Print output differences between Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom 2.2

[Jeff Sagar]

I recently started using Lightroom 2.2 for my workflow processing and have noticed a difference in the color of the printed output when printing via Lightroom compared to Photoshop CS3. My Dell 2408 UltraSharp monitor is calibrated usingthe Spyder3 Elite tool and I get very satisfying printed output that matches my monitor whenprinting fromPhotoshop CS3.When I print the same file via Lightroom there is a definite magenta cast to the output. I have checkedLightroom's print setup parameters and they are the same as what I have set in Photoshop. In both cases I am letting the printer manage the color. Via some experimentation I found thatif I turn off color management in the printer driver when using Lightroom and still tell Lightroom that the printer is managing the color, the printed output very closely matches what I'm seeing when using Photoshop. My printer is a Canon iP6600D using Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy paper and Canon CLI-8 ChromaLife 100 ink. My expectation was that with a calibrated monitor I would see the same printed output that matched my monitorwhether I was printing from Lightroom orPhotoshop. Can anyone comment about why I'm seeing this difference between Lightroom and Photoshop? I am a new Lightroom user and it's completely possible that I have some print parameter turned on or left off that is not correct.

[Murph]

Hi Jeff,


Is it possible that when you print in Lightroom, the file is sent over in the Pro Photo color space? I don't have a printer, but I was having trouble with printing at my local Costco. Prints came back looking terrible! It turned out that I was embedding the wrong profile.


Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Jeff Sagar]

Hi Murph,


Thanks for your reply. I had read about the ProPhoto color space and it does apply to exporting a file.I also had problems with a local lab getting my prints to look right, and unfortunately in my case even after embedding the correct profile the prints still didn't look good. My monitor was properly calibrated and the prints I was able to makeon myown printermatched what I was seeing on my monitor so I know I had things set up right. I went to a different lab where the technicians knew what they were doing and have been able to get fantastic looking enlargements up to 12X18 so far.


Afterprinting a number of different imageslast night Ihave convinced myself that the differences I thought I was observing in the printed output from Photoshopcompared to Lightroom when the print parameters are the same is really very, very slight. It's possible thatthere was "something" about the image file I originally printed that got me going on all this that caused the differences I observed.