Pixma Pro 100 11x14 Glossy print issue

[mwbestdog]

Hello, I am brand new to this forum and my pixma 100 is less than 24 hours old.  I am using LR classic which is current and updated, and a macbook pro catalina OS.  My printer came with some luster paper samples. They all printed out great and very sharp.

Today I got some 11x14 glossy paper from epson brand.  The prints are almost looking grainy and matte-like.

I have the correct printer driver selected (not air print). In the settings, I've entered 11x14. I've also selected "Other glossy paper" from the quality and media dropdown menu.  I've cropped my image in LR to aspect ratio 11x14 as well.  I've read articles that say to let LR handle the color management, but when I go into the color settings via the printer menu, I am not able to select OR deselect "color matching/color sync". In LR, under color management I can either select "Printer" or in the dropdown menu, it lists a bunch of other canon settings for papers, which I have also selected "Other glossy paper."   I have NOT done a color matching print out YET. BUT the issue is not within the colors, they are SPOT ON, but they're just coming out grainy/blurry/pixelated when printing on the 11x14 glossy.  I have had this photo printed to a printshop on glossy and it has come out fine, so I dont think it's something from LR end, It just seems to be the size/or the paper. And yes, I'm definitely inserting the paper with the glossy side facing me. The glossy side is the tacky side when you lick your finger and touch it. Other notes....I am trying to print this borderless on 11x14--i know canon doesnt list that as a paper size option, so in LR i set the photo to 11x14, and then I selected maximum size on the left, which takes the print preview margins all the way to the edge. I'm happy with the print size to the paper, just not the quality. Sorry if this is long, trying to provide as much detail as possible. Any ideas as to why the luster paper 8x10 printed out razor sharp and spot on colorwise, but on the glossy 11x14 paper, two images have printed grainy/mattelooking/pixelated? Thank you!

[jrhoffman75]

Welcome to the forum mwbestdog.

Did you download the latest printer driver from the Canon support site?

What Epson paper are you using?

Printing is controlled by two parameters - the media type, which controls how the printer lays down the ink on the paper and the ICC profile, which controls how the colors are transmitted to the paper.

If the printer is printing correctly on Canon paper then the printer is functioning properly.

It is OK to select having the printer manage color if you are uisng Canon paper since the printer driver knows the correct ICC profile to select when you choose Luster paper (for example). And the printer knows how to lay down the ink on Luster paper when you choose Luster paper option.

If you loaded Luster paper in the printer and choose matte paper the results may not be very good.

When you are using non-Canon paper and let the printer manage color you are disconnecting both the media type and the ICC profile from the paper. There is then some trial and error required to find the best media type to match the non-Canon paper. Sounds like "Other glossy paper" may not be the correct choice.

Is the Epson paper super glossy? If so, try Platinum. Is the surface like the luster? Choose luster or semigloss.

[mwbestdog]

Thanks John! Yes, I do have all the latest drivers installed.

I was using 11x14 borderless epson glossy photo paper. That is all the package indicates as far as title/specifics. It does have a bit of gloss look to it compared to the back, but it does not have an extreme glossiness to it overall. All my other paper is canon, so I imagine it's the brand/type. If I continue to use the epson paper, then my issue becomes figuring out how to select OR deselect the printer for color management and just allow LR to do so. Again, when I selected the option in lightroom to change it from "printer" it opens up about twenty options for various canon papers and types, but it doesn't give me an option to select Lightroom as the control. Then, to go into it further, when I select the printer setup or page setup and go to the color control option, I'm unable to select or deselect anything in under color management as those two options are grayed out. I'm very new to this but Im pretty technically capable on where to look and things to change, but this one has me stumped....well, it has me stumped IF changing the paper quality/style doesn't improve results! Let me know if you think there's anything I'm missing in changing around to make it more seamless for color management via LR. THANKS!

[mwbestdog]

TO ADD to previous post. In LR i opened up the Color management section and within that menu, I selected "add display profiles" that did bring up other options like Apple RGB Adobe RGB, and Adobe Color Match RGB among others. Is this one of the profiles I should be selecting to let LR handle it completely?

And with my previous updated information, is there a specific paper type you'd recommend more than another to try first to reprint?

Thanks

[jrhoffman75]

I have no recommendation for a paper type to choose.

Both Canon and Epson make printers and sell paper for their printers. Neither one supports the other. So you are sort of like I just bought a Ford how do I get my Chevrolet snow tires to fit.

You have three options as I see it:

1. Google the exact name of the Epson paper and ask if anyone has come up with settings to use it with a Pro-100

2. run your own test by going down the list of all the Canon papers in Lightroom (other than matte types) and see which one prints acceptably. Probably a half dozen or so papers.

3. decide that using the Epson papers is not worth it and move on. Depends on how much paper you have and how much ink you want to expend chasing a solution. If you do the math OEM ink is about $5000 per gallon.

A Canon (or Epson) printer only knows how to print on Canon (or Epson) paper. They have no incentive to determine how to print on a competor's paper.

As i described earlier, printing requires selection of an ICC profile and a media type. Third party paper suppliers like Red River, Hahnemuehle, Moab, Canson etc provide ICC profiles for their papers and and a recommended Canon media type.

If you select printer manages color in LR you would select a Canon paper type and the printer driver does the rest. If all you ever want to use is Canon paper this is an acceptable approach.

If you want LR to manage color then you would select a paper ICC profile in LR print window and an appropriate Canon media type in the printer setting window. Since i use Canon papers and third party papers I treat all papers the same. I either choose a Canon ICC profile or a third party ICC profile as appropriate and then choose the media type. For Canon papers the ICC profile and the media type are the same.

Having LR manage color requires disabling printer color management; that's why you see the options greyed out and unselectable. macOS does it automatically. The user has to do it in Windows.

You do not want to be dealing with display profiles in LR. You only want paper/printer profiles.