My Canon i9950 printer problems solved!

[Muffin]

I think I might have solved my printer problems! I was debating the pros and cons of buying printer profiles instead of using the generic profile provided by Canon but some folk seemed to think this wasn't necessary. I wasn't sure and I thought I would do some research.

I discovered that a professional photography magazine had surveyed six A3 printers and discovered that none of them produced good prints using their generic profiles. All of them performed better when printer profiles were created specifically for them. I thought this was the way I should go because I was wasting a lot of money on ink and paper and a small sum on a profile could be a good investment. I looked at some of the people offering profiles but some were expensive and some were in America! One site said that they would not accept telephone calls about their profiles and this seemed a little odd.

I finally located a firm that seemed to be reasonable and only charged £14 per printer profile. This firm was www.hermitage-ps.co.uk and it is possible to 'phone them and speak to an expert on all forms of printing. I had to send them two A4 prints of a downloaded test chart and I received a profile next day and it seems to work!

I did have to 'phone twice to discuss some of the problems I was having and they were extremely helpful. I can thoroughly recommend them.

My prints have now taken on a new life and look more 'vibrant' and true to the monitor image. I feel that at last I can now do my own prints without having to depend on outside printers - and it can be cost effective once you start printing A3. What more can I say?

An advantage of having specific printer profiles aimed at a particular combination of printer, photo paper and inks is that you could have several different profiles for several different combinations. I was thinking of trying an Ilford paper designed for dye based inks and I could have a profile made. I suppose you could always buy a Gretag Macbeth kit but it would cost over £1000 and you could have ten profiles created for £140. It would seem to be the best and cheapest way to go.

[Roy5051]

Glad you have solved your problem.

[Norman]

Glad you've now got it sorted although I am surprised at the magazine's findings. I've never used a Canon printer being an Epson devotee but all the comparative printer reviews seem to rate Canon's pretty highly and usually put the Epsons very slightly ahead in all but speed.

I do agree with you about non-canned profiles when talking about any printer/paper/ink combination that is not all either Epson or Canon though. If using a Canon printer with Canon ink and a 3rd party paper a non-canned profile will give the best results. The profile could be downloaded from the paper manufacturer's web-site (if the they offer the same combination) or could be produced by a company such as you have found or at home using a hardware or software solution. You don't need to spend £1000 though. There are hardware solutions for a few hundred or software solutions for a few tens of pounds. I use Profile Prism with good results. You do need a good scanner though.

[Muffin]

Yep! I think I was born BC! Before computers. I am still at odds with some of the things my computer will do and I am still discovering things in CS2 that I was getting wrong. In manual colour adjustment I have just discovered that Print Type should be set to 'None'!

I look forward to being able to get some decent prints. Sending data to outside printing folk like PhotoBox doesn't seem likely to get the prints you could do yourself by using a much larger file.

[Gordon_McGeachie]

Good to know that you have your problem sorted.

I have the ip8500, and only use Genuine ink and paper, and use the profiles that come with the printer, I have never had to calibrate my monitor or printer, and everything printed out on paper matches what I see on screen.

[swanseadave]

^^WHS^^
That`s my experience too.

[Stevet]

^^WTS^^

makes you wonder why they discontinued it! The only fault I have with it is that it is limited to A4!