Apple 'Dull' Photos from iPhoto

Guys,

I'm trying to get some photos printed from iPhoto, and the results are disapointing. The pics look bright, detailed on screen. They're hi-res (2288 x 1712) and the images in question have been cropped to give a 5 x 7 print.

When printed, they're dull. the colours are nothing like what's on the screen, with everything being too dark, and not very 'detailed'.

I've set the printer (an Epson C84) to the highest quality, I'm using decent photo grade glossy paper. My feeling is that it has to be settings - I can see options for ColorSync in the options pane when I go to print, but I've tried most of the settings with little success. I've also tried to use photshop, but to be honest the wealth of options leaves me a little overwhelmed, and my one attempt to print from there gave me results that where worse than what I'm getting out of iPhoto.

After a frustrating couple of hours Googling for answers, I'm coming up blank. What am I doing wrong? I know some people get great pics out of iPhoto. Is it my printer? Is it setup? HELP! I'm tearing my hair out...

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that the C84 hanging off my mac mini as a shared network printer, and I'm doing all my editing on my PB.

 

Not sure if it's the same for mac's, but have you d/l the equivalent "icm" files for both the monitor and printer? I found that, until I got the .icm file for my monitor (this is in XP) that the image differed greatly from what was printed on my C84. Not sure if this'll help, but it might give you a lead as to what's up. This any help?

 

Thanks for the advice, Kenco, but I gave up on the C84 and borrowed my mates Canon IP5000. The difference is just staggering! The pictures are crisp and sharp, and the colours accurate. Set up is also a lot simpler - I just select photos on photo paper, hit the print button and boom - top quality prints. No messing around in the advanced settings.

I think I'll be getting one of these puppies for myself. Anybody wanna buy a printer?

 

Canon printers are teh win! Although not the absolute highest quality, I love my i850. The new Pixma range look so purdy though, so tempting to upgrade.