The OP hasn't yet given enough information about settings to be able to identify the problem. Double profiling is a possibility (if using driver profiling, turn off printer profile application in the image editor), another is the selection between perceptual vs. relative rendering. I remember that at some point going from previous to current printer model, the Epson recommended setting went from Perceptual to Relative (with the recommendation for the previous printer did not work well for the newer model in general). I've found the recommended settings in Epson's printer manual to work well (but it is important to not assume the same settings work best for different printer models).
ilkka_nissila wrote:
The OP hasn't yet given enough information about settings to be able to identify the problem. Double profiling is a possibility (if using driver profiling, turn off printer profile application in the image editor), another is the selection between perceptual vs. relative rendering. I remember that at some point going from previous to current printer model, the Epson recommended setting went from Perceptual to Relative (with the recommendation for the previous printer did not work well for the newer model in general). I've found the recommended settings in Epson's printer manual to work well (but it is important to not assume the same settings work best for different printer models). ...Show more →
Indeed it could be a double profiling issue, but I would take Epson's rendering intent recommendations with a big grain. They mean nothing and are entirely dependent on multiple factors including image gamut, paper gamut, ink gamut and how the individual ICC paper profile was built, with which software and with what settings. Most of the time with photo type papers, Relative Colorimetric is the best choice.
I spent all afternoon chasing my tail and mostly going 'round in circles with my 9900 today. I've been printing fine from my iMac which is now on Catalina 10.15.7, printing over the network but still hard wired with ethernet. Move downstairs to the "photo" M1 MBP (there's a music one as well) with Photoshop CC installed on it. First I made a composite of four images that was 10x36" and printed from the Catalina iMac. Perfect, as expected. Now I download the latest driver from Epson and it will only see the printer going through the iMac and the option for choosing roll paper and making custom paper sizes is grayed out. Okay, so let's hook up directly with a USB to the back of the printer. Now I'm off the network and the driver allows me to make custom paper sizes but there's still no "Roll Paper" option specifically like there used to be, but it prints on the roll an cuts but the color is now way off and I'm double-checking that I'm using the same file, the same custom icc profile I made but the skin tones are washed out and pinkish while neutral or close to neutral images look about right an a manufactured gray ramp gradation looks fine.
The only thing I can find searching online is that on some versions of the Mac OS there were issues with using custom third party printer profiles and that it might be fixed on one OS version and come back on another to be fixed again and return once again. What a clusterfuck. No double profiling. Only the correct profile. I have yet to try letting the printer manage color which I'll get to tomorrow. How can this be so screwed up after we've been refining the process for a quarter century now. Ugh.
Peter Figen wrote:
I spent all afternoon chasing my tail and mostly going 'round in circles with my 9900 today. I've been printing fine from my iMac which is now on Catalina 10.15.7, printing over the network but still hard wired with ethernet. Move downstairs to the "photo" M1 MBP (there's a music one as well) with Photoshop CC installed on it. First I made a composite of four images that was 10x36" and printed from the Catalina iMac. Perfect, as expected. Now I download the latest driver from Epson and it will only see the printer going through the iMac and the option for choosing roll paper and making custom paper sizes is grayed out. Okay, so let's hook up directly with a USB to the back of the printer. Now I'm off the network and the driver allows me to make custom paper sizes but there's still no "Roll Paper" option specifically like there used to be, but it prints on the roll an cuts but the color is now way off and I'm double-checking that I'm using the same file, the same custom icc profile I made but the skin tones are washed out and pinkish while neutral or close to neutral images look about right an a manufactured gray ramp gradation looks fine.
The only thing I can find searching online is that on some versions of the Mac OS there were issues with using custom third party printer profiles and that it might be fixed on one OS version and come back on another to be fixed again and return once again. What a clusterfuck. No double profiling. Only the correct profile. I have yet to try letting the printer manage color which I'll get to tomorrow. How can this be so screwed up after we've been refining the process for a quarter century now. Ugh.
Could it be that after the driver update, the printer applies ink using different settings or algorithm, and the custom profile has to be recreated to work correctly with the new driver?
ilkka_nissila wrote:
Could it be that after the driver update, the printer applies ink using different settings or algorithm, and the custom profile has to be recreated to work correctly with the new driver?
I hope not. Many people, like me, don’t have the equipment to profile a printer but rely on canned profiles from the paper manufacturers.
ilkka_nissila wrote:
Could it be that after the driver update, the printer applies ink using different settings or algorithm, and the custom profile has to be recreated to work correctly with the new driver?
Yes, it could be, but that would be a monumental mistake on the part of someone and a change in how things have been done for at least a quarter century, if not more. I'll know more later today after some more testing and a conversation with the folks up at Chromix.
On further reflection, if indeed something has changed in the data path and handling to change the color response or add some filter layer, that would also invalidate every single manufacturer supplied profile out there. Can you imagine the chaos that would create if it forced everyone supplying profiles to make two or even three versions of each profile with no hope of the consumer understanding any of this.
