Yes - the dreaded Magenta problem on Canon Pixma Pro-100, Lightroom, Mac

[Shash Chatterjee]

Folks,

I know this is a common problem - I have researched endlessly, but am at wit's end not being able to resolve it. I understand that this is most likely due to double color correction, but I cannot figure out how to resolve this.

First, here's my environment:
- Canon Pixma PRO-100, using OEM inks. I have had the printer for a couple years, never really been able to print, because prints don't match my screen/expectation. Have about a third of ink supply left.
- Mac running High Sierra (10.13.x)
- Lightroom Classic (also Photoshop CC) with the Adobe subscription - updated to very latest last night
- Installed Canon Print Shop Pro 2.1.1
- Monitor is calibrated with a i1Display2
- Export to JPEG with DryCreek Costco profiles and printed with no autocorrect at Costco looks OK

Printing from Lightroom via the Canon Print Shop pro does have the magenta cast, printing directly from Lightroom's Print module has much more cast.

When printing from Lightroom Print module, I am choosing "Other" and choosing a Canon Pro100 <...> profile, Draft mode is not checked and printing in High not Standard quality. In this mode, in the printer dialog the color management options (Colorsync or Canon Pro-100 Color Management) are grayed out, and I understand that on a Mac LR turns off Printer Color Management automatically anyway. I have tried using Printer Manages Color and then chosen the same printer profile in the print dialog - no change in behavior.

When printing from Lightroom via Canon PSP plugin, I chose Colorsync as the color management option and then chose the Canon Pro-100 <...> profile.

Now, if I print the calibration strips from the Canon PSP plugin and use a B:+40, C:10, M:-20 I can get reasonable matching. But reasonable and guesswork is not what I am after, I want a more reliable way. I am thinking of renting a ColrMunki Print and doing print calibration, but I am not sure if I am doing something basic incorrectly, or if this will fix the problem as the magenta cast when printing directly from LR is so severe whether profiling the printer/paper is going to solve it.

Please help!

 

[The Hat]

It sounds like you’re in a mess right up to you head, your trying to juggle to many things at once and ending up with rubbish, but you need to run a nozzle check to test the printer first.

Try starting again but this time let the printer handle the colours and print this test print out of Photoshop without changing a thing , don't colour manage, just set your media and print to highest standard, then see what you get.

Your print should match your monitor and if it doesn’t then that’s where to start finding your answers...

 

[Shash Chatterjee]

Sounds good - I like logical methods, will try late tonight and report back. By the way, I see a bunch of files in the attached Zip, which particular one should I be printing out?

 

[The Hat]

which particular one should I be printing out?

Sorry I didn’t check the Zip before I sent it, so disregard it and use this one...

 

[Shash Chatterjee]

I printed the image from PS. I tried both Edit->Assign Profile->Don't Color Manage This Document, and Edit->Assign Profile->Profile: ProPhoto RGB (which is how it came up by default), and Color Handling->Printer Manages Color, Print Settings->Color Matching->Canon Color Matching. Of course, if I choose to not color manage, the on-screen image is a lot duller. However, in both cases, the prints are a bit darker than screen, but I do not see any color cast.

Next I stuck to ProPhoto RGB profile as before, but changed to Photoshop Manages Color and chose Canon Pro 100 <GD> 2 Other Glossy Paper. This time I got a definite strong reddish shift.

 

[Shash Chatterjee]

Based on other info floating on the net, I have:

- Deleted the AirPrint version of the Printer (Driver) and reinstalled using the USB one
- I have deleted /Library/Printers/Canon completely, then reinstalled the latest Canon printer driver, then added the Pro-100 over USB interface

Nothing doing! If I use:

- Printer Manages Color, Canon Color Matching - I get correct color
- Printer Manages Color, ColorSync + One of the Canon profiles - reds are oversaturated (the orange "arch" in the test pic becomes red, the strawberries get a redder shade, skin tones are warmer)
- Photoshop or LightRoom Manages Color with one of Canon profiles, ColorSync grayed out - get the same red saturation

If I let printer manage color, how can I use non-Canon paper profiles or use the Precision Color inks?

 

[stratman]

Why aren't you using @The Hat for your resource as he has volunteered? You keep trying to slog it out on your own and keep hitting brick walls. Let The Hat, or others, hit the wall for you.

First things first: Follow The Hat's recommendations.

1) print a nozzle check. Scan, crop and post here.

2) Print the evaluation image he uploaded for you. Use PhotoShop WITHOUT any color management as he instructed. If you do not know how then ask. We won' bite. Scan the results and post here.

Before deluging you with the intricacies of Color Management, you might want to try one thing - making sure you are using Canon's own printer driver and not the one from the Mac App Store. See this link and read the part titled
"Important! Printer Driver Problems" near the bottom of the page. i don't know if it will help but it should not hurt.

Always install your printer using USB first. Then install wireless drivers. Test your printer's function with it connected to a computer via USB and make sure it is working properly before advancing to wireless printing. The idea is to isolate issues as easily as possible for quicker diagnosis and resolution.

 

[Shash Chatterjee]

Why aren't you using @The Hat for your resource as he has volunteered? You keep trying to slog it out on your own and keep hitting brick walls. Let The Hat, or others, hit the wall for you.

Hi @stratman and @The Hat, trust me, I'm very appreciative of the help, I need it. I just wasn't aware that the etiquette on this forum was to approach members directly, which is why I was simply replying on this thread. But now I know better.

First things first: Follow The Hat's recommendations.

1) print a nozzle check. Scan, crop and post here.

2) Print the evaluation image he uploaded for you. Use PhotoShop WITHOUT any color management as he instructed. If you do not know how then ask. We won' bite. Scan the results and post here.

I have actually done this, posted my results before, but didn't know the scan part. I will scan and post after I return from work today.

Before deluging you with the intricacies of Color Management, you might want to try one thing - making sure you are using Canon's own printer driver and not the one from the Mac App Store. See this link and read the part titled
"Important! Printer Driver Problems" near the bottom of the page. i don't know if it will help but it should not hurt.

Always install your printer using USB first. Then install wireless drivers. Test your printer's function with it connected to a computer via USB and make sure it is working properly before advancing to wireless printing. The idea is to isolate issues as easily as possible for quicker diagnosis and resolution.

Agreed, have done both of these last night, see my post right before yours. I don't have wireless connected on the printer, have wired Ethernet and USB. I made sure I have only one printer added in the Printers and Scanners dialog, and it is the USB one.

Again, thanks, will scan and post tonight. By the way, to save ink and paper, I have been printing to 4x6 paper, hoping that since I am looking at color and not detail for now, that should be OK. Please let me know if that is OK to scan.

 

[stratman]

I just wasn't aware that the etiquette on this forum was to approach members directly

Typically, a question is asked in the forum, not in private, so all may benefit from the discovery and solution.

The Hat happened to respond to your inquiry and he advised you do a couple of things and post back on the thread. He will then, most likely if history be our guide, continue o help you. Others may join in with their comments. It is pretty free form. If you private message a member for help instead of using the public forum then you may be redirected to ask your questions in the forum.

I don't have wireless connected on the printer, have wired Ethernet and USB.

Confusing. The printer should be connected directly to the computer. No Printer to LAN to Computer.

By the way, to save ink and paper, I have been printing to 4x6 paper, hoping that since I am looking at color and not detail for now, that should be OK.

Nozzle checks typically are on plain paper. See your User Manual for recommendation. For the image evaluation, If 4x6 is what you will print on then so be it. Otherwise, I would use a larger sized paper as this is the convention for examining color fidelity, including how smooth color/B&W transitions are, which assists in making diagnosing simpler. Others may opine differently.

 

[Shash Chatterjee]

I have put the scans ("Scan-xxx") and screenshots ("SS-xxx") in this DropBox folder. Hope this works, if not please advise how to share, thought attachments would be too big.

The first (and only) test here is "Test 1": printing with no color management in PhotoShop and printed with Printer Manages Color.

Thanks again for all the help @The Hat and @stratman.

PS: I have scanned on an uncalibrated Epson V600 using Image Capture, without any manipulation to the scan. Somehow VueScan was making the Nozzle Check scan almost white, even though I made sure no Levels/Colors/Sharpening or any processing at all was selected.