[Hidden-tech] Mac OSx printer help

[Trace Meek]

Hi Giannina,

I agree with those who have suggested gimp-print — I used to use it 
when I was the lone Mac guy on an otherwise all-PC network, because it 
was the only way I could print to the networked printer.

But if your printer is printing okay (in terms of registration, 
resolution, etc.), this could be a color-management issue as much as a 
driver issue. I have an Epson C84 Inkjet (non-PostScript) printer whose 
prints were pretty dark and over-saturated until I profiled it. I used 
Monaco EZ-Color software for this — I think Pantone makes a comparable 
product. Prints look great now.

Basically you print out (from InDesign, Photoshop, or whatever) a tiff 
file supplied by the color management software. Then you attach a sheet 
of "control" swatches known as an IT8 target, and scan them both 
together. The color profiling software takes this scanned image and 
measures the difference between the "known" color values (the IT8 
target) and the actual color values that your printer produced. Then it 
builds a "profile" for your specific printer/paper/ink combination. 
Then, the next time you print from InDesign, for example, you select 
this new color profile as the print space, from the color management 
pane of the print dialog.

(pause for breath.)

If everything goes according to plan, this profile will "compensate," 
on the fly, for the difference between your printer's particular color 
gamut, and the actual color values you are sending it.

It would be a dream if Apple, the ICC (http://www.color.org/), and 
others could find a way to make color management happen effortlessly, 
transparently in the background, leaving us free to just design. I 
guess that's sort of what ColorSync is supposed to be all about, but in 
order for that to work effectively people have to learn how to use it, 
and it's not the most intuitive area of computing, I've found.

If all else fails, there's always the trip down memory lane (booting up 
in OS9, while it lasts, to print your OSX creations).

Hope this helps,

Trace Meek


On Apr 14, 2005, at 10:22 AM, Giannina Granata Silverman wrote:

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> Hi fellow Hidden-techies,
>
> This is a question for the graphic designers in the group.
>
> I am a graphic designer, and I was using an Epson Stylus photo 1200 on 
> my old Imac System 9 machine, then got a new model flat-panel Imac 
> with OS 10.3 just recently, and was hoping to use my old printer with 
> my new computer. (Note that my printer did a gorgeous job on System 9, 
> and still does). Even though I've gotten updated OS 10 drivers for the 
> printer (though, they won't make OSX postscript drivers), it does a 
> horrible job on System 10, no what program I output from: Adobe 
> Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop,etc. The results are terrible. Sadly, 
> I have begun using my old computer again just for printing. Is this 
> crazy? I shouldn't have to do this, I feel.
>
> Are there any designers out there, who have encountered this problem?
> If so, what was your solution? Am I just stuck having to buy a new 
> printer with better drivers for OSX?
> And if so, what is your recommendation?
>
> I am hoping to hear from some one who has licked this problem, and is 
> printing gorgeous clean graphic design jobs from their OSX computer. I 
> hope this person is out there.
>
> Help!!
>
> Giannina Silverman
>
>
>
> Giannina Granata Silverman
> Rocket Ranch Design + Advertising
> 413.584.2031
> NEW fax: 413.280.0038
> gsilverman at rocketranchdesign.com
> www.rocketranchdesign.com
>
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