Epson Ecotank 2650 - A bit too dark photos

PrintMan78

Newbie to Printing
Joined
Feb 9, 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Printer Model
Epson Ecotank 2650
Hi!

First post here, and I'm afraid it's a noob question:

I think photos printed directly from Windows10 look mostly great on photo paper. (Glossy Paper setting in the driver, high speed unticked) but, they are a bit dark.

What would be the easiest way to adjust photo print brightness in the printer driver so they would more closely resemble what's on the screen? I'm using Automatic Color Correction on the "More Options" tab in the driver, but I'm afraid of the manual settings because I don't want to screw things up. I looked in there but there are so many options.

I would very much appreciate help from someone experienced.

Thank you in advance,
Joachim
 

PrintMan78

Newbie to Printing
Joined
Feb 9, 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Printer Model
Epson Ecotank 2650
Hmm. It's possible...
 

stratman

Printer VIP
Platinum Printer Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
8,712
Reaction score
7,163
Points
393
Location
USA
Printer Model
Canon MB5120, Pencil
Hmm. It's possible...
Too bright a monitor is the typical reason for the mismatch. The typical recommendation is to calibrate your monitor.

You want to improve your "soft proofing" abilities. You can use images to manually calibrate your monitor. This may or may not suit your needs.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm

The above link's source delves further into soft proofing:

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/soft-proofing.htm

If you dare, more information on Color Management, the process of printing images that match what your camera captured, in the link below. See the section "Creating a monitor profile" for complimentary information about monitor calibration.

https://www.dpbestflow.org/color/color-management-overview

There is a wealth of basic information at that link for those interested in color management.

Color management is not for the feint of heart but will reward you the more you understand and apply. It's up to you how deep in the ocean you want to swim.
 

Ink stained Fingers

Printer VIP
Platinum Printer Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Messages
5,838
Reaction score
6,965
Points
363
Location
Germany
Printer Model
L805, WF2010, ET8550
but I'm afraid of the manual settings because I don't want to screw things up.
Don't be afraid, just go into the color adjustment mode - no automatic setting - there are typically 2 parameters you can adjust - contrast and brightness - just give it a try . Don't touch the color settings at this time. This can be the first step, it is not clear at this point how far you are away from a good print at this time, there might be further steps necessary.

What is the source of the images you want to print - directly from a camera or a smartphone or preprocessed in a photo editor on the computer ?

if you do any photo processing on the computer you need to adjust your monitor correctly for such a job.
 

hagstrom

Print Lurker
Joined
Oct 16, 2021
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Printer Model
Epson Ecotank L3151
After struggling with this for a few hours and reading like "bazilion" posts about possible causes, I concluded that monitor calibration is not the way to go in my case. Setting the monitor so dark to match the darkness of glossy photo paper prints on my Epson Ecotank L3151 would make the monitor image so dark that the monitor image would look ridiculously dark. I'm using some cheap glossy photo paper from the local store and thought I should set "Glossy photo paper" option in printing settings of my printer driver. Images were waaaay too dark. But, when I set "Epson Photo Inkjet paper" option in printer settings, although I'm not using Epson photo paper, prints were perfectly bright. No monitor calibration necessary, except if you want to match colors and brightness perfectly (definitely nitpicking).
 

stratman

Printer VIP
Platinum Printer Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
8,712
Reaction score
7,163
Points
393
Location
USA
Printer Model
Canon MB5120, Pencil
Setting the monitor so dark to match the darkness of glossy photo paper prints
That's not recommended. You do not set the monitor to mimic your print. You set the monitor to a recommended level +/- your preference.

If you're happy then read no further. For others looking for more then continue on.


The following link is a simplified explanation about brightness. At the end of the article is a link to a page about DIY manual method of monitor calibration.

https://digital-photography-school.com/six-aspects-monitor-calibration-need-know/

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/



Looking to dive a little deeper?

https://www.color-management-guide.com/how-to-calibrate-your-monitor.html
 

Ink stained Fingers

Printer VIP
Platinum Printer Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Messages
5,838
Reaction score
6,965
Points
363
Location
Germany
Printer Model
L805, WF2010, ET8550
I'm using some cheap glossy photo paper from the local store and thought I should set "Glossy photo paper" option in printing settings of my printer driver. Images were waaaay too dark. But, when I set "Epson Photo Inkjet paper" option in printer settings, although I'm not using Epson photo paper, prints were perfectly bright.
That's quite possible, the characteristics of photo papers vary very much, and just one setting in the driver for all of those cannot cover them all and deliver good prints; using such 3rd party papers requires you to test a bit wlhich driver settings work for you, you have the option of different paper types, and you can make further adjustments in the extended settings of the driver like brightness and contrast. And follow the recommendations to adjust the monitor brightness as described above, the monitor should not be the main source of light in your room, the monitor creates its own brightness, and the print needs decent room light to match the monitor .
 
Top