[SteveB]

Hi,

This might not be the right place for this post, but hoping I'll catch all you graphic designers out there who may be able to help.

Looking for some advise. As some of you may know, I'm a photographer, I'm use to working with colour and most of the issues around getting the right colour, but I'm new to litho printing and I'm having some troubles.

Firstly I do use a colour profiled system. I have an NEC 2080UXi monitor. Its profiled using MonacoOptixXR Pro. I print on Epson 9800 and HP9180 pigment printers for all my image work; the print process is profiled using MonacoEZ colour and an Epson 700 scanner.

Both of these printers produce Very good prints in comparison to the monitor image.

I use Adobe software throughout running on PC's.

I have just completed my first leaflet project for a customer. The customer is happy with the result but I am not.

As directed by the FSC printers, I prepared cmyk tiff files using the Euroscale V2 coated profile. The pdf proof I got back was good.

I have today received a copy of the leaflet from the customer as they were shipped direct.

My problem: they are too dark, distinct green issue and light browns have a magenta cast. In order to make my cmyk tiff file look on screen like the final print I need to adjust the colours as follows:

C:110%
M:110%
Y:82%
K: 128%

I am about to spend over £2000 printing 1000 calendars, I'm a perfectionist, and this difference is unacceptable and I cannot afford for this to go wrong - it will be the end of my business if it does!

I have yet to raise this with the printers (and I'm not saying who that is unless there is a good reason) as its Saturday, but before I do on Monday:

1) Is my expectation of Litho process too high?
2) If I can get good colours on HP/Epson, I should elsewhere?
3) The printer wont give me the ICC profile they use (they say its profiled to their monitors which is b**** the monitor has its own profile, the print/paper profile is an independent entity - am I wrong?
4) Am I missing something basic? (I really hope so)
5) Any other suggestions?

Help!

Steve