# Ricoh GX e3300n; color printing problems



## BigRigGrafix (Sep 1, 2011)

I am wondering if anyone has some suggestions. I bought a Ricoh GX e3300n dye sublimation printer a few months ago and have had a terrible problem with the color that prints. I know from experience (and, everyone has told me), that the color you see on your screen is NOT always the exact color that prints to your paper and is NOT the exact color that presses when you sublimate an item. That being said....

The colors are not even close! After speaking with tech support, he recommended to manually input my RGB values for the color I want (this was after logging into my computer, and actually setting the values himself, printing the design at my shop and printing the design at his location, with the same results!?). Even after doing this the aqua blue color (or canary yellow etc.) are printing way off, with a faded look. I print to a Dell V313 printer with regular paper and the colors are great! The Time, Temp and pressure are OK, it is the colors.

Any ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance and Happy Holidays.


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## jpkevin (Oct 22, 2007)

Have you printed out any color palettes? Have you found your colors on any of the palettes?


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## AaronM (Mar 28, 2007)

Dru,
Are you using the Sawgrass SubliJet carts? If so are you printing from the provided power driver? Also what are you transferring the print onto? What is your substrate?

Sounds like you are pretty experienced, so don't take my questions as talking down to you. Just want to get more details. I'm sure this forum will be able to get you up and going. We love the Ricoh printers and have lots of customers having excellent results, so we just need to find the variable that is tripping you up.


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

Your also not telling us what software program your printing from..Corel Draw, Photoshop etc. I use the same printer and use Conde's profile. I print from both Corel and Photoshop, but you must take care to insure the color management is set up properly in these or any other software your using to output to the printer. I get color that just blows me away using this.


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## BigRigGrafix (Sep 1, 2011)

jpkevin said:


> Have you printed out any color palettes? Have you found your colors on any of the palettes?


 Hey Kevin, Yes, I just did but am disappointed in the "Vibrancy" of colors and how some colors are no where near what you pick (ie: canary yellow or aqua blue).


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## BigRigGrafix (Sep 1, 2011)

AaronM said:


> Dru,
> Are you using the Sawgrass SubliJet carts? If so are you printing from the provided power driver? Also what are you transferring the print onto? What is your substrate?
> 
> Sounds like you are pretty experienced, so don't take my questions as talking down to you. Just want to get more details. I'm sure this forum will be able to get you up and going. We love the Ricoh printers and have lots of customers having excellent results, so we just need to find the variable that is tripping you up.


 Arron, Thanks and no problem with the questions at all. I am using Sawgrass Sublimation cartridges and I am using a profile provided by Conde Systems (an ICC profile). I had ask a tech what the power driver was for and was told it was best to use the profile they provide (It's easier?). Is this the case? I am printing to 15 oz. coffee mugs and ceramic ornaments right now. I do have printing experience but first attempt at sublimation. Thanks in advance.
Dru


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## BigRigGrafix (Sep 1, 2011)

LB said:


> Your also not telling us what software program your printing from..Corel Draw, Photoshop etc. I use the same printer and use Conde's profile. I print from both Corel and Photoshop, but you must take care to insure the color management is set up properly in these or any other software your using to output to the printer. I get color that just blows me away using this.


 Hi Larry. Sounds like we are using the exact same printer and programs. I am using Corel X5 and Photoshop Elements 10 and have Conde's profile. The tech support guy thinks it may have been a corrupt file and things are printing crisper in quality but some of the colors are way off (ie; a bright red or green, great Christmas colors, print and sublimates dull. So it sounds like I have to figure this color management out. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Dru


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

BigRigGrafix said:


> Hi Larry. Sounds like we are using the exact same printer and programs. I am using Corel X5 and Photoshop Elements 10 and have Conde's profile. The tech support guy thinks it may have been a corrupt file and things are printing crisper in quality but some of the colors are way off (ie; a bright red or green, great Christmas colors, print and sublimates dull. So it sounds like I have to figure this color management out. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks in advance,
> Dru


Dru,
Are you working in RGB? If not you should be. Also, all of that setup info for Corel and Photoshop is on Conde's site. That color management setup can be a little tricky, so pay close attention to the instructions. David Gross set mine up initially and I have since changed computers, so I looked it up and set it up this time using the info they provided and it works fine. I don't know about cups though, but I am getting into that shortly. I got the press last week. I do know that like anything else sublimated, your time,pressure and temps are critical to good output.
PS -I am using Corel X4


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## coolbeansgifts (May 24, 2010)

I have a Ricoh 3300 and use photo shop elements 6 and Corel 5 . I also use conde's color profile and in elements the colors match great, but in the corel they are off. This may be some setting I dont have right in corel.

I mostly use photo shop elements for my sublimation and corel for my vinyl cutter.It would be nice to get my corel right for sublimation also..I would be less limited ,than just using photoshop elements.


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## sonnyfla1 (Dec 10, 2011)

Hello,

I always thought that RGB colors were for the web, and CMYK was for paper and such.

let me know what your REP says.

Sonny


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## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

sonnyfla1 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I always thought that RGB colors were for the web, and CMYK was for paper and such.
> 
> ...


Not necessarily. If you read Conde's documentation you will find RGB to be the recommended color space for the Ricoh printer. The profile is built around that space. If you use this profile and printer combination and create from the CMYK color space, I guarantee your colors will be screwed up.

Here is a link to a YouTube describing the color management setup for Corel X5. It is simpler than previous versions I believe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpCF2s6HW6Q


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## sonnyfla1 (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks!

I am just learning and dont know jack!

Sonny


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Dru...sorry to hear you are having problems. R the colors coming out faded fromboth programs? Please feel free to me Monday morning. I will be happy to help.


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

I called and left a message for you earlier..


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## T Industry (Mar 22, 2010)

Ive the same problem.
Ive the Ricoh 3300 and use Corel draw x4. If we print the colors are much too dark and not even close.
Help needed asap please...


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

What settings are u using in the driver? Are u printing w/ power driver? What settings r sing in Corel?
Please feel free to give me a call.


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## patrice0102 (Aug 29, 2010)

try printing your color sure pallette, press that onto the different substrates that you use and viola... you will always know what color you need to plug into Corel to get it to print that color.
Color sure pallets can be found by opening a file in Corel, go to your print screen and in the bottom right hand corner there is a place that you can click to be able to print the pallet


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## Iconify (Nov 21, 2009)

One thing that is really important is that the option *printer handles color management* is selected. I use both a MAC and a PC and it's located in different areas of the driver so you may have to do some poking around.

I have had great luck with my color accuracy, I print some items for local artists and they are finicky as F... What I do is take their artwork in whatever format they send it to me and I turn it into a TIFF and then do all output from Photoshop CS4. Im not sure if it's photoshop that keeps my colors right, but the MAC photoshop driver is more robust than the other programs or PC version.


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## jemmyell (Jan 26, 2010)

Iconify said:


> One thing that is really important is that the option *printer handles color management* is selected. I use both a MAC and a PC and it's located in different areas of the driver so you may have to do some poking around.
> 
> I have had great luck with my color accuracy, I print some items for local artists and they are finicky as F... What I do is take their artwork in whatever format they send it to me and I turn it into a TIFF and then do all output from Photoshop CS4. Im not sure if it's photoshop that keeps my colors right, but the MAC photoshop driver is more robust than the other programs or PC version.


That setting is no color management at all. I.E. any ICC profile will be completely ineffective.

Are you saying that you are printing dye sublimation using this setting?

-James


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## Iconify (Nov 21, 2009)

Yes, and this was as per Conde's recommendation when first setting up my printers. I haven't had a color related issue since.

It was my understanding that if you use the Conde supplied driver - that handled all the color stuff.

I haven't had to give it a thought since then.

IIRC I set the printer to plain paper, emphasis on quality, and then let the printer handle color management. That has been my recipe that's worked for me.


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## edward1210 (Nov 7, 2009)

Iconify said:


> Yes, and this was as per Conde's recommendation when first setting up my printers. I haven't had a color related issue since.
> 
> It was my understanding that if you use the Conde supplied driver - that handled all the color stuff.
> 
> ...


My gx3300n just pass away(die), this is the second printer that stop working for me, first the gx7000, now the 3300n, I believe I would not keep doing this.
I have a some new ink that I just received today 11/25/14, smartphone cases, slu. 
send me a email if any one would like to buy them
[email protected]


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