Drastic color Shift - Epson PRO 9800

[BlacknTan]

This issue has me stumped....Friday morning, I printed a corrugated texture for a mock-up box. Beautiful quality, no issues. I'm not using a RIP, just OS 10.8.5, and Adobe Illustrator CS6. I printed the mock-up a few times to get everything just right. Later that morning, when I went to print the document again with different dimensions, there was a huge color shift. Instead of a brown tone, the texture was now orange. Nothing I did from that point forward would change it back to brown. I tried:

1. Restarting my computer
2. Cycle the printer on and off
3. Different color profiles
4. Using Epson color manage instead of colorsync
5. Playing with overprint settings

I gave up on the project Friday afternoon, and promised the customer fresh printouts on Monday. I come in to the office, try printing again, and it's perfect. Would the printer exhibit a color shift after "warming up"?

 

[Castek]

This issue has me stumped....Friday morning, I printed a corrugated texture for a mock-up box. Beautiful quality, no issues. I'm not using a RIP, just OS 10.8.5, and Adobe Illustrator CS6. I printed the mock-up a few times to get everything just right. Later that morning, when I went to print the document again with different dimensions, there was a huge color shift. Instead of a brown tone, the texture was now orange. Nothing I did from that point forward would change it back to brown. I tried:

1. Restarting my computer
2. Cycle the printer on and off
3. Different color profiles
4. Using Epson color manage instead of colorsync
5. Playing with overprint settings

I gave up on the project Friday afternoon, and promised the customer fresh printouts on Monday. I come in to the office, try printing again, and it's perfect. Would the printer exhibit a color shift after "warming up"?

I am guessing that you were experiencing nozzle issues on Friday that cleared up on their own over the weekend.

 

[Correct Color]

In answer to your question, no, it won't color shift at all after warming up.

What it looks like is that your cyan just wasn't firing at all there for awhile. If you ever see a result like that again, your first diagnostic should always be to run a nozzle check.

Why it would drop completely out like that and then come completely back is a mystery you may need to solve.


Mike Adams
Correct Color

 

[BlacknTan]

Thanks for the suggestions....I'm now in the process of finding a decent technician in Connecticut to take a good luck at the machine. I've inherited this printer, and there are a number of minor annoyances. Paper load lever doesn't lock anymore, missing RIP, etc. I'll add this to the list. Thank you!!

 

[BarbWPP]

We have had our 9880 suddenly, and usually at a really bad time, have an entire color's nozzles just quit. Usually the black. I suspect an air bubble. Usually end up doing a power clean to clear it all up. But I agree, the nozzle test should be run frequently, and any time color is "off", or any streaking/banding shows up.

 

[BlacknTan]

Is the Epson Printer Utility 4 software compatible with Mac OSX Mountain Lion? I ask because it seems the only way I can run a nozzle test or clean the print heads is directly through the System Preferences (Print & Scan Control Panel).

 

[BarbWPP]

Perhaps you could go online to Epson.com and check their website for updated drivers, and system requirements. I don't think you have to be a registered owner to download drivers,

I found this on their site:
Printer Driver v9.04
09/06/12 66.8 MB epson14751.dmg Download
Description: This file contains the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 Printer Driver v9.04.

This file corrects a possible issue when printing borderless retain size.

Installation instructions:

Download the file.
Double-click the downloaded file to create a disk image on your desktop.
Open the disk image.
Double-click the installer icon to begin the installation.

Compatible Systems: Mac OS X (v10.9.x), Mac OS X (v10.8.x), Mac OS X (v10.7.x), Mac OS X (v10.6.x), Mac OS X (v10.5)

I find the some major manufacturers do a pretty good job of updating drivers, even on some of the older printers.

 

[BlacknTan]

Hi Barb,

Thank you for going above and beyond, checking the Epson website. That's actually where I downloaded my current Epson printer drivers from. However, the most recent file for the Epson 9800 is v8.64, from September 20, 2011. The only utility files I can download are an "uninstaller." Under the FAQ, Epson recommends using the Printer Utility installed with these drivers, however it crashes under Mountain Lion.

Would the software for the 7900/9900 be compatible with my printer? Hmmmm...I wonder. I won't need the drivers, but maybe I can just install the Utility.

 

[BarbWPP]

Sorry, I must have put in the wrong model #.

I think I saw that Epson has a contact button, perhaps you could email them with your concerns, see what happens.

 

[buckeye]

Is the Epson Printer Utility 4 software compatible with Mac OSX Mountain Lion? I ask because it seems the only way I can run a nozzle test or clean the print heads is directly through the System Preferences (Print & Scan Control Panel).

Can't you just do a nozzle test and or print head cleaning from the main panel on your Epson printer?

Erik