Colour
part 3
I
have been churning out prints, comparing the various media, and making
further comparisons to the Canon S900/9000. I have concluded that the
2100 printer works best with the media that Epson recommends. Even when
using other Epson media, such as Premium Glossy Photo Weight and Photo
Quality Glossy Paper, it downgraded the 2100 print quality. If you are
going to buy this printer, then stick with the recommended paper stock
or create your own custom profiles for the paper you intend using. Colour
Management is a complex topic which I will not go into at this stage,
but I am working on some Colour Management features to be published at
a later date on photo-i.
As
far as image quality/sharpness is concerned, I have been testing further
and can verify my earlier comments where I said the Canon printer produced
visually sharper pictures. However, things are never that simple. The
Canon print driver seems to be applying some extra sharpening to the image,
whereas the Epson is giving you what you send in. The Epson has to be
preferred as it gives you the option to choose how much sharpening you
want via your imaging application.
|
Original
digital file |
|
|
Epson
- Premium Semigloss Photo Paper |
Canon
- Premium Semigloss Photo Paper |
|
|
Epson
- Premium Semigloss Photo Paper |
Canon
- Premium Semigloss Photo Paper |
|
|
Straight
print on PSPP |
Print
with Gray Balancer adjustment PSPP |
|
|
Epson
Photo Paper - not recommended. |
Epson
Photo Paper - not recommended. |
I hadn't intended showing any more prints, but I have included this shot
just to give you another look at how the UltraChrome inks compare to Dye
inks. Look at the red buffer - on the dye shots this has almost turned
orange, whereas the pigment inks have kept the colours faithful to the
original. However, as with previous tests, there is a slight magenta cast.
The Canon picture clearly shows that some sharpening has been applied.
Look
at the shadow areas on the Epson printer, these have all been kept intact,
whereas the Canon has sacrificed these. On first appearance the Canon
has more punch, but this is due to an increase in contrast at the expense
of the shadow areas. Compare the Canon picture to the original file. The
Epson contrast could, if needed, be boosted to match the Canon.
Colour
wise, the UltraChrome inks fare very well. There is a good broad range
of colours, albeit slightly muted. The Canon has a "jump off the
page" look, which I am sure will satisfy many people who have not
got the expertise or time to tweak images.
Incidentally,
any colour cast such as the magenta cast seen on Percy the Engine's face,
can be corrected using the Gray Balancer. For this test I have made a
token adjustment just to show you it does work. I would further fine tune
the adjustment for final prints. I said earlier in the review that you
had to be careful not to leave the Gray Balancer switched on, I was referring
to when you apply a Sepia or other tone. If you set the Gray Balancer
to neutral, then of course you can leave it on for all your work - it's
clever and useful software.
For
the last two shots I have included the same image printed on Epson Photo
Paper. This highlights the importance of using the correct paper with
the 2100 printer. This last statement also holds for any printer by any
manufacturer. Use the paper they recommend, unless you prefer the colours
on another brand.
www.photo.i.co.uk
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