Epson Stylus Color Series Manual Download Page 1

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Digital Photo Print Guide

NPD3307-00

Summary of Contents for Stylus Color Series

Page 1: ...Digital Photo Print Guide NPD3307 00 ...

Page 2: ...ration shall not be liable for any damages or problems arising from the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as Original Epson Products or Epson Approved Products by Seiko Epson Corporation Seiko Epson Corporation shall not be held liable for any damage resulting from electromagnetic interference that occurs from the use of any interface cables other than those...

Page 3: ...lor photos 15 Monochrome photos 16 The Right Resolution for Output Size 17 Resolution 17 The relationship between image data resolution and print size 17 Inputting Data 20 Color space 20 Digital cameras 20 Scanning 22 Assembling images in applications 25 Step 5 Adjusting the Data Preparing to Adjust the Data 26 Applications 26 Test printing 29 Adjusting the Photo Data 30 Cautious adjustment 30 Mon...

Page 4: ...os 54 Troubleshooting 58 The color shown on the monitor and in the print is different 58 The color is not the same as another printer 58 Print quality is poor uneven too light or too dark 59 The results are blurred or jagged 60 Roughness 61 Over saturation 62 Step 7 Storage How to Dry Printed Paper 63 Displaying Your Prints 63 Long Term Storage 64 ...

Page 5: ...photographers to have a better understanding of how to use color management to its best effect and how to obtain the best results from their image data This document explains in a workflow format the points to note when printing a photograph using the latest Epson printers The setup required for color management and how to use the tools How to choose the paper and ink which play an important role ...

Page 6: ...onitor Printer For photographic works we recommend using a printer with 6 colors or more rather than a 4 color model In addition for making black and white prints we recommend a model that can use Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink for reproducing neutral grays Media special paper For printing using color management an ICC profile is required for the media Epson offers ICC profiles that are available for ge...

Page 7: ...RGB color information of the original image data is reproduced on another device it may not be possible to reproduce exactly the same color In order to reproduce colors as closely as possible between devices with different characteristics it is necessary to use a common color space Alternatively you can use a process where you translate the color information unique to each device to a common color...

Page 8: ...ider the color space is the more colors the device can reproduce Computers or peripheral devices have used sRGB or Adobe RGB which typifies the color spaces and complies with monitor characteristics If you want to exchange photo data between devices for example if you want to load a photo taken with a digital camera into your computer and print it it is important to match the color spaces If you p...

Page 9: ...the printer driver color mode without specifying a profile Although this is a relatively simple operation you must judge the color space of the image yourself Note The color mode for sRGB will be Epson Standard sRGB or Epson Standard depending on the printer model Also you cannot specify the intent because it is fixed Perceptual If you use this function you must make the required settings in the p...

Page 10: ...Host ICM ColorSync on page 43 Color management using Driver ICM Windows only Specify the Input profile Specify the printer paper profile This method is used when the application does not support color management However it is only supported by the Windows operating system This method uses the color management function of the printer driver If you use this function you must make the required settin...

Page 11: ...s not available use the 3 Wavelength Cool White Type 5000K or a natural fluorescent lamp Cover the monitor with a hood If you are unable to locate your monitor where the impact of external light can be avoided or where inside lighting does not cause background reflections cover the top and sides of the monitor with a commercially available light shielding hood You can make your own hood using blac...

Page 12: ...ng a color patch using the sensor of a colorimeter This allows you to calibrate your monitor reliably without relying on ambient light Although it is more accurate than using Adobe Gamma you must buy a colorimeter Recently low cost colorimeters that use a filter have become available but if you need high precision we recommend using a spectral colorimeter Note There are two main ways of calibratin...

Page 13: ...ic representation This type includes Velvet Fine Art Paper and UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper which use acid free 100 cotton rag offering velvet feel and higher resistance against weathering including lighting and ozone Note The supported media differs depending on the printer model Column For a printer that supports Epson Ultra Chrome K3 Ink and Advanced B W Photo mode Velvet Fine Art Paper is also r...

Page 14: ... also print more natural greens The most significant change however is the replacement of the blue ink with an all new orange ink which expands the gamut in the red area improves the reproduction of yellow and reduces graininess in skin tones New UltraChrome Hi Gloss2 ink set offers a wider color gamut and improved glossiness for better than ever image quality Here we suggest some possible combina...

Page 15: ...le nuances Compact digital cameras are highly portable but because they have a small CCD size they represent half tones poorly This makes it difficult to take pictures with a lot of depth Scanning film You can use a scanner to capture color negative and color positive film transparencies taken with a film camera Scanners include dedicated film scanners and flatbed types that can scan printed photo...

Page 16: ...cale channel whereas color data has three RGB channels so the tones are richer and can be controlled more precisely Scanning film If you scan color film you can convert it to monochrome on your computer or finish it as a monochrome photo with the printer driver settings Furthermore if you scan monochrome film in color mode you can benefit from the three RGB channels to make adjustments with richer...

Page 17: ... is recommended but the tolerance differs according to the viewing conditions of the work If you view the production from far away a slight loss of detail is not a big problem but if you view the work close up high definition printing is required Also if the image is cropped the resolution may not be enough for the print size If you crop the image use the formula on the digital camera page to chec...

Page 18: ...al Short side 2 000 360 25 4 About 141 mm With 6 000 000 pixels you can print at 360 dpi on 212 141 mm paper The number of pixels is shown as an approximate figure because the actual image size may differ depending on the digital camera manufacturer and the aspect ratio the vertical and horizontal ratio of the image The resolution is calculated from the number of pixels on the long side of the ima...

Page 19: ...ze Print Size 4 6 100 150 mm 5 7 130 180 mm 8 10 203 254 mm A4 210 297 mm 10 12 254 305 mm A3 297 420 mm 13 19 329 483 mm 2400 dpi 22 MB 576 dpi 480 dpi 340 dpi 291 dpi 283 dpi 206 dpi 179 dpi 3200 dpi 39 MB 768 dpi 640 dpi 454 dpi 388 dpi 378 dpi 274 dpi 239 dpi 4800 dpi 88 MB 1152 dpi 960 dpi 680 dpi 582 dpi 567 dpi 411 dpi 358 dpi Resolution Data Size Print Size 4 6 100 150 mm 5 7 130 180 mm 8 ...

Page 20: ...and in the print will differ slightly printing the data without adjusting it will give you an idea of how to adjust it to create the work that you want Monochrome photos Although difference in color is not an issue here if you create the data for monochrome photos using the three RGB channels the issues regarding color space will be the same as with color photos so differences in representing half...

Page 21: ... in many different applications so it is often used for saving images after retouching them RAW The color and light information obtained by the picture elements of the camera are recorded without modification It s saved directly in the recording media without going through image processing in the camera You can change the white balance contrast and gradation easily after shooting a picture Because...

Page 22: ... films Turn on the scanner approximately 30 minutes before use This will allow the cold cathode light source to become stable If your scanner uses Epson s ReadyScan LED Technology it can be used virtually instantly Driver settings Select the best resolution referring to the table on the previous page If you scan allowing a bit of leeway at both ends of the histogram on the premise that you will ad...

Page 23: ...Start EPSON Scan from the Start menu or from the shortcut icon on the desktop If scanning starts automatically click Cancel to cancel scanning If you are using a Mac OS X open the Applications folder and double click the EPSON Scan icon B Select Professional Mode from the mode pull down menu C Click the Configuration button to display the Configuration dialog box D Click the ICM radio button and s...

Page 24: ...icient also for a short viewing distance If however your scan resolution exceeds this in general it will not improve the quality of the final print Due to the larger file size it will however take longer to scan to process and to print For setting optimum resolution for the output size refer to The relationship between image data resolution and print size on page 17 A Specify the type of document ...

Page 25: ...ation data Data created in a paint application is composed of a series of pixels called a dot map Captured photos are one example Therefore you have to pay attention to color space and resolution like you do for an image taken with a digital camera In paint applications like Photoshop and Paint shop you can scan in materials directly and apply various effects to scanned photos Drawing application ...

Page 26: ...lications Choosing an application There are various applications available such as Photoshop CS Photoshop Elements Paint Shop and GIMP There are other operating system specific products but the file formats that they can handle are restricted or their range of functions is limited We recommend using a dedicated application For more information please consult the manufacturers of the respective pro...

Page 27: ... following message is displayed and you can select a color space If you took the photo in Adobe RGB select the Optimize colors for Print output use AdobeRGB radio button If you took the photo in sRGB select the Optimize colors for computer screen display use sRGB IEC61966 2 1 radio button If you do not know what color space you used to take the photo select this option B Click OK to close the Colo...

Page 28: ...the profile name is displayed In either case the color space has been recognized correctly If the Don t Color Manage This Document radio button is selected the color space will not be recognized correctly so please specify a color space This happens when you try to open or save images in applications that do not support color management In this case select the Profile radio button and select Adobe...

Page 29: ...fing of the device using a color calibration tool Uniform color space It is important not to change the color space during printing If the source original data is sRGB and if you use the sRGB color space in the workspace of the application and the driver settings you can reproduce the colors in the source without any changes in color during the operation Care is required with the settings for colo...

Page 30: ...n be done without incurring a loss in image quality and data Adjust the data after saving it in a format other than JPEG such as TIFF or Photoshop PSD With JPEG the image deteriorates each time you adjust and save it Monochrome photos There are various methods of making a color photo into a monochrome photo You can also use the color photo directly without adjusting it or you can print a monochrom...

Page 31: ...e colors and each RGB color as peaks and to check whether the colors and brightness are within the reproducible range The parts at the ends of the scale 255 and 0 indicate the parts where tonality is lost Since this part lacks tonality it is filled with flat color and if you actually print it the result will lack any expression If it is up against the right side it indicates that many parts will s...

Page 32: ...e saturation has been increased too much and red color components will be oversaturated and toneless Very light and very dark objects are both present in the image Therefore one of the levels will be lost An example of a poor histogram for Red An example with low peaks for mid levels and high peaks at both ends ...

Page 33: ...ge Conversely if the levels are concentrated in the middle and there is no distribution at either end the photo will lack character When some adjustment is made in the Levels dialog box the number of the gradation will be decreased accordingly because it is re composed in the range of 0 to 255 and then the histogram will be as shown below White lines show the lost gradation however it is okay as l...

Page 34: ...Resolution Please refer to the resolution table See The relationship between image data resolution and print size on page 17 If you have trimmed the image and changed its composition check that it has the right resolution for the print size If it lacks resolution details will be lost and the print will appear blurred A bad example of histogram after Levels adjustment ...

Page 35: ...hotos Here we explain the settings for using color management in the printer driver and application For an overview of color management refer to Color Management Systems on page 7 Color management settings For this explanation we ll look at the color management settings for the most common application You must use an application with support for color management systems but here we ll use Adobe Ph...

Page 36: ...Step 6 Printing 36 Digital Photo Print Guide Turn off the color management function of the application A From the File menu select Print B Select Show More Options ...

Page 37: ... window Windows or the Print dialog Mac OS X E For Windows click the Advanced tab and select Color Controls Type A or select Automatic for the Mode in the Main menu Type B Then select EPSON Standard sRGB or Adobe RGB Note The choice of EPSON Standard sRGB or Adobe RGB depends on the color spaces of the image which was set when it was taken with a digital camera or captured with a scanner Depending...

Page 38: ...Step 6 Printing 38 Digital Photo Print Guide Type A Type B ...

Page 39: ...ent click Color Controls and then select EPSON Standard sRGB or Adobe RGB for the Mode OS 10 5 Select Print Settings select Color Controls for the Color Settings and then select EPSON Standard sRGB or Adobe RGB F Check the other settings and print the image Color management using the application Set the application A From the File menu select Print ...

Page 40: ...ile menu select the ICC profile of the paper to use for printing and Rendering Intent and then click Print In Adobe Photoshop CS3 select Color Management and then click Document for the Print Select Photoshop Manages Colors for the Color Handling Next select the Printer Profile and the Rendering Intent then click Done ...

Page 41: ...lor reproduced on the monitor need not be matched closely Perceptual Priority is given to brightness rather than to color saturation In order to maintain the visual relationship between level the linkage between colors and color it is considered best for reproducing photographic images to make the colors reproduced by the printer close to the appearance of the image on the monitor Relative colorim...

Page 42: ...igital Photo Print Guide Type A Click the Advanced tab and select ICM for the Color Management and then select Off No Color Adjustment Type B Select Custom for the Mode in the Main menu and then select No Color Adjustment ...

Page 43: ...the color management functions of the operating system The various methods are explained below Color management using Host ICM ColorSync The application must support ICM or ColorSync The following explanation is based on Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 0 in Windows Note for Mac OS X 10 5 or later users If you use the combination of both specific Adobe applications Adobe Photoshop CS2 CS3 and Adobe Phot...

Page 44: ...Step 6 Printing 44 Digital Photo Print Guide Set the application A From the File menu select Print B Select Show More Options ...

Page 45: ...Color Management of the Printer Profile menu select Printer Color Management and then click Print In Adobe Photoshop CS3 select Color Management and then click Document for the Print Select Printer Manages Colors for the Color Handling and then click Done ...

Page 46: ...the printer driver type Type A Click the Advanced tab and select ICM for the Color Management and then select Host ICM for the ICM Mode The ICC profile that you already set in the application is set in Input Profile and an ICC profile corresponding to the paper type is set automatically in Printer Profile Note The printer driver type and supported OS differ depending on the printer model ...

Page 47: ...Step 6 Printing 47 Digital Photo Print Guide Type B Select Custom for the Mode in the Main menu and then select ICM Next click Advanced and select Host ICM in ICM window ...

Page 48: ...lements 5 0 in Windows A Open the printer driver window B Do the setting below depending on the printer driver type Type A Click the Advanced tab and select ICM for the Color Management Next select Driver ICM Basic or Driver ICM Advanced for the ICM Mode Note If you use this function from an application that has color management functions such as Adobe Photoshop you must turn off the color managem...

Page 49: ...or the Mode in the Main menu and select ICM Next click Advanced and then select Driver ICM Basic or Driver ICM Advanced for the ICM window C If you select Driver ICM Advanced you can specify the profiles and intents for image graphics and text data individually Type A ...

Page 50: ...l Photo Print Guide Type B Also if you select the Show all profiles check box you can select from all the profiles registered in your computer Click OK to return to original screen D Check the other settings and print the image ...

Page 51: ...er window Windows or the Print dialog Mac OS X B For Windows click the Advanced tab and then select Color Controls for the Color Management Type A or select Custom for the Mode in the Main menu Next select Color Controls and then click Advanced Type B Type A Note If you use this function from an application that has color management functions such as Adobe Photoshop you must turn off the color man...

Page 52: ...Step 6 Printing 52 Digital Photo Print Guide Type B ...

Page 53: ...nced Color Settings Make the necessary settings See the online help of the printer driver for detailed information C Check the other settings and print the image Note for Photo Enhance mode In this mode the printer driver performs color correction automatically This allows you to print your preferred levels using simple settings without having to retouch the image Colors are processed so that data...

Page 54: ...n the printer driver window Windows or the Print dialog Mac OS X Note The Advanced B W Photo mode may not be supported depending on the printer model Tips Some models allow you to choose between matte black ink and photo black ink to ensure the best black for the paper Since the paper types selectable with matte black ink and photo black ink are different if necessary change the type of black ink ...

Page 55: ...Step 6 Printing 55 Digital Photo Print Guide B For Windows select Advanced B W Photo for the Color For Mac OS X select Print Settings and then select Advanced B W Photo for the Color ...

Page 56: ...t Guide C For Windows click Custom for the Mode select Color Controls and then click Advanced For Mac OS X do the following depending on the printer driver type OS 10 4 or below Select Color Management OS 10 5 Click Advanced Color Settings ...

Page 57: ...Step 6 Printing 57 Digital Photo Print Guide D Make the necessary settings and print the image For more detailed information see the online help of the printer driver ...

Page 58: ...r See Color Management Methods on page 9 Make sure that the monitor is calibrated See Monitor calibration on page 11 Make sure that the Photo Enhance setting of the printer driver is off If you are using Adobe RGB images check whether the monitor supports Adobe RGB The color is not the same as another printer If you are using several printer models check whether each model is set up for color mana...

Page 59: ...driver are different from the paper actually loaded the printer cannot control the amount of ink used properly This will cause the ink to run and tones will not be smooth resulting in poor print quality In addition if you use non genuine paper the same problems may arise Check that the head is not clogged Perform a nozzle check and if necessary perform head cleaning Printing with the wrong paper s...

Page 60: ...e relationship between image data resolution and print size on page 17 The same problem will arise if you crop a small area and enlarge it Even if the original data was captured at high resolution if you save it in JPEG with a high compression ratio the same problem will arise Low resolution High resolution High compression Low compression ...

Page 61: ...ughness Check that the sharpness and saturation correction is not too high Sharpness is set too high Sharpness is set just right Raising sharpness superficially sharpens the image but raising it too far can make it look rough destroying its texture ...

Page 62: ...t raising it too far can cause loss of tonality similar to whiteout In the histogram check the spread of black and white but also check that RGB are each distributed well Saturation is set too high Saturation is not adjusted In the image where saturation is raised too far tonality is lost making the vertical lines on the door harsh to look at ...

Page 63: ...y naturally for about 24 hours Displaying Your Prints For displaying your prints indoors we recommend that you use a glass cover This will ensure that you can enjoy them for a long time without color loss Dry the prints for about 24 hours before you frame them under glass Column Ozone is a naturally occurring oxidizing gas but it may occur in higher concentrations around refrigerators air purifica...

Page 64: ...away from high temperatures humidity direct sunlight air currents and equipment that emits ozone The best way to minimize the degree of color change is to isolate your prints from light and air currents Note Do not allow adhesive surfaces such as the printed side of silver halide photos to come into contact with the printed surface If they stick to your prints the ink may separate from the paper w...

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