Dark prints using Cone Color Pro inks and UHD matte black ink

I was so impressed with B/W images printed using Piezography K6 Special Edition inks with UHD matte black and the icc’s from IJM. So, I wanted to try color inks with UHD matt black ink. However, the prints are printing seriously too black with loss of details in some areas.
Equipment/Software: MAC iOS 10.18.4, PhotoShop CC 2018, LightRoom CC Classic, Print Tool, Printers 4880 and 7800 both with Cone Color Pro (CCP) with UHD matte black. Color icc’s are from IJM. The monitor is calibrated.
Printer settings on Print Tool app: in the Paper & Print Setting window are as followed: Color Matching; Color Sync with profile: e.g. CCP-3880-UHD-EPhotoPressNatural.icc. On the Print Tool main window, the settings are: embedded profile-Adobe RGB 1998. Print color Management: Print driver managed. If I select Print Tool managed then only general type of papers can be selected and the paper specific icc profile cannot be selected.
What am I doing wrong?

That sounds more like the Epson driver than Print-Tool. You have selected Print Driver Managed in Print-Tool rather than Print-Tool Managed. The Print Color Management section looks like this:

PrintColorManagement

Set this to Print-Tool Managed and select your ICC profile here. Then in the Paper & Print Settings there will be nothing to select in Color Matching - both choices will be grayed out.

Color%20Matching

And under Advanced Color Settings it will show:

Advanced%20Color%20Settings

You want to do all color management in Print-Tool, not the Epson driver or the OS.

Aside from what Keith said, you’ll want to download our HD iccs for the 3880s as well . .

best,
Walker

I am having the same problem and the answer did not solve my problem. The images are grayish and the color is very dull. Here are the details:
macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Photoshop CC version 20
LightRoom Classic CC version 8
Epson 3880 printer with v9.33 driver

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Hmm. I’m going to need to validate this profile . . .

best,
Walker

Do you need my customer number?

I may but first I need to validate this profile on Monday when back at work. I may be PMing you then.

best, Walker

I have a show the next two weekends that I need to print for; a quick response would be appreciated.

I validated the ICC and it is without issue.

Please print these ICC targets using the following instructions and send the targets to me ASAP. I will build an ICC same day and email back. This will actually tell me a lot (especially about the ink) and will get you rolling regardless.

  1. Download the custom ICC profile swatches here: 1566-3pages.zip (95.3 KB)

  2. **** You WILL NOT be using Photoshop to print these targets. Please proceed to step 3.****

  3. Download and install Adobe Color Print Utility here: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/no-color-management-option-missing.html

  4. After installing Adobe Color Print Utility, open it, and go to File>Page Setup.

  5. Set the page setup to be your paper size oriented in portrait mode. (You should be using Letter sized paper.)

  6. Open the first file of the unzipped swatch set

  7. Got to File->Print

  8. Select the printer you will be profiling.

  9. For Epson printers, select “Last Used Settings” under the Presets menu.

  10. Now go through and set the desired printer resolution/media-type/speed you need for your specific paper. For matte papers we suggest Velvet Fine Art or Hotpress Bright as a media type, 2880dpi, and UniDirection printing (High Speed OFF).

  11. Click Print.

  12. Open the next swatch file and go directly to File->Print, all the settings should be set to “Last Used Settings” aka your first swatch print settings.

  13. Click Print.

  14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 until all sheets are printed.

  15. Put a slip sheet between each printed target (plain copy paper works well) and put the three printed targets in a cardboard sandwich to protect them from getting bent in shipping. Tape the corners of the cardboard to hold the prints inside nice and flat, so they don’t slide around and scuff the printed surface.

  16. Mail to InkjetMall, c/o Custom Profiling, 17 Powder Spring Rd, Topsham, VT 05076

  17. Include your desired printer profile names (we will provide names in standard format if the desired names are not included) along with the email address to send the completed ICC profiles to.

  18. We send both a complete custom ICC profile along with an i1Profiler environment with all measurement data included just in case the profile needs to be rebuilt or edited with different characteristics in the future.

I am having exactly this issue. I installed HD PK and my prints all went both dark and flat, color is washed out and prints look really poor. I had not downloaded the HD ICC’s so I will do that now. I may have to have ICCs made, or switch all my paper to ones that are covered as I use RedRiver paper and some MOAB Lasal Exhibition. Let me try the new ICCs.

I downloaded and installed the HD icc’s. Interesting that they were installed in the high level library and Lightroom is looking at the library in my account. I copied the ices to the ColorSync/profiles file in my account and found them through LR. However, the print is still flat with very poor color. I don’t understand what has happened.

I don’t understand why you need to build an ICC profile, since I had downloaded your ICC profiles and I followed the instructions on how to use them. I use different papers both matte and luster types. I printed these color charts on Epson Premium Luster using Adobe Color Print Utility. The colors are bright compared to my photographic images which I normally print from Photoshop or Lightroom. Thank you for your assistance._B120001 ![_B120002|700x495](upload://3S_B120001 _B120002 _B120003 yqd2vBqsPbRkqnZWUueR3akKx.jpeg)

Taking a closer look at these targets (and after looking at your PM to me I think you have the wrong black ink in either your LK or LLK channel)

I’m not sure where else to turn. My 3880, with Cone color inks plus HDPK, has suddenly begun to print very poorly: colors are washed out every way I try to print whether from LR, PS, or Print Tool, and matte or photo. I’m sure there is something I don’t understand here. What can I do? I think my driver is up to date as it shows a date of August this year, which is probably when I installed Mojave. Might this be a Mojave related issue?

This very well could be a Mojave issue. Re-install your driver and test again. Also do a nozzle check and post.

-Walker

Also if these prints are happening through mojave, I suggest one other thing. TURN OFF 16bit printing. This needs to happen both from Lightroom/Photoshop as well as in the driver.

There seems to be a bug with 16bit printing and Mojave. See screenshot (pulled from a different forum I’m on, not mine).

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best,
Walker

I have been on this thread so I want to report what actions I have discovered. Due to a friend’s good research skills I discovered that in Mojave Epson has no solved the 16bit print instruction so you have to uncheck that if you have used it. I did that just and prints have recovered to good quality color. Now all the blame is mine. Thanks to all who helped including Walker.

1 Like

Thanks for confirming!

best,
Walker