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View Full Version : Colour changes from one D120 to another D120



pesketta
14-07-2011, 12:31 AM
I have been printing on an Epson D120 for 3 years, with a BIS, using Artanium inks and profile (print from Elements 4).
The printer finallly went west, but I have another D120 that has only been used for printing using standard Epson cartridges.
I had to use ZAP to clear the jets on this one as it hadnt been used for ages.
Finally got it printing perfect nozzle checks with the BIS Artanium inks, and run 6 prints or so to clear the jets (I hope)
But, all the images are coming out paler and less vibrant with this second D120, and yes everything is set up exactley the same with the profiles etc.
Can different printers give this slight colour change?
Or am I missing a trick somewhere?
Any advise would be appreciated

Matt Quinn
14-07-2011, 01:19 AM
Can different printers give this slight colour change?

'Off the shelf' profiles can only ever be an approximation... Colour gamut is system dependent and changes as the printer wears. For very critical applications printers are re-profiled regularly -Sometimes as often as weekly or even daily!

NOT remotely surprising that this second printer will produce slightly different results IMHO. It will have 'worn' differently from the machine it's swapping out. - Live with it or invest in colour profiling hardware/software.

bms
14-07-2011, 08:39 AM
Do you have the print quality set to photo in the print driver settings? Possibly increase it to best photo to see if that helps.

JSR
14-07-2011, 11:51 AM
I concur with Matt.

I have two Epson 1400s here - one was bought in 2007, and the other in 2010. If I use the same set-up and profile for each, I get hugely different results. I actually have to use the older "v1" profile for the 2007 printer and the newer "v2.5" profile for the 2010 printer. If I use the newer profile on the old printer, or the older profile on the new printer, I get horrible results.

The trouble we have is that manufacturing tolerances allow for variations in the printers - and this goes double for low-end entry level printers. By way of example, I bought an Epson B40W for use with Artanium ink last year but it gave off a hideous green colour cast and it lacked the vibrant "pop" of the other printers - despite using the approved Sawgrass profile. I was on the verge of chucking it in the bin. The only way to get it printing the right colours was to reprofile it - and then it produced prints as good as, if not better than, the 1400s. I can only presume that the B40W I bought was built to the far end of the tolerances than the one Sawgrass used to create their profile.

You may find that there is just a setting you've forgotten (like printing to plain paper rather than matte paper, or something like that), but I recall the frustration I went through with my 1400s and then the B40W before I realised the problems were caused by the profiles not suiting the printers.

Buying an entry-level printer and then expecting a supplied "generic" profile to work is like the tail wagging the dog - you're only going to get something that looks approximately right. The correct way around is to focus on the profiling and then pick the printer, but that's not the cheapest option so we rarely do it.