doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

This is a bit long, but I’m trying to be as complete as possible.

I recently bought a Canon Pixma Pro 100, my first printer.

As I work through learning the printing process, I’m having a problem with one image. As you can see, even in the attached very hasty grab of a print, there are SERIOUS splotches in the top and bottom 1/3 of the print. This specific file has been printed by a lab without any problem. I printed it two days ago at a roughly 9x12 size and had no splotches. Now, however, I’m seeing the problem on several iterations at both 13x19 and 8½x11 on several different papers. It is not happening on any other images I’ve printed, including another that is primarily blue sky and water background.

Below is my workflow.

OS--Windows 7

Post Processing in Adobe Photoshop CC, using mainly Lightroom 5.7 and printing from Photoshop.

Display and printer calibration—Colormunki Photo

Paper—Canon Photo Paper Semi-Gloss SG-201 (This is the paper that came with the printer). I use the installed ICC profile.

In Photoshop FILE>PRINT-- PHOTOSHOP MANAGES COLORS. In Printer Profile the installed profile for the Canon paper. Rendering Intent set to RELATIVE COLORMETRIC with BLACK POINT COMPENSATION checked.

In Pixma Pro 100 Printer Settings. Commonly Used Settings set to PHOTO PRINTING with COLOR/INTENSITY MANUAL ADJUSTMENT not checked. Under Media Type, set to the installed Canon paper profile. Print Quality set to HIGH.

Back to PS and hit the PRINT BUTTON and confirm settings in Print Preview and then START PRINT.

Any thoughts welcome.

Thanks.

Don

(Download)

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I wish I had an answer for you, but the splotches appear to be in the image itself.
That said, I had bought two of the Pixma Pro 100 printers to use in the camera store as a customer self-serve print station. After 3 months I threw them both out! The prints were great, no arguing that point, but the tiny ink tanks and no aftermarket compatible ink availability made for ink cost that were 12-20 times higher than my other two printers. There is a REASON Canon gives these printers away for free all the time!

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Have you tried the Canon printing software, I've always had better luck with their own, back when I tried elememnts the only way to get consistant printing was with the Canon softwre, PSP runs the printer well but old habit I use Canon Easy Photo Print, Bob.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You can have either your Photoshop software or the printer "manage color". It is not obvious in the printer instructions on how to completely disable the printer's color management so that Photoshop (or Lightroom in my case) can do it.

Although the common belief is that your software should do it, I got better results by selecting "Printer manage color".

If I remember right, you do check the COLOR/INTENSITY MANUAL ADJUSTMENT box. And, there is a tab and there is a secondary tab there called "Matching" and you have to pick "None".

If you get both the printer driver and Photoshop trying to manage the colors you can get surprising results! One or the other has to be totally off and Canon does not make it obvious.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

What printers do you prefer? The Canon gets good reviews on most sites, but the reviews are mainly about the print quality - not the cost.

Edit: This was probably not an appropriate question on this thread since it doesn't directly involve the OP's original question. I should probably start a new thread.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

I suspected an IQ issue at first, but two things led me to doubt my first inclination. I printed one Friday at nearly the same size with no problems. My thought is that the first print would have exhibited at least some artifact if it were a discernible problem with the image. Second, the one I had printed professionally is 13x22 with no problems, even under a magnifying glass.

Gotta keep struggling.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Red River Papers did an exhaustive study on ink use and cost. Different printers varied widely, but I found the cost of all of them in the ball park with having prints made.

If you make prints all day long, every day. This is the wrong printer. Canon makes a similar printer for that called the Pro-1. It has huge tanks.

This one, the Pro-100 is well suited to people that make a few prints a week. At that rate, the small cartridges are replaced frequently enough to keep ink fresh. FWIW, Amazon makes it very easy to get a single new $17 cartridge at the first warning of "low ink".

Back to the topic: I'm pretty sure the OP needs to turn off color management on either the printer or the software.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

I'll keep looking to see if there is a way to totally disable the printer manages colors function. If there is something I'm not seeing, I agree that it is pretty well buried.



I did have the MATCHING off in the PS print block but had the COLOR/INTENSITY MANUAL ADJUSTMENT also checked off in the printer settings box.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Try installing and printing from the software that came with the printer. Canon is serious about good prints and provided software to do it.

If nothing else, it will show what the printer can do. If the printer is defective, it will show that too.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Thanks to all for their insight and guidance. I printed it again with the printer managing the colors and it came out quite nice. Under a magnifying glass, I can still see some very, very faint splotching, but no where near what it was. I think I'll go back into LR and reduce the sharpening and increase noise reduction and see if that makes a difference.

Jim Bob

Try a different paper. Despite Shooter's comments, this is generally an exceptional printer. You might also try printing the images from another printer to help determine if the defect is in the original shot.

Weaselsplace Loc: Ider, AL

Guess I MESSED UP. I just bought a Canon PIXMA Pro 10.

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Not sure what makes you think you might have messed up. Since I've never done digital printing, this is a journey and will take patience on my part, but now that my problem appears to be resolved, I like the output from the Pro 100. I don't ever see myself being a high volume printer, so some very valid comments in the thread probably apply less to me than others. Since the investment in the Pro 100 was pretty small, it should give me enough experience and insight to see if I want to continue. If not, I might be able to sell it off.

You bought the Pro 10 for your reasons, so I don't believe anything in this thread should make you think you messed up.

Regards.

Don

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Not at all! The main difference is the Pro 10 uses pigment based inks where the Pro-100 uses dye based inks. The life of pigment prints is supposed to be significantly better. You may also get slightly better grays and blacks.

Captkirk Loc: Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand

If you did, then so Did I!! Have had the printer and printed 1 photo. The result was excellent so I'm not getting put off with the comments here. I guess its horses for courses!!