[Leica] My prints are too dark

[hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson)]

I would like to add a little more to that.
The better Eizo and NEC monitors do have advantages and those include being
able to store more than one calibration. You can change with a couple of
clicks.

So with my NEC, I have a calibration to simulate a 'typical' web image and
others including for cotton rag, gloss paper and even Blurb printing
(remember the LUG Yearbook?)

To look similar to a print (soft proofing), your monitor must be adjusted
to luminance (brightness) and contrast levels similar to what your prints
can reproduce.
For example cotton rag paper may only be able to reproduce a contrast
ration of say 200:1 whereas your typical monitor might reproduce for
example 1000:1
The luminance might be for example 1/5th as well, plus of course the white
and black points vary too.
The viewing environment influences what you perceive too and our remarkable
eyes and brain do their own processing.

Unless  your monitor is calibrated like that it is just not possible for
its image to show what the print will actually look like. That's not to say
its not usable of course, only that the right hardware setup means you
really can see an accurate soft proof.

Notwithstanding the state of your monitor, you really need to check and
recheck the print settings dialog and the color management setting in the
print module (of LR).  It is easy to miss a setting change.
Two common causes of those setting changes are updates of your programs
(that reset defaults) and not turning off the printer software adjustments
when you want to use your profiles in Ps or LR. That is the double
profiling mistake that Leo mentioned as well.  The printer manufacturers of
course provide tools (like the very good BW options in the Epson software)
 and the paper manufacturers provide safe profiles. You just can't use both
methods (Ps/LR profiles and printer software profiles) at the same time.



Cheers
Geoff
http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman

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> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Leo Wesson <leowesson at gmail.com>
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Cc:
> Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2015 21:10:33 -0600
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Prints are way too dark. Driven to distraction
> Hi Bob,
>
> I'm no expert and there are a million ways to screw this up...and I'm not a
> user of Eizo equipment (yet) and I haven't used an I1 in awhile but....
> You have to have a good monitor to begin with.
> You have to make sure that the monitor is set to the default profile before
> you callibrate.  Choose the native white point for your monitor.
> You have to make sure that your imaging software/hardware supports the
> version of profile that your profiler creates.  This one tripped me up a
> lot in the past...Version 4 or Version 2
> Make sure that your photo software is set to use your monitor profile.
> Soft proof with your paper profile for your printer that came from the
> paper manufacturer. Or use the profile that your make of  your paper to
> match your monitor.
> When you print you have to make sure that you aren't double profiling in
> your photo software and your print driver. It  is easy to screw up here.
> Make sure that you use your paper settings correctly.
> Your prints ought to be close.
>
> Your monitor profile lets your know what your images should look like.
> Your printer/paper profile tells the printer how to get there.
>
> If you do all this, you should be close.  If it didn't work, there is
> something wrong with either the way you did it or something wrong with your
> equipment.
>
> Changing your monitor to match the print output is not the way to go.  It
> screws up your baseline.
> That said, if it works for you, good.  But it doesn't work for me.
>
> Leo Wesson
> Photographer/Videographer
> 817.733.9157
> www.leowesson.com
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