Michael,

I'm assuming you that you've set Elements to use full color management and you've already indicated your monitor is calibrated. The other side of the color management equation is the printer.

Color management for the printer is set via the print preview dialog. Make sure the "show more options" box is checked and that "Color Management" is selected in the first dropdown list.

In the "Print Space" area of the dialog, you need to set the "profile" and "intent" options. For "intent", select "perceptual" unless you have a good
reason not to. The critical setting will be the "profile".

For "profile", there are a number of options:

There is a "same as source" setting which skips any and all conversion to the printer color space -- you generally don't want to use this one.

There is a "printer color management" or "postscript color management" setting that will pass the image through the printer driver and let the driver manage the color. This sounds like the setting you have. I don't have such a fine printer as yours but my much humbler Epson acts exactly as you described when I select this setting.

I use the last option, select the specific color profile for my printer. This option lets Elements convert the image to the printer color space. In the dropdown list after the other options is a list of the ICC profiles that are installed. I had a profile that matched the printer I have (and I use the epson ink and photo paper so the supplied profile was reasonably close). With that setting, my prints match the monitor as closely as my eye can tell so I'm happy.

You should have a similar profile for the 9600 from Epson. I don't know what paper and ink you are using but there are some additional profiles and drivers on the epson site.

If you don't mind paying a little extra, you can create your own custom printer profile. The printer ICC profile will differ according to the specific printer, ink, and paper you use. Colorvision/Pantone makes a printer calibration tool which lets you create specific printer ICC profiles for your printer/ink/paper combination. The device only supports certain printers but the 9600 is one of them. Here's a link if you want to learn more about it: https://secure.colorvision.com/profis/profis_view.jsp?id=84 There is a tabbed info section at the bottom of the page which describes how it works and what you get. I use their Spyder monitor colorimeter.

Good luck,
Bob

Michael_Magnus

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Printing To Epson 9600, having problems with color management