Profiling a L26500

[ProColorGraphics]

Has anyone with Caldera, EasyMedia and a latex printer have any luck profiling their media? I finally got around to working with it and I can't get past the first step. I printed the light and dark transition targets and when I try to make the first scan, it just keeps saying "no movement detected". I have trying going light to dark, dark to light, fast, slow. NOTHING worked. I finally got pissed off and said screw it. What is the trick?

 

[neil_se]

Are you using an external or onboard spectro?

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Sorry, I am using an Eye One Pro2

 

[ProColorGraphics]

For giggles, I just moved it all over the print and it said "missed a patch". Haha.

 

[neil_se]

Hmm, exact same setup as me but I haven't had that message. For me it's as simple as starting on the left of the line, clicking down the button and pausing for a second, then taking 2-3 seconds to scan across the page.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Hmmm. So you have it is the cyan light to dark went left to right? I had it going up and down. I have no idea what I am doing. This is the first profile I have tried to make. So you at supposed to have them going left to right?

wish it had better, more detailed, instructions.

 

[k_graham]

I have an i1 pro 2 from our 2nd store and an i1.

With Caldera demo- I could not get the pro2 to read the strip of patches with the pro2 and pro2 strip printout. (may have been a USB cable issue - see next paragraph)

Then I tried the Onyx Thrive 11 demo and the Pro2 would not calibrate to even do the reading- Onyx suggested I use the original USB cable that came with the pro2 (which of course was still in the other town) any way the Pro2 did calibrate with the original cord on Onyx Thrive when I got the original pro cable - on Onyx it helps to change in advanced mode so the scans of test strip are 1 direction or its too easy to mix the direction up and it needs to know the direction. Besides which on Onyx the pro2 setting is for an individual patch, not strip so is totally useless, tech support then tells you to use the i1 strip setting, which works but causes the system to crash upon saving results, and may not include ability to create an icc profile anyway according to tech support, they thought I might need an addition to Onyx Thrive 11 if I buy it.

Anyway back to Caldera, I did use the Pro2 saying it was the i1 and printing the i1 targets and eventually got a profile that seemed to work. The reason it took so long is the first time was a disaster. I contacted them and they said to reduce the light color portion of profiling by 50% from readings taken. (HP Manual happens to mention keeping readings below 50% when doing the light inks).

http://otrs.caldera.com/otrs/public.pl?Action=PublicFAQZoom;ItemID=103
The other part of the disaster was that when I was done I would get a great tif test print pattern and absolutely terrible actual print out of same pattern. Tech support then had me go through a procedure to reset printer as they said if the test pattern was good then the profile must not be getting utilized - they were right, I have managed 2 profiles and both times I had to reset the printer. Find it in this valuable list here

http://otrs.caldera.com/otrs/public.pl?Action=PublicFAQExplorer;CategoryID=13

I want to reinstall Caldera again in case it was something I did causing it to screw up after each profile created. But have a couple of profiles I will have to figure out how to save first.

So what I have so far is Onyx Thrive has more Profiles available and they work great but if you want one they haven't included, (I wanted more passes and Unidirectional on scrim banner material. ) then your toasted.

Caldera seems to have fewer profiles made for it but can actually create a profile, jumping through hoops to do it.

A 3rd alternative might be to buy the software from Xrite for profiling - I called before purchasing the 26500 and was told Xrite software was somewhere around the $500.00 mark . Somehow I get the feeling that in incorporating it in the RIP systems it isn't working out too well.

The test image I use is a G7 pattern used with our Xerox copier with some photos as well, the tif image should look good when ran as a test before final save of profile and basically the same as the pdf you put through after, if the tif image looks good but the final not then the printer reset is necessary. Images here http://dc.communityprinters.com/colors/

Ken

 

[bigben]

I have the exact same setup and never had any problems. It maybe a stupid question, but do you scan your white tile before scanning the print?

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Yes. Easy media made me do that before it would say "scan cyan strip".

If I backed out of that step, then went back to scan again, it would tell me I need to do that again.

 

[bigben]

Can you use the i1 to calibrate you monitor with the software that came with the device? If yes, then you will know the i1 is not the problem.

And scanning right to left or left to right doesn't matter.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I bought mine through caldera, so I have the i1 software, but it's like a demo version. I am thinking of buying the i1 profile software sot hat I can use it to calibrate all of my other monitors, especially since my Spyder3 just crapped out. Mine is considered an oem model and I got the easy media plugin with it. I am thinking the problem was that I was tring to go up and down. I will try it again going left to right a see what happens.

 

[bigben]

If it can help, all the specs of the print (small text) have to be in front of you when you scan and need to scan horizontally.

 

[neil_se]

You should be set up similar to my pics.

>Place the printed chart in the holder with the ruler underlining the first line to be scanned
>Scan the white tile
>Position the i1 to the left of the black line in the holder
>Click and hold the button for a second
>While continuing to hold the button, take approx 3 seconds to scan across the chart
>When past the second black line, release the button
>Wait a second, then repeat the same procedure going from right to left (the light on the top of the i1 will be flashing red on the left hand side)
>The i1 lights will flash green when performed correctly
>Shift the ruler down to the next line as instructed in Caldera, and repeat.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I got that to work. I am working through my first profile now. I am at the dynamic target print out. What would you recommend if it is laying down way too much ink? All of the other scans has nice smooth curves after the scans so far.

 

[dypinc]

With 2 different RIPS that I created profiles for the L25500 my total ink limit was usually in the 180% to 170% range. Also you should not be laying any the light inks downs from the 70 to 100 range. If you post a screen shot of your light ink curves we can give you a better idea of where those need to be set.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Will do. I did get through to the part of actually making the profile, after scanning in all of the little squares. Then it tells me that there is too much difference between identical swatches to make the profile. So I am still stuck.

 

[neil_se]

I've only had that once where I think I wasn't paying attention and scanned a wrong row. Just go back a step and try again.

I'm usually around 170 ink limit on SAV, and I restrict the light inks more heavily than Caldera suggests.

 

[k_graham]

I've only had that once where I think I wasn't paying attention and scanned a wrong row. Just go back a step and try again.

I'm usually around 170 ink limit on SAV, and I restrict the light inks more heavily than Caldera suggests.

This is their tech support suggestion







On HP designjets the light ink will have to be reduced by 50% to avoid over inking issues.


--

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Would that be in the "transitions" stage?

 

[Bly]

Sounds terribly complicated.
Setting restrictions in Onyx: print swatch, read.