How to get color correctness of canvas print?

A few days ago I got my first canvas print. The quality looks great. However, the colors are very different from the image I sent them. They offered to do several small variations of color contrast and brightness from which I could pick a free reprint. I appreciate the offer but was wondering if there was no better way of doing this. I would like to print more canvases. If color accuracy is always a problem I question the usefulness.

This is the image I sent them (downsized here):

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I'd appreciate any info, comments, recommendations, etc.

- Roland

I've ordered 2 canvases and they both came back with a completely different color balance. As a result, I haven't tried any more. My differences were along the same lines as yours. Waaay different.

Ask them if their process is color managed, and if they expect the color in the prints to look like the images they see on a calibrated monitor. They may not expect it to, or they may not understand the question. If they say yes to either of those, use a better printer.

I sent them the above images. All they came back with was the offer to do several variations of small test prints. To me this process seems to be too awkward. I guess I can't trust them to do a proper job.

Seamus69 wrote in post #14117046
I've ordered 2 canvases and they both came back with a completely different color balance. As a result, I haven't tried any more. My differences were along the same lines as yours. Waaay different.

This is not very encouraging. Hopefully others will share their experiences as well.

looks like a color profile issue. A pretty extreme one, as the WB appears to be WAY off. I have never used a lab for canvas, but I did print myself on Moab's canvas using their ICC, and the colors were fine. If this lab can't tell you what is going on, I would try another.

I was thinking of trying a canvas print. Which lab did this? I currently use Millers, hope it wasn't them.

romendo wrote in post #14118320
I sent them the above images. All they came back with was the offer to do several variations of small test prints. To me this process seems to be too awkward. I guess I can't trust them to do a proper job.

It's as much you as them, colour management is a two-way street. It is up to the customer to soft-proof using the printer profile just as much as its up to the printer having a profile.

MedicinSC wrote in post #14118616
I was thinking of trying a canvas print. Which lab did this? I currently use Millers, hope it wasn't them.

It is not Millers.

Lowner wrote in post #14118625
It's as much you as them, colour management is a two-way street. It is up to the customer to soft-proof using the printer profile just as much as its up to the printer having a profile.

I asked them what *I* could do, but they never answered that question directly. I will ask them about a color profile. However, I doubt I get anything useful out of them. The only requirements as specified by them were a JPG with 150 to 300 dpi.

Ask if they have a color profile and use it for your own soft proofing.

Otherwise, the question is whether they are consistent. If their color balancing is consistent, then take them up on their offer to do test prints and create your own actions to apply to a file that you intend to submit to them.

Not sure who posted this link but someone here posted this link in a previous post about canvas printing . You might check them out also .

http://www.greatbigcan​vas.com/

Thats stinks. Ive used Mpix (millers) and CanvasonDemand and they both matched my calibrated monitor close enough that I couldnt notice a difference. Id ask for a refund and try a different printer.

JakAHearts wrote in post #14120178
Thats stinks. Ive used Mpix (millers) and CanvasonDemand and they both matched my calibrated monitor close enough that I couldnt notice a difference. Id ask for a refund and try a different printer.

You were lucky--your balance just happened to match theirs. It doesn't always happen that way, and it doesn't mean it's a bad company. There is no universal standard for color calibration--they could be tracking perfectly within their system and you could be tracking perfectly within yours.

Ideally, they would provide an icc profile so that you could soft-proof by their calibration, but lacking that--and presuming there are other reasons you want to do business with them--all you need from them is consistency and free test prints.

RDKirk wrote in post #14120396
You were lucky--your balance just happened to match theirs. It doesn't always happen that way, and it doesn't mean it's a bad company. There is no universal standard for color calibration--they could be tracking perfectly within their system and you could be tracking perfectly within yours.

Ideally, they would provide an icc profile so that you could soft-proof by their calibration, but lacking that--and presuming there are other reasons you want to do business with them--all you need from them is consistency and free test prints.

Thats true. I dont softproof because those are the companies I order from and from their test prints, the prints were almost perfect and the shift on my system from the soft proof to the on screen view is pretty much negligible. The only way I can see a difference is by overlaying one over the other in PS and turning on and off the layer.

Anyway, when you say there is no universal standard for color calibration, I dont understand. Isnt that the point of calibration, to get a universal standard and then use ICC profiles to see how a certain paper and printer will render the image?