PIXMA PRO-200 Consistently get absurdly oversaturated colors no matter what I try

[lauraF]

I have uninstalled and reinstalled updated version (had same problem with previous version), new driver etc., of PPL and the printer.  I am connected via USB, I have tried ICC profile as well as driver matching.  I am printing watercolor paintings that have been scanned through a Canon V9 scanner in high resolution...  some at 300dpi, some at 600dpi.  Printing on Canon Photo Paper Pro Premium Matte.  I am using the print side of the paper.  I have experimented with less contrast and brightness and I run pattern prints!  But overall, I end up with ultra saturated color.  Maybe it is not possible to approximate the original painting? 

[Stephen]

Hello!
So that the Community can help you better, we will need to know more information:
• What is the exact model printer you're using (it's usually on the top or front of the unit)?
• Do you see any error messages?
• Which version of Windows or macOS are you using?

Any other details you'd like to give will only help the Community better understand your issue.

If you're in the United States, and this is an urgent support need, please click HERE to visit your My Canon Account to discover your personalized support options.

If you're outside the USA, please click HERE to find support options in your country.

Thanks, and have a great day!

[lauraF]

Silly me. Pro 200. Windows 10, 64 bit

[lauraF]

Make that Windows 11 home.

[lauraF]

I notice that when I set up a pattern print, what appears to be a light blue prints as a violet. It is markedly different on display than on print.  I followed the steps for display callibration on windows 11, there was maybe a 3% tweak I made- in other words, the display according to the monitor callibration was essentially spot on.  At least I may be narrowing in on the problem but still, cannot move beyond an incredibly time-consuming and expensive process to get a reasonable print. 

[lauraF]

Canon support determined that it is the color spacing interface between my computer and PPL.  Outside of Canon's control.  If I can't use PPL, then what is the next best alternative?

[canonsky]

Laura,

I am trying to understand what Canon's reply means.  Did you understand it?

 Also, you wrote "It is markedly different on display than on print."  I believe that is what most of us live with, the paper print is not what we see on our monitors, not exactly.  But through trials we do come very, very close to the color that we want.    I do not have your machine and the adjustments for the Pro-100, which I use, may be different.  Good luck.  

[JayC1]

Hi LauraF! Thanks for posting in the Canon Community Forum. I see that the color images being printed by your PIXMA PRO-200 don’t match the original paintings.

It sounds like you have done everything we could recommend for this issue. However, I do want to briefly explain what you might have do when you reach out to Canon support.

When there are issues with the color, you can start by printing a nozzle check pattern to make sure you are not dealing with clogged nozzles. The instructions for that can be found in the following section of the PRO-200 manual:

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/Manual/All/PRO-200%20series/EN/BG/bg-040.html

If there are no issues with the nozzles, we would recommend doing all the things you have said you tried. That includes reinstalling the printer driver, using a Canon program (Professional Print & Layout) to print a photo on Canon paper, and allowing the printer (driver) to manage the colors.

There is good information in the manual about what you can do when the colors don’t match the monitor. In case you would like to review that information, here are those links:

Windows: https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/PrinterDriver/W/PRO-200%20series/1.0/EN/PPG/dg-print3.html

Mac: https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/PrinterDriver/M/PRO-200%20series/1.0/EN/PPG/dg-print3.html

Windows: https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/Manual2/UF/uf_soft_proofing.html?lng=en&mdl=PRO-200&os=w

Mac: https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/Manual2/UF/uf_soft_proofing.html?lng=en&mdl=PRO-200&os=m

When the nozzles are clear (not clogged) and the colors are still not matching what you see on the original or your monitor (even when using a Canon program to print on Canon paper), we would recommend using a color calibration tool (like the X-Rite i1 or the ColorMunki) to calibrate your monitor and printer. Since you are printing images that were scanned, you may also have to involve the scanner. Canon does not sell Color Calibration tools for monitors, nor can we recommend any one product over another. The two that I mentioned earlier (X-Rite i1 and ColorMunki) are just examples. There are a good number of these tools out there. You may also find businesses that have the calibration tools and specialize in helping customers calibrate their equipment.

Canon does offer some information and suggestions about this in their Digital Photo Printing Guide. Here are some links that may help:

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/PrintStudioPro/W/1.4/EN/DPPG/dppg_2-00.html

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/PrintStudioPro/W/1.4/EN/DPPG/dppg_2-06.html

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanual/PrintStudioPro/W/1.4/EN/DPPG/dppg_2-02.html

As this information points out, some things to keep in mind include:

• Unless the monitor is calibrated, the colors on the screen won’t match what you see on paper. This is because the colors on the screen are being produced by the LCD or LED lights in the back of the display. The colors on the paper are not backlit.
• Overhead lighting affects how the colors look to the human eye. The colors you see on a page under fluorescent lighting will not look the exact same if you move the photo to a room that is using incandescent lighting or if you take the photo outside and look at it under sunlight.
• Colors can change when using different types of paper, so if you calibrate your monitor for one specific paper type and create a color profile for your monitor, that same profile might not work the same if you choose to print on a different type of paper. You might have to create a different color profile for your monitor and use that when printing on the other paper type.
• Scanners can play a role in how the colors appear, so you might have to involve the scanner in the calibration process.

Once you have your monitor, printer, and (perhaps) scanner calibrated, you can look at the colors on your screen, adjust them (if needed), and know that what you see on the display will be very close to the colors on the paper (depending on the type of overhead lighting).

If you still need help with this, I recommend contacting Canon support. Before doing that, please create a My Canon account and register the printer so you can contact support via chat or phone. If you have already registered your printer, you can sign into your account to check your support options.

Please use the following link to create or open your account:

https://myprofile.americas.canon.com/us/signin

After you create your account and register the printer, you can click on SERVICE & SUPPORT (in the left column). Then, click on the red box that says GET SERVICE & SUPPORT (on the right side of the page) to find information on the phone and chat support options

I hope this information helps. Thanks again.