Photo on screen vs print

[FowlersFreeTime]

This photo, obviously taken at blue hour, looks just fine to me on screen after editing. However when printing on my Epson ET3850, it comes out noticeably blue.

• Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
• 24.0 mm
• ƒ/4
• 1/125 sec
• ISO 160

White balance as shot, according to ON1, is 6317.
Do you all think I have a printer issue, or should I warm up the white balance in post?
In case you ask about printer nozzles, yes, I did a test print and it shows as normal.
Thoughts?

 

[AlphaWorld]

Please forgive the dumb question, but a problem I had when I started printing was letting both the printer driver AND the photo software apply adjustments - my first prints came out sickly green because of the “double management”. I also had to play games adding profiles that told the printer driver what paper I was using and what ink set and how to adjust appropriately.

Is it possible that you need to change the settings in the printing to something like “let the printer driver manage colour” ? (it has been some years since I last printed a photo at home - I don’t remember the names of the settings)

 

[Angus Cameron]

There are quite a variety of potential problems when printing. Please see this link to a free ebook, it's fairly comprehensive and should help you iron out any issues. https://fotospeed.com/ebook/artofprinting

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Please forgive the dumb question, but a problem I had when I started printing was letting both the printer driver AND the photo software apply adjustments - my first prints came out sickly green because of the “double management”. I also had to play games adding profiles that told the printer driver what paper I was using and what ink set and how to adjust appropriately.

Is it possible that you need to change the settings in the printing to something like “let the printer driver manage colour” ? (it has been some years since I last printed a photo at home - I don’t remember the names of the settings)

I made sure the right paper size and type (photo paper - glossy) were selected, but there isn't much faff with the drivers nowadays.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

There are quite a variety of potential problems when printing. Please see this link to a free ebook, it's fairly comprehensive and should help you iron out any issues. https://fotospeed.com/ebook/artofprinting

Thanks, I will take a look when I'm not on my work computer

 

[Phil Vetra]

Yup printing your own photos is a whole new learning curve. Check out this link....https://www.youtube.com/@JoseRodriguez-un9bd He is a master. And this guy also, his link....https://www.youtube.com/@KeithCooper.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[Richard A]

First question I would ask is have you calibrated your screen?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

First question I would ask is have you calibrated your screen?

I don't even know if that's possible on my Microsoft Surface tablet

 

[Phil Vetra]

I made sure the right paper size and type (photo paper - glossy) were selected, but there isn't much faff with the drivers nowadays.

ICC printer profiles is key for all the different papers.

 

[AlphaWorld]

ICC printer profiles is key for all the different papers.

I haven't been printing for some years (my favourite paper was Ilford's Gold Fibre Silk - but that hasn't been available for quite a while), but when I was, all the big paper manufacturers had profiles you could download for their papers on a variety of printers (like a profile for Gold Fibre Silk on an Epson 3880, for example).

At least one of the companies selling calibration hardware would tell you that "no, you should make your own profiles" but I was happy with the results from the downloaded profiles. Tried making my own profile a couple of times, but it's a tedious process!

 

[Richard A]

I don't even know if that's possible on my Microsoft Surface tablet

I don't know what else to suggest...

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Sorry folks, all this exercise has taught me is that I know less than I thought I did about printing and so when I order prints I should opt for the color correction upcharge

 

[AlphaWorld]

Sorry folks, all this exercise has taught me is that I know less than I thought I did about printing and so when I order prints I should opt for the color correction upcharge

There's a reason I stopped printing

 

[Richard A]

I’ve been doing my own prints for nearly 30 years and have never really had a problem. I can’t understand why so many people find it so difficult and can’t get good results. I can get a great print better and much cheaper than any of the labs around here.

 

[Oldbayrunner]

Your surface should be an IPS screen and should be able to calibrate. Let the surface warm up for at least 30 min then go to Control panel/color management/Advance/calibrate display... Next find the monitor maker and search for their ICC profile and use it
Basic settings then go from there.
Brightness; 120 cd/m2 (srgb)
Contrast; 70-80%
WB; 6500k
then use the built in grey scales and adjust from there........ Also look to see if your processing software has a proofing feature if so soft proof it for the printing profile. Processing using the widest color gamut then converting the to srgb for screen and or print over the years has worked well for me, using Pro Photo RGB. If lab print I don't allow their color adjustment but proof my photos to their printer ICC profile first,