Profiling Matte Papers

[KeithM]

Did you use different paper selections in the driver - I can report the same effect with the ET-8550 - that the gamut varies widely in the darker range on some matte papers depending if I select Normal/Copy Paper, Inkjet Paper, Matte Paper or Velvet Fine Art - give it a try. I'm getting the widest gamut with the Velvet selection.

Yes, I tried 6 different papers. I get the best results using the Pro-2000 Highest Density Fine Art selection.

 

[Andrew M Hanna]

I would print with Red River's profile and then measure to make sure that their profile actually works and produces that volume.

 

[KeithM]

I would print with Red River's profile and then measure to make sure that their profile actually works and produces that volume.

I'm not sure I know how to do this. Are you suggesting I print the target but using their profile instead of printing it with no profile, then read the target? How will I measure if the profile produces the desired volume?

 

[Andrew M Hanna]

There are probably more elegant ways but one way that comes to mind is to just print a target page twice with both your and their profiles then measure and compare.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The i1Studio profile and the Argyll profiles have very similar gamut volumes, but the i1Studio profile is weaker in the greens.

Does this mean that the profiles - i1Studio and ArgyllCMS - are both pretty close in the darker range ?

I still have not figured out why my profiles with matte papers are so poor with dark colors. Any additional insights would be welcomed.

If we focus onto the inks you are using - are these OEM Epson inks - on the P800 ? or Refill ?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Here are some L*ab values of black patches with matte black inks on various matte papers I have posted about a year ago - number vary quite a lot between papers

https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/matte-inks-for-epson-printers.14396/post-124829

 

[KeithM]

If we focus onto the inks you are using - are these OEM Epson inks - on the P800 ? or Refill ?

These are Canon Lucia OEM inks. I am using my Canon Pro-2000 at the moment. I also have a P800, but have not tried profiling this paper on that printer yet.

 

[KeithM]

There are probably more elegant ways but one way that comes to mind is to just print a target page twice with both your and their profiles then measure and compare.

I am going to try this and see what I get.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

@KeithM - I don't think at this time that your profiles are wrong, I don't see a reason why profiles just on matte paper should be that much off and incorrect - I think the profiles are valid as they are - within the given limits of accuracy of the software and hardware.
There is no way at this time to verify how - inks, papers , printer/driver settings were actually used to generate the RedRiver profile(s), they don't do the profiles themselves, I remember a note that profiling is done by Chromix for the RedRiver papers.

You may do a sanity check and try to profile one of your matte papers on the P800 and compare that profile to the matching RR profile, that may give another surprise - or not.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

You may know the refill ink company precisioncolors.com, the owner is thriving to match his inks with the OEM inks as much as possible, it is my understanding that the Canon Pro-1000 and Pro-2000 are using the same profiles which makes it possible to compare your profiles with the precisioncolor (PC) profiles.

When I look up the black point value of the PaloDuro Etching paper I'm getting a Lab value of 19.1 0.85 1.8 , a luminance of L= 19.1 is not very dark, not much darker than copy paper , and I have the impression that this matches your results pretty closely. You may download the PC profiles to compare them with your results.

https://precisioncolors.com/Pro-1000ICC.html