FAQ

Why do I need a Custom ICC Profile?

A custom ICC profile for your printer /ink/paper combination will allow you to ensure you are getting the most out of your prints.  You may be using the best cameras, lenses, computers and  printer available but if you are not using an accurate ICC profile for your printer your prints may not be reflecting the quality of your images.

Why don’t my prints match my monitor?

There could be various factors affecting this but the first steps are to accurately calibrate your monitor for your own viewing conditions and then to use an accurate ICC profile for your printer.  Often paper and printer manufacturers make some ICC profiles available freely but how accurate these are depends on your printer’s age and the quality of the original profile.  If you wish to use third party papers and/or inks then to obtain best results you more than likely will need to purchase a custom ICC profile for your printer/ink/media combination.  Details of our profile packages are available on the Services page.

How do I install an ICC profile?

For Windows you just need to save the files from the email you receive from us and then right click on the file ending.icc and click install.  For Mac OSX you need to copy the profile to the ColorSync folder.  Details concerning this are available in the pdf available on our guides page.

How do I use an ICC profile?

When you select print in Photoshop you must select the same printer settings as for the profile targets you printed for the profile to be produced, and then make sure ‘Colour handling’ is set to ‘Photoshop Manages Colours’ and then you will be able to select your new profile in the dropdown menu under ‘Printer Profile’.  There are extensive guides for this downloadable from our guides page.

What if I don’t use Photoshop or Lightroom?

We have little experience of other image editing programs preferring instead to invest our training resources in the industry standard software but any colour managed program should be able to take advantage of the custom profile.  Be sure to prevent the software making any changes to colour or allowing the printer driver to apply changes to colour and select the custom profile received from us.

Why are custom profiles better than the free profiles available from the paper manufacturer?

The profiles created by paper manufacturers often are produced with a combination of print speed and accuracy in mind.  If you want to achieve the ultimate print quality you may need to experiment with media settings other than first suggested by manufacturers which in turn result in the need for a new profile to be produced.  As an example, many free profiles (including those offered freely as tests on this site) are produced with 1440dpi in mind as opposed to 2880dpi (Superfine as opposed to Superphoto) and bi-directional as opposed to unidirectional printing (high speed left on).  Whilst these settings will produce a usable print, if you are after the best quality it is recommended to use the highest quality settings.

Another case is when you have a printer that may be a generation or two older than the current product lines.  These printers may have worn slightly and have shifted from their factory defaults.  In these cases the free profile from a factory fresh unit will not match your unit and so a custom ICC profile will be required for your printer.

What papers do you recommend?

At this time we have several papers we use and recommend for glossy and fine art use.  These are independent recommendations and we receive nothing from the companies involved.

Baryta:

Harman by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta

Harman by Hahnemuhle Gloss Baryta Warmtone

Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk

Canson Infinty Baryta Photographique

Matte:

Hahnemuhle PhotoRag 308

Innova White Matte

Which printers do you recommend?

Having recently upgraded to an Epson 4900 we can fully recommend this printer as producing prints of the absolute highest quality available today using the giclee process.

Should I buy a Continuous Ink Supply system for my printer?

We have extensive experience of using a Fotospeed Inkflow system on an Epson 2100.  If you need to reduce your ink costs whilst maintaining quality they can be an excellent solution, but be sure to print regularly to avoid nozzle blockages resulting from sediment forming.  The particular system we used had the UltraPro inkset with pigment inks which featured a better matte black than the Epson alternative.  This setup produced excellent results on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 which have hung in top galleries including The Photographer’s Gallery in London.

Why are my prints still too dark?

This is most likely down to monitor calibration and/or room lighting.  Please visit our Guides section for further information on good colour management practice.  It may also be a result of room lighting.  If in doubt, please contact us.

How do I calibrate my monitor?

Please see our article on monitor calibration in our guides section

How do I determine the correct media type to use in the printer driver?

Please see our extensive guide to determining media settings available to download from our guides section. 

Where can I learn more about colour management?

There are various online and written resources available.  The Links section of Custom Profiles contains links to the sites we think of most value to our customers and if you follow the link to our Amazon recommendations you will see it includes books that will help further your knowledge of Colour management as well as wider issues within a professional level photographic workflow.

How should I determine the quality of a custom built ICC profile?

At customprofiles.co.uk we recommend use of the Photodisc International test image available to download and use under a freeware license.  A copy of the image as well as instructions on how to interpret it is included with your profile and is also available from our downloads page.

How do I review the test image?

Please see the accompanying pdf to the image which was included with your custom profile and is also available in the download section of this site.