I just purchased a Canon Pro 100 printer.

[NW_Roy]

Installation went well.  I have PC with Win 7, using CS6.  I calibrate my monitor with Spyder Monkey 3.  I can take my files to a custom printer in the Seattle area and my print matches my file 99% of the time (night sky images need a little further adjusting).  I'm using Canon Paper.  My prints are coming out a little dark, or not quite as bright as what's on the monitor.  I understand that there may not be an exact match, but I was hoping for better.  I'm not a real technical type, but with good instructions I can get the job done.  Is there something more I need to do, or can do, to get a closer match to my monitor?  I really don't want to go through a lot of custom calibrations with custom profiles if I can avoid it.

I'm printing staight from CS6 (I have LR4, but don't use it a lot).  Selected the right paper; using CS6 for color management (using monitor profile in CS6).

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

Hi. D50 is the color temperature and the other number is monitor brightness. Do you have a camera club in your town? Maybe you could contact them. Meanwhile, try setting your monitor brightness and contrast to 50 percent and see if that gives more pleasing results.

[jrhoffman75]

Are your prints darker than you want, or just not as bright as the monitor? Most folks seem to have the monitor brighter than optimum.

I edit my prints in a room with no overhead lighting and use a desk lamp so that no light shines on the monitor. If I put my hand on the monitor surface the back of my hand is dark; no light shinng on it.

With that setup I calibrate my monitor to D50 and 80 cd/m^2 and my prints are right on with the monitor.

Go to this website: http://outbackprint.outbackphoto.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html

and download the test image and see how that prints.

[NW_Roy]

Thank you.  I was already warned by the camera store where I made the purchase that the prints probably wouldn't be as bright as the monitor.  But the prints are darker; they look more saturated than the monitor.  So it's not just brightness.  I use a monitor hood to shield the monitor from an overhead light; my apartment doesn't have a lot of options available for lighting.  After posting my question, I ran across a similar post and have played a bit with the settings of the printer profile.  Bottom line, I guess I still have a bit of work and experimentation to do.  

I will try the test print from the link you sent me.  I will also try to alter the calibration of the monitor a bit.  Excuse my lack of tech understanding, but your settings; are those for Brightness and Contrast?  Thanks again.

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

Hi. D50 is the color temperature and the other number is monitor brightness. Do you have a camera club in your town? Maybe you could contact them. Meanwhile, try setting your monitor brightness and contrast to 50 percent and see if that gives more pleasing results.

[NW_Roy]

Great, I'll give this a try.  Thanks again for the help.

[NW_Roy]

Hi,

I just wanted to follow-up my last reply with an update that the link to the test print image was a great help.  It helped inform me that the printer was working well and it was my monitor that needed tweaking.  Through more testing, I've found a good working solution for most of my prints.  I have some of night shots in the mountains that are still a bit dark, but I think that I'll need to work with the image a bit; it may look a little light on the screen, but will print OK.  People are quite amazed with the quality of the prints; Thanks again for the help.

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

You're welcome. Glad I could help. It is a terrific printer.

[Sisboom40]

can you help so lost..don't know half the words I'm seeing..I'm a fabric designer in need of perfect color.

[ebiggs1]

I will try .......................

First, you must not let the printer set anything.  Turn off every bit off control it has.  You can do this with the Canon My Printer under the Printer Settings tab.  Do you know how?  I will guess, yes, for now but if you don't get back to me.

Second, you need to have your photo editor (like Photoshop) handle all the settings and color matching.  You know how to do this? I prefer Photoshop.

And lastly, it is essential you get some settings on your monitor that somewhat matches what the printer is printing.  Your printer may be doing exactly what you are telling it to do and you have no idea it is, because your monitor is so far off.  If you don't do this step, you can forget the other steps.  However, there are only a few things that you need to be concerned with. You don't need any fancy extra add-ons to do this.  No additional sortware or gadgets, etc.

But you must get the grey-scale very close.  You need to get the brightness very close and you need the contrast very close.

After you do these things you can make adjustments to your prints by just looking at your screen.  Because you know the monitor and printer are on the same level.  One more point, you can NOT get a printer to print every color exactly the way you saw it.  It isn't possibile as all colors and adjustments effect all others.  My goal is to get the skin tones right.  That is what people notice most. Remeber you are dealing with two different disciplines here.  One is colored light and the other is colored dyes.  They are not the same thing.

For instance, I know my Pro-100 tends to print darker than what I see on the monitor (typical).  So, I automatically know to set it's prints 1/2 to one stop brighter in Photoshop, in my case.  It also prints with a slightly warn tone.  Most of the time, with protraits especially, this if OK but sometimes it is not.  In that case I adjust the "temp" setting slightly cooler in PS.

All the Canon photo printers I have ever seen have this warm/magenta cast.  Canon engineers must prefer this look.  It can not be changed.  You need to "fix" it in post.

Make sure you have the correct ICC profiles and you are using Canon brand ink and paper untill you get good with the printer.  Very, very important, otherwise you don't know if the printer is doing exactly what you are telling it to or not.

Important is, use the USB connection until everything is right.  You are just adding another issue when you try to set up the printing and the wireless all at the same time.  Just like using Canon branded products until it is a go.  Use a real printer USB cable.  Not just any old USB cable.

Keep me informed of your progress.

[Sisboom40]

very helpful and I will get back to you so appreciated.