January 28, 2004

TECHNICAL BRIEF:
Epson 1280/1290 PiezographyBW ICC Profiles print poorly on Mac OSX "Panther" 10.3
 
OPERATING SYSTEMS AFFECTED:
Mac OSX “Panther” 10.3
 
PRINTERS AFFECTED:
Epson Stylus Photo 1280 and 1290
 
Other printer models and versions of the Mac operating system are not affected.
 
PROBLEM:
Prints made with the 1280/1290 PiezographyBW ICC profiles are lacking in shadow detail. The tonal scale jumps to near-pure black at about 75%.
 
CAUSE:
This problem is caused by changes that Epson made to the OSX Panther release of their printer driver for the 1280 and 1290 printers. The printed output from the “Photo Quality Inkjet Paper” Media Setting in this driver does not match the output on other platforms (such as OS9 or Windows XP). This is the first example that we have found where Epson printer drivers produce different printed output when used with different operating systems.
 
WORKAROUND:
Users who experience this problem should adjust their printer driver settings to use the “Photo Quality Glossy Film” Media Setting. This setting can be found in the “Print Settings” section of the Epson printer driver. All other settings should be set according to the Quick Start Guide which came with the kit. 
 
We have tested this workaround and have found it to be an excellent match to the printed output from other operating systems. Shadow detail is restored and the tonal scale is a smooth Gamma 1.8.