Canon G550 printing black and white photos on the G500 series. Profiling and media

[@nafnaf0]

3:50 This comparison is spot on. I have the Canon Pro-200 and was able to get "pretty good" B&W results thanks to testing and following your advice. It is outstanding for color. Thanks Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it was of help!

[@ThatWanderingNomad]

Thanks Kieth, so far I am liking my G620 here in Canada. Haven't tried B&W yet though! Thanks for all the great work you do!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - the full review should be along in a week or so

[@castrogot]

CONGRATS on your great work and thanks a lot for taking the time on this “entry level” printers. I am willing to buy a “better” (Pro 1000 or Pro 2100 like) someday but first there’s a long learning curve ahead and you are making it easier.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I do like the challenge of getting good prints on some of the smaller printers ;-)

[@ogopogohunter69]

Thanks for making this video, I haven't tried black and white photography for years but perhaps I should experiment.

[@KeithCooper]

The G550 needs some effort to make good B&W, but it is possible!

[@71bravo]

Hi Keith, thank you very much for sharing your experiences and tests with all of us. It is a great help. I have a simple Pixma TS 5050 with which I print colour photos, which I find satisfactory enough for me, however, the B&W offers colour dominants, either with the option to print in greyscale or with the colour inks option. I had rated the G650 because of the economy of the tank system. A friend of mine has had it for a few days, and in the first tests I have seen that the colour printing is a little better than with my TS 5050, as the red and grey inks seem to give a little more depth, and although the B&W is also better, I'm not convinced either, as I still see overtones, although in a lighter way than with my TS 5050. The idea of changing printer is for 2 reasons. One, to be able to print in B&W with an acceptable quality and the other, the tank system that makes the printing experience cheaper. The thing is that the economic aspect is clear that I would get it, but the B&W is not so clear to me. I would confirm with getting it so that the blacks and greys are as neutral as possible, and that it is me who decides to give it a cold or warm tone and not the printer who decides for me. I have read that you have a profile for B&W that makes it more neutral than what it offers from the factory. I have been reading your articles and watching the videos and I can't find this profile. Thank you very much for your attention. Happy weekend ☺️

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, I did some profiling to try and fix the problem the G series printers have with Macs - it's described in the written G550 review. The profiles are not linked anywhere - they are available on request [email]. They were developed for Mac use, but someone found they can work on PCs too

[@71bravo]

​@@KeithCooperGreat, thank you very much. And if it works for Windows, that will be great, as I forgot to mention that's the system I use. So I have to ask you for the profile via email? Can I get your email from your website? Thank you very much for your attention, help and quick reply 🙏🏼

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - use the email address on the contact page - better than using the contact form [it has some problems]

[@71bravo]

Thank you very much Keith. One more question, please. Have you tried any other Epson or HP printers in the 200€ or 300€ range that have given you more satisfactory results than the Canon Pixma, both in colour and B&W? I know the Epson 8500 is a better option, but it's way out of my budget. Even if it is a cartridge printer, but within that budget of between 200 and 300€. Thank you very much 😊

[@KeithCooper]

@@71bravo no - I rarely test low end printers, that and HP no longer gives me the time of day ;-)

[@roffemas]

Tack!

[@KeithCooper]

Thank you!

[@dunnymonster]

Another excellent video Keith 👍

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, I'll have the main review ready in a week or so.

[@yashika4k223]

Actually great printer. I tried with Keith colour Profile. pretty happy with it. Again thank for Profile

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I'll have the main review done for next week

[@imagenatura]

I just received my G550. I downloaded your B&W test print. I put in some HP Photo Plus Glossy paper and printed it out in B&W mode. Maybe I don't have the best eyes, but I can't really see any cast (in various lighting: outside, shade, LED 3000K). Is it possible they've fixed this in firmware? I have version 3.

[@KeithCooper]

Consider yourself lucky and keep doing what you're doing... ;-)

[@matthewpoburyny5147]

Hi Keith. Where can I find your profile for this printer? I have been trying to get a decent black-and-white result from the printer for work prints and have encountered the same blueish/magenta cast you mentioned experiencing and that you were able to tone down with your profiles.

[@KeithCooper]

They are only available on request - see the actual review for more details about how/why I made them. www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-g550-printer-review/

[@williar1961]

Thanks Kieth 👍

[@KeithCooper]

Glad you liked it

[@vincenzofalzone9084]

Thanks for your video. Please, where I could found this ICC profile for Canon G550?

[@KeithCooper]

read the written review...

[@imagenatura]

I have a Windows machine, but I do all of my editing on a mac. Could I install the ICC profiles from the Windows machine on the mac for softproofing and then send the file to the Windows machine for printing with the canon profile? Thank you for your thoroughness!

[@KeithCooper]

My profiles are not made for soft proofing in any way I'm afraid. If you want soft-proofing with a printer like this you'll need to do it with full icc profiles from the system you are going to print with. Of course, even on a win machine, actually finding good profiles for papers on this printer is not a trivial task either ;-)

[@imagenatura]

​@@KeithCooper Yes, I understand about additional ICC profiles. Going to many of the manufacturer's websites, rarely do they support 200 euros printers; so, I'm not surprised. Maybe, this is just a printer that you just try to make your prints better with adjustment curves and such. At least, you're getting immediate feedback from your print. Also, I might need to settle on only 1 or 2 paper types. I'll watch your video about your test images. Thank you.

[@KeithCooper]

It's doable... I rarely ever use soft proofing myself ;-) See the main [written] G550 review for more

[@Frantixj]

I've been looking for a printer for printing out my photo projects so that I can lay them out on the floor and have a better look. That small Canon seems nice but I was wondering if the Epson EcoTank L805 would do the trick as well, seems there's a better ink management there.

[@KeithCooper]

I don't know that printer I'm afraid. I don't normally test small printers like this - the one I've looked at is the ET-8550

[@Frantixj]

@@KeithCooper still, your work is amazing and it's actually ver rare to find a solid printer review on YT, seems to be a niche. And in all of my photography journey, picking up a printer is the most annoying choice so far...I think I'll just go with a "quantity for the money" option to have preview prints and use the lab for any serious work.

[@davidbridenstine6358]

Enjoy your videos, Keith. Might you consider using a lavalier mic for audio? The placement of this one results in some annoying reverberation. Cheers.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, I have tried that, but I kept hitting it with prints and things and got caught up in the cable :-) I'm afraid the kitchen has a lot of stone surfaces, and my office has no space for doing the videos. I will have another look at echo reduction in my video editing software (Resolve 16), where a couple of notch filters might cut the echo a bit?

[@nelsonclub7722]

Mr Keith Sir - I am a UK based photogpraher with a hot new toy the Leica Q2 Monochrome. I am going to be printing to sell - but need to 'soft proof' to a very high standard - or even perhaps using it just to print and sell (which I would prefer). So whilst I have seen your video my questions are. Is there a printer - Canon or Epson - up to A2 which is going to be better purely for this purpose? Am I going to get through so much ink it just won't be worth it? I value your opinion above all others - thanks Simon J Miller

[@KeithCooper]

Pigment ink is a must - that means Pro-1000 or P900 at 17" and reasonable size. I've detailed written reviews of each of those printers, specifically covering B&W as well, on the Northlight Image site. Soft proofing needs a good screen (and calibration) - however it is (IMHO) way over rated, especially for B&W, where you are never printing with profiles (as I had to here). Printing samples (hard proofing) on a printer like this would be a waste of time (at best). I've lots of articles about B&W - such as how to perfect printing with suitable test images. You want top quality B&W, don't think you can do it on the cheap with a printer like this ;-) It would gain you nothing, just to be cheap on ink!

[@nelsonclub7722]

@@KeithCooper Keith you are a legend - thanks so much for the detailed reply - I was thinking in the £1K price band - so the Pro range was where I was at - I have seen many - if not all of your other videos - you are the oracle as far as I am concerned - thanks again and good luck with everything. I shall of course continue to watch!!! Simon J Miller

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, but do read the articles as well? - the videos are often only there to supplement my more comprehensive written articles. Start here: www.northlight-images.co.uk/digital-black-and-white-photography/ I started the videos last summer - the articles go back to 2003 ;-)

[@snapshot_ie9730]

Hi Keith I’m interested in getting new printer for photography would you recommend the canon G650 or IP 8750 for photo quality

[@KeithCooper]

Neither really... ;-) I've never seen an 8750, and the G650 has broken colour management on Macs [which is all we have here for testing]. Ink is appreciably cheaper on the g650 though.

[@martinohesse]

Hi, i have a silly question: how do I buy a color profile? In what factors should I put attention?

[@KeithCooper]

Some paper suppliers will make profiles if you buy paper There are companies who will make profiles - most will provide a target to print, which you post off, and they will email a profile. For this printer though it depends on Mac or PC - Mac profiles are non-standard (see my review)

[@martinohesse]

@@KeithCooper would I be able to find paper suppliers that provide icc just by searching in Google? I'm very interested in black and white in matte paper and as far I have seen in your videos the printer does generate a color cast with the default parameters so that would be kind of hard for me to deal with it...

[@KeithCooper]

no idea - depends where you are. In the UK I know of several Yes a profile really helps with basic printers like this

[@martinohesse]

@@KeithCooper thanks a lot for your replies! I'm now watching a lot of your videos. I never thought how interesting and massive is the universe of printing and your passion is contagious!