Optimizing a profile with the Colormunki Software. Does it make it better???

[Ink stained Fingers]

don't use the contrast or brightness sliders, only those for the color intensities, and keep all of them at the same value, the max. settings should give you about as much ink as with the ICM off setting

 

[RogerB]

When I print similar "radial grads" there is no such stepping like in the softproof on the left,with both profiles.

That suggests that the A2B (soft-proof) table of the profile is not very good. The analysis performed by software like GamutVision or ColorThink relies on the A2B and B2A tables being in good agreement. If the actual print is not like the soft-proof then the only way to evaluate the profile, as ISF says, is to make prints of now targets and measure the resultant colours. Of course if the A2B table is not very good then the (debateable) benefits of soft-proofing are not available.....

 

[martin0reg]

Thank you for hints and tips, after 20 (small) sheets of aldis/sihl spent for trial and error I have come to following setting, trying to avoid the ink limit:
paper: semiglossy, quality: rpm (what actually weakens the puddling but not much), mode: epson standard / gamma 2,2 (1,8 is brighter but same amount of puddling), color correction: C-M-Y all to -15, hook at fast / bidirectional (uni directional may weaken the puddling but it's very slow)

I'm surprised that the resulting profile, based on color settings instead of "settings off", does a decent job regarding the color output of the print. But the result is not really satisfying...because there is one main problem: the puddling is concentrated almost only on the black ink. And I can set the colors or brightness or gamma to a very bright level - the black and dark areas will suffer from puddles anyway, regardless how bright the rest of the image has become, these areas stay dark to black.

Think I have to accept, this certain paper doesn't match with my r800..
..but on the other hand this printer prints the deepest black on uncoated art paper (thick and stiff water color paper as an alternative to coated fine art paper) - deeper than the 3880 with K3 ink set!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

How does the R800 work - when you print a white image on glossy paper - does it print the Gloss Optimizer only, or just nothing ?
As one last try - select inkjet/matte paper for profiling , that should print without the GO onto the Sihl paper and reduce the ink puddles. Or does that paper selection uses another matte black ? I guess the puddles are at the spots for dark colors, not total black, the dark colors are mixed together from the max amount of C and M together which makes almost 200% together, and some other to get the right color tone.
Yes, some papers are better with pigment inks than others

 

[martin0reg]

The effect of GO I've tested first of all, and there is no effect regarding more or less puddling. You can switch GO on or off for every print.
Besides I could (and have tried) choose matte - but this iis pointless as on matte setting the printer uses MK, and MK is bad on glossy paper because it doesn't stick and rubbs off...and it's matte..
(BTW the r800 has MK and PK in two channels and nozzle rows, both useable without switching, big advantage over most other epson)
You have said it at first: the ink limit of the aldi/sihl is low...now it seems too low for this pigment ink.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

o.k. - thanks - 2 black ink channels, better than in other Epson printers. Look next time for the Aldi Nord Netbit paper, that takes more ink than the Sihl brand.

 

[Smile]

Hi Joe

Just spotted something which doesn't make much sense to me - following your advice I've compared the Canon produced profile with it's ColorMunki 'twin' and the Canon one definitely has a greater volume. However, the Canon produced profile is 456 KB and all my ColorMunki profiles are 2309 KB. I wonder what's taking up all that space in the CM profiles if they translate to a smaller overall volume?

Regarding file sizes
Canon OEM is matrix based general style profile, meaning it must accommodate subtle ink/paper changes and still work. The other was probably table based profile.

 

[Smile]

Print optimization is very tricky, my experiments show that grayscale can be optimized but sometimes non optimized profiles work better for color prints while gray print look better with optimized one.

There are tools like basICColor IMProve 2 or the software that is the "source" colorlogic ColorAnt.
But again those work most for CMYK printers with RIP's. The RGB ones are very specific and require custom approach and analysis before deciding whats where.

 

[paulcroft]

Regarding file sizes
Canon OEM is matrix based general style profile, meaning it must accommodate subtle ink/paper changes and still work. The other was probably table based profile.

Thanks for the update Joe.