers work with Win 8 even those that are not officially supported. The problem is a Windows 8 problem, possibly caused by some default setting, or Win 8 doesn't handle TIFF files the same way older versions of Windows do.

Opening the "PrinterEvaluationImage" in Windows Photo Viewer and clicking print opens print preview window on top of the Photo Viewer window, I have reduced the size of the screendump, but compare the strawberries to see the wrong greyish colours, the photo viewer window shows the colours correctly, as does the preview window for half a second before changing the colours.:

Here is a larger version of the print preview window:

I don't understand how one window can show correct colours, indicating Win 8 interpretes the TIFF file correctly, maybe some conversion takes place as the print preview windows shows correct colours for half a second?

The problem is independent of printer chosen, in the example the printer is an HP. Even a virtual printer like "PDF Creator" shows the same behaviour and produces a PDF file with the wrong colours. If anybody wants this PDF file, you are welcome send me mail requesting it, and I will attach it to my answer.

Here is another strange thing:

I opened the TIFF file in Irfan View and it showed the same wrong colours. I tried to tweak the saturation and got it almost right. I decided I would prefer to work on a copy of the image instead so I closed Irfan View without applying the changes and without saving anything. After reopening Irfan view the colours now were correct and I could print a nice test picture from Irfan view. I was also able to save the image in JPG format, the JPG file also has the correct colours. Before Irfan View changed behaviour it produced a JPG file with the wrong colours. I must somehow have changed a setting, but I don't know which. Irfan View on my older computers still show the wrong colours, maybe I will be able to reproduce the change of settings that made the difference?

I then decided to try the test picture on a Linux Mint computer and the picture opened with the wrong colours. I then opened it in GIMP, "The poor man's Photoshop" and got these messages:

I accepted the conversion and saved the image. I didn't notice that the image was saved in GIMP's own file format PCX, but Irfan View on my Win 8 computer was able to convert this format to TIFF. This new TIFF file behaves properly in Win 8 when printed, and the size is reduced from 40 MB to 27 MB.

This suggests to me that the problems could be related to the embedded colour profile, as suggested by jtoolman. It seems TIFF files come in many variations, and Windows 8 doesn't like this particular variation? I don't think the problems are related to the Windows colour profile settings, as it seems only TIFF files are affected, JPG print correctly.

So jtoolman, could I ask you to please download the "PrinterEvaluationImage" from the links in post #1 and simulate a print in Windows 8. There is no need to waste ink and paper on a printout, all I want to know is if your print preview shows correct or wrong colours.

I am very glad that my Canon printers work with Windows 8. I would like to correct the Win 8 problem with the original TIFF file, but if that is not possible, the converted files are OK for my printer testing purposes.

 

[The Hat]

Peter
Try saving you Tiff file to a BMP and not Jpeg then see if it is still giving you the wrong colours..

 

[PeterBJ]

I have now done this test with two different results:

On the W8 computer with an Irfan View that now handles the original Tiff file correctly, the result is a BMP image with correct colours, which also show correctly in the print preview Window.

On the W7 laptop with an Irfan View that still sees the colours wrongly in the original TIFF file, the result is a BMP file with the wrong colours.

Does this tell you what the problem could be?

I guess the conversion of the original TIFF file of 40.2 MB to BMP of 27.8 MB gives less quality loss than the conversion to JPG of 5.7 MB, as I guess no compression is involved. The 27.8 MB file size is the same as the result of the double conversion of the original TIFF file first with GIMP and then after that by Irfan View.