Colorsync & Canon
Posted by: garyi on 22 November 2003
Guys today I finally ran out of patience with my epson. Yet another clean cycle required because the black was playing up.
In fairness is has been a work horse this year printing I would guess in excess of 10 reams of paper.
Never the less the software and chipped ink has got to me so off to PC world I went.
I can away with a canon i560 thanks to reccomendations I found about the padded cell. What a fantastic bit of kit, seperate ink tanks, with no bloody chips and compatibles at 3 quid each I am surely laughing. The quality is ooutstanding, edge to edge printing and quiet.
However one thing I need to square away however is the colour. On screen its a bit brighter than what appears on paper. I am only interested because the photo output is supurb and edge to edge as well. But its darker than the screen.
OSX has a raft of coloursync utilities and stuff and I tried messing, but so far nothing has changed on the print out.
Does anyone have any suggestions/knowledge of what to do?
Cheers.
In fairness is has been a work horse this year printing I would guess in excess of 10 reams of paper.
Never the less the software and chipped ink has got to me so off to PC world I went.
I can away with a canon i560 thanks to reccomendations I found about the padded cell. What a fantastic bit of kit, seperate ink tanks, with no bloody chips and compatibles at 3 quid each I am surely laughing. The quality is ooutstanding, edge to edge printing and quiet.
However one thing I need to square away however is the colour. On screen its a bit brighter than what appears on paper. I am only interested because the photo output is supurb and edge to edge as well. But its darker than the screen.
OSX has a raft of coloursync utilities and stuff and I tried messing, but so far nothing has changed on the print out.
Does anyone have any suggestions/knowledge of what to do?
Cheers.
Greetings All
Well, having finally got all the text/photo samples I could for comparo purposes, and perusing of brochures/reviews etc, and the most helpful comments from all here, I now have a Canon i865.
It's the same as the US i860, but has the CD/DVD printing tray, plus the extra paper feeder for 6x4's.
I decided to pay the extra for it over the i560, as it has 5 cartridges - i.e. four dye ink for photos, and one pigment black for text, whereas the i560 has 3 dye ink cartridges for photos, plus 1 pigment black. Hence the quality should have a slight edge on photos, as well as saving ink, as by having an additional black dye ink, it doesn't need to make composite black from the C,Y,M cartridges when printing photos, or composite graphics etc.
From the text and photo samples that I have, plus a few I've done on my own machine, I'd say the Canon has a slight edge over the Epson dye based printers, such as C61, photo 830u, and the durabrite ink C64, on text printed on plain paper. But it is close, nonetheless.
Between an HP and the Canon on text, it is virtually indistinguishable IMHO, albeit I was reluctant to go HP because of perceived running costs, notwithstanding they're v/good printers.
IMHO, the Epson 6 colour dye based photo printer, the 830u, still has the best overall photo result from the samples I've been able to obtain, compared to a Canon i560 & i850 (photo samples are not available here yet, for the very latest models, but they should be comparable as the printing specs are the same.)
However, the Canon i560/i865 has the edge overall IMHO, as a general purpose printer that will do high quality results for both text, as well as photos, for what appears to be the most affordable solution re running costs and reliablity. (Well, a bit more on the reliability side of it in a line or two
)
Overall I'm very pleased with it. It's not the last word in photo quality, but then it's not designed to be - for that one goes higher up the line to a dedicated photo printer, Canon, Epson etc. But as a general purpose printer, yes, very nice indeed.
Pros: Quiet, fast, versatile printing for both text and photos, can print direct onto CDR/DVD etc, has options for auto duplexer, and 250 sheet paper magazine. Gets the best ratings for quality/cost ratio re ongoing costs with ink etc.
Negatives: Plastics are a bit on the thin and hard side, and I couldn't see it standing up to the rigours of an office very well, especially the paper trays etc. However, handled with care, I can't see many problems in the home. Software seems very pro windows, re the bundled apps. (I've installed the bundled apps on both my mac and my semi-retired, not yet thrown out the window PC
)
Lastly, reliability, as I mentioned earlier. I got the unit last Thursday, and v/carefully unpacked and inspected everything. Whilst following the instructions to the letter, with the power on, and the cover open, and installing the print head, when I started to push down the locking lever, the carriage suddenly flew off to the right, and jammed itself up against the cut-out of the plastic surround with the locking lever still up and unsecured.
Er, after having said a few less than polite words, I turned the thing off and on again, which then caused it to simply move the carriage to the middle, and back again to the right hand side, jamming again, and again with the cover open. (According to Canon, this shouldn't happen, as the cover up should bring and hold the carriage in the middle position until such time as the lid is closed.)
Much concern followed, and having persused the quick start up guide, and the online manual to no avail, I again tried turning the power off and on. This time the carriage whizzed across to the far left, jamming and providing some less than entertaining semi-musical accompaniment of gnashing and grinding gears, at which point I yanked the plug from the wall.
Insert your favourite swear word here.
Upon turning the power back on, the carriage returned to the central position, and this time stayed there. So I cut the power from the wall, and finished fitting the print head and cartridges. All appeared to be OK< but it was noisy, and there was some play in the carriage on the guide rail, so to cut a long story short, I made some polite but rather pointed phone calls the next morning to Canon and associates, and returned the unit to where I purchased it, and exchanged it for another brand new one. According to Cannon, it appears it suffered 'logic failure' and would most certainly have damaged the drive belt, gears, and possibly the motor, let alone alignment of the carriage/print head etc.
Fortunately, all appears well, as I have had no problems with the replacement unit, and v/pleased to have got another sealed/boxed new one, and not a repair. Mind you, this time I didnt follow the instructions to the letter, and turned the power off at the wall once the cover was up and the carriage centralised fitting the print head and cartridges etc, having been bitten once, and twice shy as it were.
Still, these things happen ocassionaly with electronics I guess, and having got another brand new and totally satisfactory unit, I'm happy, both with it, and my original choice in going with a Canon.
So all's well that ends well.
As a footnote, I wholeheartedly concur re the advice offered about pairing a laser for text, with a reasonable photo inkjet for home, and higher end stuff being processed professionaly, however current circumstances for the time being rule out two printers, and even a basic 600dpi laser was a little more than I was prepared to pay at the moment. And in the absence of a digital camera, a dedicated photo printer didn't make a lot of sense either, for what is primarily a text/graphics usuage, with some photo's thrown in from time to time.
So a general purpose inkjet it was. No doubt when I do get a digital SLR, I'll be investigating a reasonable photoprinter for home use, and laser printers keep dropping in price all the time, so eventually I will most probably end up with that combination, as it makes a lot of sense as has been suggested, and is the most appealing to me.
Anyway, just wanted to share my tale, and in particular to once again thank everyone who wrote in with such helpful advice and comment etc.
Best Regards
John
Populist thinking exalts the simplistic and the ordinary
Well, having finally got all the text/photo samples I could for comparo purposes, and perusing of brochures/reviews etc, and the most helpful comments from all here, I now have a Canon i865.
It's the same as the US i860, but has the CD/DVD printing tray, plus the extra paper feeder for 6x4's.
I decided to pay the extra for it over the i560, as it has 5 cartridges - i.e. four dye ink for photos, and one pigment black for text, whereas the i560 has 3 dye ink cartridges for photos, plus 1 pigment black. Hence the quality should have a slight edge on photos, as well as saving ink, as by having an additional black dye ink, it doesn't need to make composite black from the C,Y,M cartridges when printing photos, or composite graphics etc.
From the text and photo samples that I have, plus a few I've done on my own machine, I'd say the Canon has a slight edge over the Epson dye based printers, such as C61, photo 830u, and the durabrite ink C64, on text printed on plain paper. But it is close, nonetheless.
Between an HP and the Canon on text, it is virtually indistinguishable IMHO, albeit I was reluctant to go HP because of perceived running costs, notwithstanding they're v/good printers.
IMHO, the Epson 6 colour dye based photo printer, the 830u, still has the best overall photo result from the samples I've been able to obtain, compared to a Canon i560 & i850 (photo samples are not available here yet, for the very latest models, but they should be comparable as the printing specs are the same.)
However, the Canon i560/i865 has the edge overall IMHO, as a general purpose printer that will do high quality results for both text, as well as photos, for what appears to be the most affordable solution re running costs and reliablity. (Well, a bit more on the reliability side of it in a line or two
)Overall I'm very pleased with it. It's not the last word in photo quality, but then it's not designed to be - for that one goes higher up the line to a dedicated photo printer, Canon, Epson etc. But as a general purpose printer, yes, very nice indeed.
Pros: Quiet, fast, versatile printing for both text and photos, can print direct onto CDR/DVD etc, has options for auto duplexer, and 250 sheet paper magazine. Gets the best ratings for quality/cost ratio re ongoing costs with ink etc.
Negatives: Plastics are a bit on the thin and hard side, and I couldn't see it standing up to the rigours of an office very well, especially the paper trays etc. However, handled with care, I can't see many problems in the home. Software seems very pro windows, re the bundled apps. (I've installed the bundled apps on both my mac and my semi-retired, not yet thrown out the window PC
)Lastly, reliability, as I mentioned earlier. I got the unit last Thursday, and v/carefully unpacked and inspected everything. Whilst following the instructions to the letter, with the power on, and the cover open, and installing the print head, when I started to push down the locking lever, the carriage suddenly flew off to the right, and jammed itself up against the cut-out of the plastic surround with the locking lever still up and unsecured.
Er, after having said a few less than polite words, I turned the thing off and on again, which then caused it to simply move the carriage to the middle, and back again to the right hand side, jamming again, and again with the cover open. (According to Canon, this shouldn't happen, as the cover up should bring and hold the carriage in the middle position until such time as the lid is closed.)
Much concern followed, and having persused the quick start up guide, and the online manual to no avail, I again tried turning the power off and on. This time the carriage whizzed across to the far left, jamming and providing some less than entertaining semi-musical accompaniment of gnashing and grinding gears, at which point I yanked the plug from the wall.
Insert your favourite swear word here.
Upon turning the power back on, the carriage returned to the central position, and this time stayed there. So I cut the power from the wall, and finished fitting the print head and cartridges. All appeared to be OK< but it was noisy, and there was some play in the carriage on the guide rail, so to cut a long story short, I made some polite but rather pointed phone calls the next morning to Canon and associates, and returned the unit to where I purchased it, and exchanged it for another brand new one. According to Cannon, it appears it suffered 'logic failure' and would most certainly have damaged the drive belt, gears, and possibly the motor, let alone alignment of the carriage/print head etc.
Fortunately, all appears well, as I have had no problems with the replacement unit, and v/pleased to have got another sealed/boxed new one, and not a repair. Mind you, this time I didnt follow the instructions to the letter, and turned the power off at the wall once the cover was up and the carriage centralised fitting the print head and cartridges etc, having been bitten once, and twice shy as it were.
Still, these things happen ocassionaly with electronics I guess, and having got another brand new and totally satisfactory unit, I'm happy, both with it, and my original choice in going with a Canon.
So all's well that ends well.
As a footnote, I wholeheartedly concur re the advice offered about pairing a laser for text, with a reasonable photo inkjet for home, and higher end stuff being processed professionaly, however current circumstances for the time being rule out two printers, and even a basic 600dpi laser was a little more than I was prepared to pay at the moment. And in the absence of a digital camera, a dedicated photo printer didn't make a lot of sense either, for what is primarily a text/graphics usuage, with some photo's thrown in from time to time.
So a general purpose inkjet it was. No doubt when I do get a digital SLR, I'll be investigating a reasonable photoprinter for home use, and laser printers keep dropping in price all the time, so eventually I will most probably end up with that combination, as it makes a lot of sense as has been suggested, and is the most appealing to me.
Anyway, just wanted to share my tale, and in particular to once again thank everyone who wrote in with such helpful advice and comment etc.
Best Regards
John
Populist thinking exalts the simplistic and the ordinary
John, the printer does come with a couple of sheets of their photo paper, I guess you might have a good quality image knocking around on the mac.
The supplied software for photo printing is a little bit heath robins, but I have to say made it very easy to get a hi res image onto the special paper they supply with suitable excellent results.
You may find for general photo work (i.e. peeling a few off for the grandma) that the canon will be just fine.
As an aside I have printed arond 100 colour prints, some paper work and some photoes. On the epson this would definatly be around half the cartridges empty. The canon still shows 100% (which is easily identified by looking at the clear cartridges)
All in all I believe I will never purchase an Epson again and think they should be had up for the BS chipping system they employ.
JOhn I will be interested to find how you get on with colour matching, I still havn't got it quite right yet, for now I am using the brighter setting on the software to obtain the brightness show on screen, other wise it can be a little dark.
No doubt more to do with colour sync as phtoshop is now complaining I am using the wrong profiles.
The supplied software for photo printing is a little bit heath robins, but I have to say made it very easy to get a hi res image onto the special paper they supply with suitable excellent results.
You may find for general photo work (i.e. peeling a few off for the grandma) that the canon will be just fine.
As an aside I have printed arond 100 colour prints, some paper work and some photoes. On the epson this would definatly be around half the cartridges empty. The canon still shows 100% (which is easily identified by looking at the clear cartridges)
All in all I believe I will never purchase an Epson again and think they should be had up for the BS chipping system they employ.
JOhn I will be interested to find how you get on with colour matching, I still havn't got it quite right yet, for now I am using the brighter setting on the software to obtain the brightness show on screen, other wise it can be a little dark.
No doubt more to do with colour sync as phtoshop is now complaining I am using the wrong profiles.
Garyi,
Thanks for your interesting comments re ink usuage - augers well for me as well then re running costs - great
Supposedly the chipping system with the Espsons, is so one can remove a cartridge for a full one, if one is about to embark on a large printing job, and then put the original cartridge back in to use up the ink; the chip supposedly keeping a tally of how much ink is left. Well, I gather that's the theory anyway, as for practice, that sounds like another matter.
I will keep you informed re how I go with the coloursynch issue - bear in mind I have a dearth of high resolution images to work with on my mac, and also I'm a relative babe in the woods re experience with printing in general - heh I sense another of those learning curves coming up
Warmest Regards
John...
Populist thinking exalts the simplistic and the ordinary
Thanks for your interesting comments re ink usuage - augers well for me as well then re running costs - great
Supposedly the chipping system with the Espsons, is so one can remove a cartridge for a full one, if one is about to embark on a large printing job, and then put the original cartridge back in to use up the ink; the chip supposedly keeping a tally of how much ink is left. Well, I gather that's the theory anyway, as for practice, that sounds like another matter.
I will keep you informed re how I go with the coloursynch issue - bear in mind I have a dearth of high resolution images to work with on my mac, and also I'm a relative babe in the woods re experience with printing in general - heh I sense another of those learning curves coming up
Warmest Regards
John...
Populist thinking exalts the simplistic and the ordinary