Printing in Color on the Epson 7600

Color Management : Photoshop (CS2)

Open up your file on any of the Dells in the studio, as the 7600 is a network printer.

If prompted to assign a profile, check “Discard the embedded profile (don’t color manage)” and click OK

Assign & Convert to Profile

Manually assign an RGB profile by doing the following:

Click on Edit > Assign Profile

Choose a profile that looks most like what you think looks the best (be sure Preview is checked). If there is already an embedded profile and you like it the best, skip to "Convert."

• Start at the top and work your way down, quite often you will find that one of the top four is best.
• Make sure you do not choose a printer profile
• Click “OK”

Convert the profile to the working space by doing the following:

• Click on Edit > Convert to Profile
• In the Destination Space window, choose Adobe RGB 1998
• Engine should be Adobe (ACE)
• Intent: choose either Perceptual or Relative Colorimetric, whichever looks the best (for a more detailed explanation of what’s happening in this step, see “About Profiling and Intent” at the end of this document)
• Check “Use Black Point Compensation”
• Click “OK”
• In the bottom left of the status bar, click the black triangle display “Document Profile” to view profile

Setting up Soft Proof

Set print profiles by doing the following:

• Click View > Proof Setup > Custom.
  
• Under Profile choose the profile for the paper type you are using (example: 7600 Semimatte 250 DY). Be sure that you select a profile ending in DY as this indicates the dye set we are using.
  
• Under Intent choose whatever looks best, usually Relative Colorimetric or Perceptual.
  
• Check “Use Black Point Compensation.”
  
• Click “OK.”

Editing Your Image

Now that you have worked with your color profile and set up a soft proof, you are free to edit (using adjustment layers, so as not to permanently lose data) for the best color, saturation, etc.

Throughout working, be sure that “Proof Colors” in the View menu is checked, so you will be making adjustments appropriate for the paper type.

Be sure there are no unwanted white or black lines along the border of your image; they give a false histogram reading and waste ink.

Compensatory Sharpening

Copy Merged

When you have edited and are satisfied with the look of your image, you will want to sharpen it to preempt any blurring that might occur on the printer. To accomplish this:

• Select your topmost visible layer
• Click Select > All (Ctrl-A)
• Click Edit > Copy Merged (Shft-Ctrl-C)
• Click Edit > Paste (Ctrl-V)

This pastes a copy of your image, merged with the adjustment curves, on top of the other layers. On this layer, you will apply the Unsharp Mask filter and make some changes to enhance the image’s sharpness.

Unsharp Mask

To use Unsharp Mask successfully, use the following guide when deciding on your settings. These are just suggestions, not hard and fast rules:

ALL IMAGES:
Amount = 100%
Threshold = 4

60-100MB IMAGES:
Radius = 4 to 9

30MB IMAGES:
Radius = 2 to 5

1MB IMAGES:
Radius = .3 to 1.5

Unsharp Mask settings for 30 MB file

With the above guidelines in mind, then,
on your new layer:

• Click Filter > Unsharp Mask
• Dial in your settings according to file size
• Click OK

Adjust Blending Mode

On Layers palette, set the Blending Mode (default = Normal) to Luminosity

Changing Blending Mode

Set the Layer opacity to somewhere between 60 and 100% opacity.

Printing

Printing on Sheet Paper

On printer control panel (the right side of printer) select “Sheet” as paper source
Load your paper into the printer.

• In Photoshop, click File > Print with Preview
• Click “Page Setup” on the right side of the dialog box
  
  
  

• Click “Printer” and set to Epson Stylus Pro 7600-Dye.
• Paper Size: Your paper size
• Source: Sheet
• Choose either landscape or portrait, whichever makes the best use of the paper
• Click OK

Skip ahead to Color Management: Epson Drivers.

Loading and Setting Drivers for Roll Paper

Printing on roll paper is identical to printing on sheet, with the exception being you may need to set up a custom paper size according to which roll you are using.

On printer control panel (the right side of printer) select “Roll Auto Cut” as paper source

• Feed roll paper into the printer. The edge of the sheet should extend just to the top row of holes in the bed.
  
• In Photoshop, click File > Print with Preview
  
• Click “Page Setup” on the right side of the dialog box; check the "Paper Size" drop-down. If there is a preset roll size (scroll to the end of the drop-down list) that meets your needs, you can skip ahead to Color Management : Epson Drivers.
  
  
  
  
  Step 2, "Properties" in the upper right hand corner.
  
  

Click on the "Printer" button:


Step 2, "Properties" in the upper right hand corner.

In the "User Defined" dialog box, you will enter the dimensions of the paper:

• Paper Width : width of the film/paper roll, in our case 14", entered as "1400"
  
• Paper Height : height of your image, plus about 1." The lowest the printer will let us go is just over 7" (717).
  
• Paper Size Name: something informative, ie "Roll 14x7"
  
• Don't forget to hit "Save," then "OK"
  

Now that you have your custom paper size dialed in, there's only one thing left to do:

1. Uncheck "Auto Cut" on the "Paper" tab:
   
   
   
   

Color Management with Epson Drivers

Back on the main Print Preview screen, under the Color Management drop down, be sure that “Document” is selected in the Print box. “Document” should say Adobe RGB (1998) -- you’ll need to reassign your color profile if it does not.

Options should be set to the following:

• Color Handling: Let Photoshop Determine Colors (an information bubble appears next to the drop-down, reminding you to disable color management in the Epson Driver)
  
• Printer Profile: the paper profile from your Soft Proof (ie the paper you are printing on). If this does not match your soft proof your results will be unpredictable.
  
• Rendering Intent: Relative Colorimetric (or whatever looks the best). You can read more about Profiling and Intent at the end of this document.
  
• Check Black Point Compensation.

You may also uncheck “Center Image” in the position region and drag the image where you wish to conserve paper. Be sure that you leave a .2 inch border in both the top and left boxes.

Click Print-- you are not actually printing, but launching Epson’s print driver dialog box.

In the printer dialog box, make sure that the Printer field is populated with the Epson Stylus Pro 7600-Dye.

In the printer dialog box, click “Properties:”

On the “Main” tab, choose a “Media Type” that corresponds closely with your paper profile (i.e. Premium Semigloss, Glossy Photo, etc.).

Leave “Ink” set to Color/ B&W Photo.

Click on the “Custom” radio button in the Mode region of the box.

Click “Advanced.”

In the Advanced dialog box, make sure your Media Type has not changed. For Print Quality choose the highest for the paper type (some will be grayed out because they will not give good results on the chosen paper type).

Color Management: No Color Adjustment should be selected. Click Okay.

Click on the “Paper” tab.

Be sure that “Paper Source” is still set to Roll or Sheet Paper (whichever you selected) and that you have unchecked "Auto Cut."

You’re ready to print.

About Profiling and Color Intent

When you choose between Perceptual and Relative Colorimetric, what are you really doing? To put it simply, you are dictating to the printer or computer how it should handle the shifts in color
palettes. When you convert to a profile, some of the information in the original file might be lost. Here’s how different intents handle this:

Relative Colorimetric: deletes all colors which are not included in the output device color space.

Perceptual: moves colors that are outside the output device color space to analogous points inside the color space, which can flatten the image and destroy saturation to gain shape.

Saturation: best suited for synthetic images, as it maintains colors at all costs—you would never want to use Saturation on a photographic image.