Expert: Glen Demers - 6/30/2008

Question
Hi, I have an epson R3400 and when I print from photoshop the colours are all wrong.  I have tried lots of different things and nothing works, can you help.  I need to be able to print what I see.

Answer
Hi Rhona
Your screen is RGB and lit from behind while what you print is CMYK and reflects light, also RGB has a much larger gamut (color space) and you can't match a lot of the bright reds, greens and deep blues with CMYK - that being said - you can get pretty close with some of today's 6 to 8 color printers.
First - calibrate your monitor, there are lots of programs and devices to do this. You could try Adobe Gamma or Mac OS X Diplay Calibrator as a quick, software only calibration or invest in an Eye-one for more accuracy. Once you have a calibrated monitor Photoshop, will use that profile for all of it's screen renderings but it's essential that your monitor has it's contrast or gamma reduced to match printed colors and that your grays are neutral (no color cast).
Second - run the nozzle/head cleaning utility that came with the printer, make sure you are using the right inks and papers for the printer. Epsons generally deliver good color right out of the box if you use Epson paper and inks.
Third - either work in a CMYK color space or proof your image in CMYK before printing. The Epson should be able to deliver a print comparable to a monitor proof using any of Photoshops CMYK profiles.
I hope this helps, for a more detailed explanation of CMYK and the color shifts that occur in printing please see this article.
http://www.bestprintingonline.com/cmyk-color.htm
Glen