Please Note: Printer profiles cannot be used with Postscript printers. Printer profiles can be used with most inkjet printers (Epson, HP, Canon, Roland, Colorspan, Mutoh, etc.), dye sublimation, RA-4 printers, Color LaserJets, solid ink thermal printers, digital mini-labs, and digital enlargers.
Another Important Note: In order for your custom printer profiles to work you must be using Color Managed software. This includes Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and InDesign. Photoshop LE does not have Color Management. Color Management is limited in PhotoShop Elements, Painter, Coreldraw, PhotoImpact, and PaintShop Pro. You are primarily responsible for determining if your software can use Printer Profiles. We may not be aware of all color-managed software or changes due to upgrades. Trying to print from software that does NOT employ color management will produce poor results.
Downloading Test Charts . . . If you are profiling a RGB printer, download files TC918#1.tif and TC918#2.tif. Each of these test charts is 1Mb in size. Most printers are RGB printers even though they use CMYK inks or some variation of CMYK. Let us know if you have a problem downloading the two charts or finding them.
1. About the paper media you want profiled . . . Make sure your printer inks are compatible with the paper media you want profiled. Not all dye-based inks are compatible with all inkjet media, and not all pigmented-based inks are compatible with all inkjet media. Signs that your paper media is NOT compatible include: Ink runs on the paper, print never dries properly or takes hours to dry (remains sticky to the touch), color patches are blotchy not smooth, and sometimes fine lines seen in the color patches or printed areas.
2. If you are printing these Test Charts from Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, or other color managed software, make sure Color Management is turned OFF.
3. In addition, your printer setup software must be configured properly. Your printer setup must be set to "No Color Adjustment", or other setting that does not apply any color adjustment to your prints. Do NOT use "Color Adjustment", "Auto", "Automatic", "Vivid Colors", or similar setting.
4. Other printer settings are what you normally use to print photos. With Epson printers this is usually printing at 1440 dpi, High Speed can be ON or OFF, Microweave can be ON or OFF. For Media Type, use "Premium Glossy Photo". For other printers you would normally use their High Quality mode, or "Print Quality=High", or similar setting. For Media Type use a setting for a high quality paper. It is MOST IMPORTANT that you use the same settings all the time when using the printer profile. Even changing from 1440 dpi to 720 dpi, or to 2880 dpi, can change colors. If your printer software allows you to save a custom configuration, use it, using a descriptive term to described the paper media you are using. Otherwise, WRITE DOWN the exact printer settings you want to use with the paper you are profiling.
5. Make sure your printer software does not rescale the Test Charts. Once printed they should measure 6x9 inches (color patches only). Print on the media you want profiled. There is a lot of high quality third party paper media available to you, much at lower cost than name-brand papers. Some third-party media such as Pictorico and Illford brand papers can offer better quality prints than name-brand printer papers. Most printers do not support third party media, making these printer profiles essential. Some third party media comes with printer profiles, a lot does not. Some of those printer profiles cost extra, some are free. Those third party media profiles may not be available for your printer/ink combo. Sometimes the profiles are of poor quality or simply cannot match the quality obtained when a profile is created specifically for YOUR printer.
Our custom printer profiles will also benefit supported media because printer companies can only create generic profiles for their print media. These generic profiles cannot take into account: 1) Aging of your printer, which can cause changes in print color; 2) Changes in ink. Even the manufactuer's change ink formulations from time to time; 3) Changes in the paper media or the inkjet emulsion applied to the media; 4) Changes or updates to printer drivers.
6. Give your printed Test Charts several hours to dry (preferably overnight) before packaging to mail. Wrap carefully so the prints will not become scratched, creased, or marred during shipping.
Our Mailing Address:
PC35 PhotoLab
P.O. Box 810
Pine Grove, CA 95665
7. You'll receive your custom printer profiles via email. If for some reason email does not work for you, then please contact us. They can be put onto a diskette or CD and mailed for a small extra charge.
8. Once you have your custom printer profiles, you'll need to copy them to your profile directory. Use the following directories for your operating system. . .
Windows 98/98SE/Me: C:\Windows\System\Color
Windows NT/2000: C:\WinNT\System32\Spool/Drivers\Color
Windows XP: C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers\Color
MacIntosh OS 9: MacHD/System Folder/Colorsync Folder/Profiles Folder
Mac OS x: MacHD/ Users/[your login username]/Library/Colorsync/Profiles Folder
These are the directories most commonly used. You should double check and make sure your profiles are listed in your directory. They use either .icc or .icm extensions on their file names. Note: Color Management is limited using Windows NT and is not present on Windows 95.
While preparing to print and when you are in the "Print Preview" screen you will be able to select your specific profile under "Print Space".
Make sure to turn on Color Management (under "Edit-Color Settings-Settings), and select the proper printer settings for your specific media. Ideally you saved your printer settings under a custom-saved file name within printer setup. Please keep in mind any deviation in printer settings will cause your color managed prints to print wrong. For example, prints profiled at 1440 dpi may look different when printed at 720 dpi.
9. If you are having trouble installing your printer profiles, configuring software/printer setup, or are not satisfied with the print quality using our printer profiles, please let us know. EVERYTHING has to be set right before your prints come out right. We will do our best to assist you in configuring your setup properly. But, we are not experts with every kind of software, printer, or color management system. Color management setups are more complicated than they should be, and not very intuitive, so try not to be overwhelmed with the myriad of settings used in these programs.
10. When mailing your Test Charts to us please include the information indicated on our Order Form, and your payment ($30 per profile). Payment can be by check, money order, credit card, or PayPal. Make payable to: "PC35 PhotoLab". Thank you.
