p.1 #1 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
Is anyone else running a Pro90002 on Mac with OCP ink? If so, would you mind sharing your settings? I'm getting inaccurate colors when printing on all types of media. Prints have a red cast, are darker than they should be and are just generally off. I also had the same problem when printing with OEM ink when I first got the printer although it might have been slightly better. Here are some more details on my setup:
- Running 10.8.2, LR4.2, PS CS6 and latest viewNX2.
- Monitor calibrated with idisplay pro
- Printing from Canon Utility, Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4.2, NX2. NX2 seems to have the most accurate colors and using the Canon utility or direct printer settings are the second most accurate. Using any of the icc profiles for my paper is way off.
- Ink cartridges have been flushed and refilled. Cartridges are OEM Canon.
p.1 #2 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
You'll be wanting to have new ICC profiles made for that inkset.
If you had a mostly similar problem using OEM Canon ink, then you may also
be 'double profiling' (the editing application and the printer driver are trying to do color management)
p.1 #3 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
What Howard said. The OCP inks are not a direct replacement for the Canon inks. New ink, new profiles.
When you say you had a similar problem with the Canon inks when you first got the printer, does that mean "but then it went away and it was fine with the OEM inks," or "and then I burned through the OEM ink and slapped in the OCP inks without ever solving the problem"?
If the former, the ink would be my primary suspect. If the latter, double profiling would be a possibility.
p.1 #4 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
Unfortunately it's: "and then I burned through the OEM ink and slapped in the OCP inks without ever solving the problem". I'll see if I can find ICC profiles for the OCP inkset. If anyone happens to have these, please send me a pm As for double profiling, I confirmed this is not being done.
p.1 #5 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
I had terrible inconsistencies until I invested in a Colormunki. Now almost every print is right on and if it's not then it is usually something I missed by not using my external monitor and relying too much on my laptop. I am printing with a combo of OEM and OCP inks on Ilford Pearl paper and getting great and consistent results. Also, one of the things that drove me crazy was the major difference I got when I printed with the Canon software vs Photoshop. Photoshop won't do wallets, so I have to use the Canon Application for that. Now, they are both exactly the same using the profiles I made. I can go back and forth, using the best of both and having the prints match perfectly. It was not hard to calibrate and make the profiles, only took about 1.5 hours the first time I used it for my printer, laptop and external monitor.
p.1 #8 · Can't get accurate colors with Pro9000 mk2, OSX Mountain Lion and OCP Ink
Update - I found the problem. After hours and hours (and money) spent calibrating the printer with colormunki, refreshing the ink carts, reinstalling drivers, changing printer settings/paper types and trying the printer on both OSX 10.8, 10.7 and Windows 7 machines, I decided to pick up a second printer off craigslist. To my amazement, the pictures look perfect now. The problem was either the old printer (which was actually a Canon refurb sent by Canon after my first printer had issues) or the printer head. Either way, I'm glad I finally found the problem. Thanks for those who sent me printer profiles -- especially the one from PCKit which looks amazing!
As for double profiling, I confirmed this is not being done.