Help with Canon color output

[PeterBJ]

If colors also are way off when printing plain paper documents, I suspect something is wrong with the printhead or the ink cartridges. Could you upload a nozzle test? I have a Pixma 5200 and am very satisfied with it.

A very good printer test picture with explanations on how to interpret results is found here: http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi048/essay.html and here: http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html . This test picture is used by many professionals.

 

[dvdit]

If colors also are way off when printing plain paper documents, I suspect something is wrong with the printhead or the ink cartridges. Could you upload a nozzle test?

A very good printer test picture with explanations on how to interpret results is found here: http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi048/essay.html and here: http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html . This test picture is used by many professionals.

What is ironic is that if I print on plain paper using any of the Photo paper profiles I get very good colors. Since I am having problems with two of my Canons, I suspect it is a matter of setting up and using the correct profiles. Unfortunately, I do not have a scanner.

Can you please me how your ip5200 is configured ? What paper do you use and what canon profile do you use when printing photos ?

 

[PeterBJ]

My default computer is a desktop running Windows Vista 32 bit. I also have computers running Windows XP and 7. On an XP computer I use the Canon setup CD to install the printer, on Vista and 7 machines I use plug-and-play installation and let Windows update supply the printer driver. I change nothing in the printer properties and print from Windows by right clicking pictures and select "Print".

I use IS refill ink instead of Canon OEM ink, but I cannot tell the difference. I use Sihl glossy photo paper and choose Photo Paper Pro setting for photos. The results with the Sihl paper are also good.

Could you take a nozzle check printout to some friends or other owning a scanner and save the scan on a USB stick for uploading? If you have another computer you could try installing the printer on this computer. Without altering any settings, the iP5200 should produce nice prints.

 

[dvdit]

My default computer is a desktop running Windows Vista 32 bit. I also have computers running Windows XP and 7. On an XP computer I use the Canon setup CD to install the printer, on Vista and 7 machines I use plug-and-play installation and let Windows update supply the printer driver. I change nothing in the printer properties and print from Windows by right clicking pictures and select "Print".

I use IS refill ink instead of Canon OEM ink, but I cannot tell the difference. I use Sihl glossy photo paper and choose Photo Paper Pro setting for photos. The results with the Sihl paper are also good.

Could you take a nozzle check printout to some friends or other owning a scanner and save the scan on a USB stick for uploading? If you have another computer you could try installing the printer on this computer. Without altering any settings, the iP5200 should produce nice prints.

Under Canon properties>>color management do you have it set to auto or manual? And under printing preferences is print quality set to high ? What about color/intensity ? Have you ever printed a greyscale and looked at the ramps ? Any color introduced there ?

BTW, I have three workstations and I am going to install the driver on the other computers and I will compare the printouts. I may have changed something without knowing. All three are running windows XP Pro. Even though I have both Vista business and Windows 7 upgrade CD that came with my three Dell workstation, I am still stinking with XP.

 

[dvdit]

PeterBJ,

OK, downloaded the test page from the link you provided and did follow exactly the same steps as yours. Select Photo Paper Pro, leave everything else at default expect preview before printing. Here is the funny thing. I have dual monitor, both identical. On one monitor I used windows Picture and fax viewer to display the image and it looks exactly as I see it on the web. On the second monitor I have the preview of the picture to be printed using windows built-in picture printing software and guess what? This one has a red cast all over it. Same picture on two identical monitors and one has the picture as it should and the one ready to be printed has the red color cast. Clearly the problem is not with the printer rather what is sent to the printer. I really don't know how to troubleshoot that .

 

[PeterBJ]

My setting for the Canon properties>color management is automatic. My settings for the printer properties when printing photos is quality = high and color/intensity set to automatic. I am no expert on color management so I use the default settings and am happy with these. It seems you can change a lot of settings, but as I don't know what they do, I have never tried out the more advanced settings.

The printer may be perfectly all right, the problem might be a software problem, but I have never experienced that so I don't know the solution. Hopefully your printer will behave properly with a fresh install on another computer.

With the IS inks and Sihl photo paper and the settings mentioned I have a greyscale ramp with only a slight magenta cast, but you have the same slight magenta cast with Canon OEM ink and paper. I think you don't notice the cast unless you look carefully at greyscales, I think it is hardly discernible with B/W photos unless you compare them to other B/W prints. For color photos I notice no cast. But I am not a professional photographer and I have no colorimetric measurement equipment.

 

[Grandad35]

Now you see why it is important to calibrate your monitor(s). The fact that the two monitors appear to be different only says that they aren't calibrated and doesn't say anything about the quality of the printed image.

I loaded the test chart into Photoshop and looked at the color values (grays will have all 3 values the same):
The 100% gray has R/G/B values of 31/26/23
The 90% 55/54/50
The 80% is 78/74/73
The 70% is 98/94/91
The 60% is 114/113/111
The 50% is 132/131/129
The 40% is 150/148/149
...
The 10% is 222/222/222
The White is 255/255/255
The "grays" tend toward red at the dark end, but become more neutral at the light end.

The Red/Blue/Green color swatches have values of:
Red 216/38/28
Blue 0/145/64
Green 42/23/112
Cyan 0/148/222
Yellow 255/245/0
Magenta 223/13/123

In summary, I wouldn't use those as my color references.

Here is a neutral chart, with values changing from 1/1/1 on the left to 255/255/255 on the right. Does it look any different when you print it?

 

[dvdit]

Grandad35,

I failed to mention that if I have the image from one monitor to the other the red cast does not change, you will see it if you move the image to the second monitor. The second monitor is just an extension of the first. Even though my monitor is not calibrated and is not accurate by any measure, my problem is so bad, it is not about accuracy at all. It in about not printing the right color. I will print the above and report.

 

[dvdit]

Based on my experience in HT display calibration, when you have a color introduced in a grayscale test, then you have a color issue. I printed the above greyscale and I see a very pronounced brown tint all the down to 10%.

 

[PeterBJ]

Here is a thread is about a problem similar to yours: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7471&p=1 . The solution in that case was to uninstall and reinstall the printer driver and software, see post # 12. So I think the most relevant test now is to install the printer on one of the other computers.