Epson Stylus Pro 7890 with ProVivid K3 Cone Color inks and HD Matte Black

I recently loaded fresh Cone Color Vivid K3 inks with Ultra HD Black ink into my 7890 printer that had been stored with piezoflush for the summer. Using initial fill and several paired cleaning cycles, I was able to get a perfect nozzle check, and thought I had removed the pink staining (from the Yellow channel, which was the only one that seemed to have a slight tint after the initial fill). I printed about 25 8.5"x11 prints from their original files, trying to match them to previously editioned prints. They still retain a slight reddish/magenta cast. SO my question is, could I still have a piezoflush stain in the inks, OR could the printer be printing differently since it has not been used for about 6 months? Do I need to create a new profile for this aging printer? THinking that maybe my profile was corrupted, I tried to download the Epson7890/VividK3 with HDMatte Black ICC profile (with Hanemuhle Photo Rag) but I cannot find it listed on your “download ICC Profiles” page on IJM.com.
So, can you help me get back up and running?

UPDATE: While awaiting a response to my post, I forged ahead and loaded the Cone Color icc profiles for the VividK3 inks with UHD Matte Black for the 3880 printer, since it was the only printer listed that had that same ink configuration. For some time I have been using a Hahnemuhle icc profile for the 7890 and Photo Rag paper (with UHD Matte Black in the printer), and setting the Printer Settings to Velvet Fine Art in Photoshop’s Printer Setup as well as on the actual printer console. I’d always gotten very predictable, beautiful results until this situation with piezoflush storage and reloading new inks.

I reviewed your support info regarding the Ultra HD Black inks, and discovered that under Printer Setup, I should be using Ultra Premium Presentation Matte, whereas I had been using Velvet Fine Art, a Hahnemuhle recommendation I believe. (When I load the paper, the printer console setting that I am using is still Velvet Fine Art, since I do not see any setting that matches the “Ultra Premium Presentation Matte” in the Photoshop print dialog box).

I made some prints with the newly installed Cone Color icc profile for the 3880/Vivid K3/UHD Matte Black, and the prints are way darker and also bluer. The pink/magenta cast is gone, but the tonal and color balance is very different.

Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong? Do I have the right profile in using the 3880 profile for my 7890? I’m hoping this is a quick fix. Capping station, flushing box, wiper blade all cleaned, nozzles look great, monitor is calibrated. Thank you for any help!

We never made 9890 profiles (it was a very rare printer at the time of our ICC creation and not a printer we stocked at Cone Editions Press). Using an ICC from a wildly different printer (3880) will never work.

Because it’s a printer we never had in-house to profile, I can offer a free ICC for you (and I will publish it on this thread).

Print THESE TARGETS with the following instructions and send to me at InkjetMall.

  1. 1566.zip (95.1 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: No Color Management option is missing in Photoshop

  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 (3000Patches-DTP70 1.tif).

  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.

For any questions with your order email support@inkjetmall.com.

Thanks Walker. I will work on this today. I am pretty shocked that I’ve been buying this 7890 inkset for some time and that IJM never created a profile for this printer! I guess that’s why I’d been using the Hahnemuhle profile, but for some reason since I loaded the new bottles of ink, it is no longer working. I am printing for a show, so is there any suggestion for a “closer” profile than the Hahnemuhle 7890 that I can use while I am waiting for this process?

Possibly the 9900 profiles would get you closer.

best,
Walker

THank you! I’ve downloaded the targets and Adobe Color Printer Utility - does it work with OS 10.11.5? Just checking because it mentions various earlier systems, so it looks like an older utility.
THanks so much. Will also try the 9900 profile in the meantime…

So sorry, but one more question. The instructions above refer to the test patch file as “3000Patches-DTP70 1.tif”, however, the files to download are 1566i!Pro1566Patches_1_3.tif. Is this correct?
Thanks, Garie

Yeah, the instructions are for a different file. Please print the 1566 ones that I linked to above though.

-Walker

Walker,
I express mailed the targets today- you should have by wednesday.
Meanwhile, I tried downloading the 9900 with HD Black icc profile, and it seems there is no installer with that download ( other profiles all seem to have an installer that open when you click on the folder). Is it missing something?
thanks!

1 Like

You may have downloaded the PC version.

Mac Installer: https://inkjetmall.com/downloads/iccs/ConeColorPro-9900-ICC-Profiles.dmg

best,
Walker

Here you go! ConeColor Matte profile for the 9890 and 7890 printers.

CCP-x890-Matte.icc.zip (2.7 MB)

best,
Walker

Thank you so much! I will let you know how it goes!
Best,

Garie

THis is for the Ultra High Density Matte, right?

It is for whatever you have in your printer so UHD in that case, yes. It’s built off the patches you mailed me.

-Walker

It looks great! Fixed the issues!!! Thanks so much!

1 Like