Adjusting the Color and
Picture Quality
Compensating for the Input Signals
A video image recorded under poor conditions may be of poor color quality. If the signal is an NTSC or PAL composite video signal or separate luminance (Y) and chrominance (C) signals, you can correct the color and level of the input signal to a certain extent.
Note
You cannot adjust an image once it has been captured in memory. If you want to make adjustments, capture that image again, after making the adjustment.
Confirmation
When the memory image is displayed on the video monitor, press the SOURCE/MEMORY button to display the image from the video source.
Items to be used for compensating for the input signals
NTSC and PAL composite video signal or a separated luminance
(Y) and chrominance (C) signal.
b) On a setting of step –14, OFF appears and the image, displayed on the video monitor, becomes black and white.
c) When a component (RGB or YPbPr signal) signal is input, you cannot adjust OFFSET below 0.
Adjusting the contrast of printouts
When you want to change the contrast of printouts without changing the contrast of the video monitor, compensate for the level of the input signal using the IRE item in the
SYSTEM SETUP menu.
Items to be used when adjusting the contrast of printouts
The selected IRE is displayed in three digits.
When
Resetting to the standard adjustment
The printout is a little whitish.
The printout is whitish.
The printout is very whitish.
IRE value (the selected IRE is displayed in 4 digits.)
10 t 100
11 t 110
12 t 120
13 t 130
To adjust the color intensity, hue, contrast and brightness
Adjustment Menu adjustment item
Button to be pressed and result of the operation
Hue
(Adjustment range)
HUE a)
(-14 to 0 to 14)
< button
The hue becomes purplish.
Color intensity COLOR b)
(OFF to 0 to 14)
The color intensity weakens.
, button
The hue becomes greenish.
The color intensity strengthens.
Contrast
Brightness
GAIN
(-14 to 0 to 14)
OFFSET c)
(-14 to 0 to 14)
The contrast weakens.
Becomes darker.
The contrast strengthens.
Becomes brighter.
a) Adjust the color such that skin tones appear natural. For the HUE adjustment, you can correct the color intensity and hue of an
Notes
• Do not compensate for the input signal too much. Doing so results in the whole of the printout becoming dark.
• To have the adjustment result reflected in the printout, you need to capture a new image.
Matching the Video Monitor Color to the Printer Color
To match the color of the monitor image to that of the printout, adjust the monitor and printer colors such that the monitor color is the same as that of the printout.
The printer outputs either of two kinds of video signals based on the printer settings.
• EE (E to E): Signals are output to the monitor after being processed by the printer’s circuitry.
• THRU (THROUGH): Signals are output to the monitor as is.
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
45
Adjustment on the video monitor
The monitor color may not be adjusted correctly even if the printer color is correctly adjusted. Check the color of the video monitor before adjusting the printout color. In such a case, use the THRU signal by setting SOURCE to THRU on the OUTPUT SETUP menu or turning off the power of the printer to send out the through signal from the video equipment to the video monitor.
After adjusting the color of the video monitor using video monitor controls, adjust the color of the printer’s output signal.
Adjustment on the printer
Note
This adjustment is performed to adjust the color of the printer output signal when the monitor color is unsatisfactory. This adjustment does not affect the printout
itself. To adjust the color of the printout, see “Adjusting the
Printout Color” on page 46 and “Specifying Colors for
Adjustment (HSV Adjustment)” on page 52.
1
Display the OUTPUT SETUP menu.
OUTPUT SETUP menu
Menu adjustment item
(Adjustment range)
When you want to
MONI C-R
(-14 to 0 to 14)
Make the screen more reddish.
Button to be pressed
Adjustment direction on the menu
, button Toward R
(red)
MONI M-G
(-14 to 0 to 14)
Make the screen become cyan (blue).
< button Toward C
(cyan)
Make the screen more greenish.
, button Toward G
(green)
MONI Y-B
(-14 to 0 to 14)
Make the screen become magenta
(pink).
< button Toward M
(magenta)
Make the screen more bluish.
, button Toward B
(blue)
Make the screen more yellowish.
< button Toward Y
(yellow)
Select the desired item, then perform the adjustment.
2
Select SOURCE by pressing the
M or m button.
3
Select EE by pressing the
< or , button.
4
Press the MENU button.
The normal screen appears.
5
Capture a new image to memory and make a printout.
Adjust the settings on the printer side by comparing the printout with the image on the monitor, as follows.
6
Display the OUTPUT SETUP menu again.
7
Adjust the monitor while comparing the printout with the image on the monitor.
Adjusting the Printout Color
You can adjust the printout quality by adjusting the color intensity, printout contrast and sharpness and tone
(GAMMA) of the printout.
Adjusting the color intensity, contrast and sharpness
You can store up to three types of settings and manage these settings using the LOAD COLOR numbers 1, 2 and
3. The color intensity, picture contrast and sharpness of a printout are determined by recalling one of the three settings according to their LOAD COLOR numbers. This is useful when you are using more than one item of video equipment, each having different characteristics, when you want to print images having different color qualities and picture contrast, or when multiple users access a single printer.
Also, you can make a printout using temporarily set values, without clearing the stored adjustment values.
46
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
Perform the adjustments while viewing the images captured in memory.
1
Display the COLOR ADJUST menu.
COLOR ADJUST menu
2
Select the LOAD COLOR number of the values to be adjusted or to be modified by pressing the < or , button.
When modifying, you can preserve the original
settings. (See “To retain the originally set value” on page 48.)
3
Adjust the printout color.
Items to be used for adjusting the color intensity
Items to be used for adjusting the contrast
To adjust the color intensity (RED/GREEN/
BLUE)
The RED, GREEN and BLUE color component settings are divided into 15 steps, from –7 to +7, indicated by a value and graph. The center of the graph (0) corresponds to the standard setting.
Menu
Adjustment item
(Adjustment range)
When you want to
CYN-RED
(-7 to 0 to 7)
Make the image reddish.
MAG-GRN
(-7 to 0 to 7)
YEL-BLU
(-7 to 0 to 7)
Button to be pressed
, button
Make the image cyan.
Make the image greenish.
Make the image magenta
(pink).
Make the image bluish.
Make the image yellowish.
< button
, button
< button
, button
< button
Adjustment direction on the menu
Toward RED
Toward CYN
(cyan)
Toward GRN
(green)
Toward MAG
(magenta)
Toward BLU
(blue)
Toward YEL
(yellow)
To adjust the contrast (DARK/LIGHT)
The contrast settings are divided into 15 steps, from
−7 to +7, indicated by a value and graph. The center of the graph (0) corresponds to the standard setting.
Adjustment item
(Adjustment range)
DARK
(-7 to 0 to 7)
LIGHT
(-7 to 0 to 7)
When you want to
Adjust the dark area of an image.
Adjust the light area of an image.
To adjust the sharpness (SHARPNESS)
You can set the sharpness to any of 15 steps from 1 to
15. A setting of step 8 corresponds to the standard sharpness (default setting).
When you want to Content of settings
Make a soft outline.
To the left (toward step 1)
Make a normal outline.
Centered (step 8)
Make a sharp outline. To the right (toward step 15)
Items to be used for adjusting the sharpness
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
47
Once you have changed the value
Once you have changed the value, TEMP
(TEMPORARY) appears on the menu screen. TEMP indicates that the settings are temporary and have not yet been stored. If you turn off the power of the printer while TEMP is displayed, the adjusted values are not stored.
4
Select the SAVE COLOR number to which new settings are to be stored using the SAVE COLOR item.
To retain the originally set value
Select a SAVE COLOR number which is different from the LOAD COLOR number selected in step 2.
5
Press the EXEC button.
The settings are registered in the SAVE COLOR number selected in step 4.
TEMP disappears from the menu.
To continue settings for another LOAD COLOR
number: Repeat steps 2 to 5.
To finish the setting: Press the MENU button.
The normal screen appears.
To copy the settings made for one LOAD COLOR number to another LOAD COLOR number
1
Select the source LOAD COLOR number for which the settings to be copied are stored on the COLOR
ADJUST menu.
2
Select the target SAVE COLOR number to which data is to be copied.
3
Press the EXEC button.
Settings stored for the LOAD COLOR number selected in step 1 are copied to the SAVE COLOR number selected in step 2.
To recall the LOAD COLOR number in which printout color settings (color intensity, contrast and sharpness) are stored
Switch the desired LOAD COLOR number to green on the
COLOR ADJUST menu. On the printer window display, display the desired LOAD COLOR number.
The settings of the currently selected LOAD COLOR number are displayed.
The printout is made according to the setting of the selected LOAD COLOR number as long as you do not modify those settings.
Adjusting the tone of the printout
You can adjust the tone so that the details in the white or black part are clearly printed.
1
Display the PRINTER SETUP menu.
PRINTER SETUP menu
2
Select GAMMA, and then the desired tone.
The selected tone is spelled out.
When you want to
Make a printout of an image where there are a lot of white or light-colored areas.
Make a printout of a normal image.
Make a printout of an image where there are a lot of black or dark-colored areas.
Setting
S t SOFT
N t NORMAL
H t HARD
When a Black Frame or Lines Show up on the Printouts
When you print an image that is narrower or wider than the standard screen size, a black frame may be printed or the image may be partially cut. Or, a black line may show up on the printout even though it does not appear on the video monitor. Any portion for which there is no video signal is printed in black. This may occur when you make printouts after connecting a different video source or play back using different video software. In such a case, you can adjust the printout area by moving the screen either horizontally or vertically.
This adjustment is applied to the printout area of images that are already captured. You do not need to capture the images again.
1
Display the WINDOW SETUP menu from the
LAYOUT SETUP menu.
48
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
2
Perform adjustments according to the printout obtained by using the V START, V WIDTH, H
START and H WIDTH items.
Item to be used for eliminating the vertical line at the right side
Item to be used for eliminating the horizontal line on the bottom
Item to be used for eliminating the vertical line at the left side
Item to be used for eliminating the horizontal line at the top
When a horizontal black line is produced on the printout
To eliminate a horizontal black line produced at
the top:
Adjust the top position of the image to be printed using the V START item.
Note
A black line may apper at the bottom while you adjusting the top. You can eliminate it using the V
WIDTH item.
To eliminate a horizontal black line produced at
the bottom:
Adjust the bottom position of the image to be printed using the V WIDTH item.
When a vertical black line is produced on the printout
To eliminate a vertical black line produced on the
left side:
Adjust the left position of the image to be printed using the H START item.
Note
A black line may apper on the right side while you adjusting on the left side. You can eliminate it using the H WIDTH item.
To eliminate a vertical black line produced on the
right side:
Adjust the right position of the image to be printed using the H WIDTH item.
To reset the values to defaults
For H START, H WIDTH, V START and V WIDTH items, you can reset the values to defaults in pairs.
To reset the values for vertical settings, position the cursor at either V START or V WIDTH, and then press the
< and , buttons simultaneously.
To reset the values for horizontal settings, position the cursor at either H START or H WIDTH, and then press the
< and , buttons simultaneously.
Screen position and size settings adjusted in the
WINDOW SETUP menu are stored individually for each input signal type (SDTV, 1080i, 720p) configured with SD/HD SEL in the HDTV SETUP menu. Therefore, the default setting values differ as follows for each input signal type.
Input signal
SDTV
(NTSC)
H
WIDTH
688
SDTV (PAL) 688
1080i 1920
720p 1280
0
0
0
H
START
0
V
WIDTH
472
556
1080
720
0
0
0
V
START
0
To check the adjustment result
Print to check that no black frame appears on the printout, that the image is not partially cut, and that no black line appears.
Fitting the Printout to the Paper
1
Display the WINDOW SETUP menu from the
LAYOUT SETUP menu.
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
49
2
Select RESIZE TO FIT.
1
Display the COLOR BALANCE menu from the
PRINTER SETUP menu.
Highlight RESIZE TO FIT in green.
Setting
OFF
ON
When you want to
Print the image with the printout area adjusted on the WINDOW SETUP menu
Print the adjusted image to fit to the paper
The RESIZE TO FIT setting is stored individually for each input signal type (SDTV, 1080i, 720p) configured with
SD/HD SEL in the HDTV SETUP menu.
Adjusting the Color Balance
Use this function to adjust the colors in printouts to match the colors displayed on the monitor.
Adjustments to the color balance are not reflected in the monitor display.
It is recommended that you adjust the color balance each time you load a new set of ink ribbon and paper.
You should use the ink ribbon and paper that are contained in the same package as a pair. The color balance may differ depending on each pair.
Once you have adjusted and stored the settings, the printer operates according to those settings until their values are modified.
Before adjusting the color balance
Reset all items on the COLOR ADJUST menu to their
center values. (See “Adjusting the Printout Color” on page 46.)
Select C-BALANCE, then press the , button.
The COLOR BALANCE menu appears. The highlighted area on the COLOR BALANCE menu will be printed to be used for adjusting the color balance. You can move this area to any place on the video monitor.
Note
If the layout was set to two or four reduced image display, the image on which the cursor was positioned will be displayed in full size.
The area that will be captured in memory.
(This area is highlighted and is two third the size of the whole screen.)
When you adjust the color balance for the first time after you purchase the printer, the values of BAL X,
BAL Y and BAL STEP are set to 50, 50 and 5 at the factory setting.
When you have adjusted the color balance already, the values adjusted previously are displayed on the
COLOR BALANCE menu.
The currently adjusted values of BAL X, BAL Y and
BAL STEP
On this COLOR BALANCE menu, the default values
(factory settings) are displayed.
50
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
To reset the values to the factory setting (50/
50/5)
Select each item by pressing the
M or m button, then press the
< and , buttons at the same time. The currently selected item is reset to the default.
2
Decide the position of the source image to be used for adjusting the color balance.
To decide the position of the source image, move the highlighted area by pressing the
M, m, < or , button while holding down the DISPLAY button.
Move the highlighted part to the desired image position by pressing the M, m, < or , button while holding down the DISPLAY button. (The COLOR
BALANCE menu disappears temporarily.)
This print operation can also be performed by pressing the PRINT button while the COLOR
BALANCE menu is displayed.
3
Press the CAPTURE button.
The image captured in memory appears.
Example of the actual color change in the test print
Yellow greenish
Yellowish Orangish
Greenish Standard
Blue greenish
Bluish
Reddish
Red purplish
4
Select TEST PRINT by pressing the M or m button, then press the EXEC button.
Nine identical images of the position selected in step
2 are printed on a sheet of paper as a test print.
Each image has a different color balance.
5
Select the image which has the best color balance among the nine images.
If you want to change the color balance after you see the printout, adjust the color balance again, referring
to “To readjust the color balance” on page 52.
6
Display the values of BAL X and BAL Y corresponding to the ones of the image selected in step 5 by using the
< or , button.
Example: When the color balance (55 & 45) of the image printed on the top right is the best:
Display 55 for BAL X and 45 for BAL Y by pressing the < or , button.
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
51
The color balance of the printed image has been adjusted to the values selected in step 5.
To readjust the color balance
When the desired color balance cannot be obtained in step
5, readjust the color balance.
You can also perform precise adjustment following the same operation procedures.
1
Display the values of BAL X and BAL Y of the image which is the most appropriate among nine images by using the
< or , button.
In this case, you can perform either precise adjustment or a broad adjustment by changing the value of BAL STEP.
To perform precise adjustment
To perform color balance adjustment within the current color balance range, reduce the value of BAL
STEP.
If you change BAL STEP from 5 to 3, the color balances of the test print are changed as illustrated.
To perform broad adjustment
To perform color balance adjustment beyond the current color balance range, increase the value of
BAL STEP.
If you change BAL STEP from 5 to 10, the color balances of the test print are changed as illustrated.
2
Make a test print by repeating steps 2, 3 and 4 in
“Adjusting the Color Balance” on page 50.
3
Select the image with the best color balance among the 9 images.
If there is not the image with the best color balance, repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have obtained the best color balance.
4
Go back to step 6 in “Adjusting the Color Balance” on page 50.
Specifying Colors for Adjustment
(HSV Adjustment)
Use this function to select a specific color within printouts for adjustment. You can specify RED, YELLOW, GREEN,
CYAN, BLUE, or MAGENTA for adjustment.
This function does not affect grayscale (black and white) data. In addition, the results of color adjustment will not be reflected on the monitor.
If you capture the adjustments to memory, they are retained even after the printer is turned off and until new adjustments are captured to memory.
Before performing HSV adjustment
Reset all color settings (RED, GREEN, BLUE) on the
COLOR ADJUST menu to their center positions.
52
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
Note
If grayscale data is changed due to COLOR ADJUST menu and color balance adjustments, the adjustments of this function may affect the picture quality.
1
Display the HSV adjustment menu from the
PRINTER SETUP menu.
2
Decide the position of the source image to be used for
HSV adjustment.
To decide the position of the source image, move the highlighted area by pressing the
M, m, < or , button while holding down the DISPLAY button.
Move the highlighted part to the desired image position by pressing the M, m, < or , button while holding down the
DISPLAY button. (The HSV adjustment menu disappears temporarily.)
Highlight HSV in green by pressing the M or m button, then press the , button.
The highlighted area on the HSV adjustment menu will be printed to be used for HSV adjustment. You can move this area to any place on the video monitor.
Note
If the layout was set to two or four reduced image display, the image on which the cursor was positioned will be displayed in full size.
3
Press the CAPTURE button.
The image captured in memory appears.
4
Specify the color to adjust.
Specify the color with COLOR SEL.
Highlight COLOR SEL in green by pressing the M or m button, then specify the color to adjust using the < or , button.
COLOR SEL
RED [R-Y]
YEL [Y-G]
Description
Specifies red for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between red and yellow (R-Y) are specified.
Specifies yellow for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between yellow and green (Y-G) are specified.
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
53
COLOR SEL
GRN [G-C]
CYN [C-B]
BLU [B-M]
MAG [M-R]
Description
Specifies green for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between green and cyan (G-C) are specified.
Specifies cyan for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between cyan and blue (C-B) are specified.
Specifies blue for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between blue and magenta (B-
M) are specified.
Specifies magenta for adjustment.
When adjusting the INTENSITY, the hues between magenta and red (M-R) are specified.
5
Specify the parameter to adjust.
Specify the parameter with SPLIT9.
6
Specify the step setting.
Specify the step setting with STEP.
Highlight STEP in green by pressing the M or m button, then specify the step setting using the < or , button.
Specify the incremental amount of change in the parameter selected with SPLIT9 that will appear in
HSV adjustment printouts.
Select a value from 1 to 4, selecting lower values for precise adjustments and larger values for broader adjustments.
7
Select TEST PRINT, then press the EXEC button.
Nine identical images of the position selected in step
2 are printed on a sheet of paper as a test print.
The values for the parameter specified with SPLIT9 vary in each image.
(You can also create the same test print by pressing the
PRINT button at the HSV adjustment menu.)
Highlight SPLIT9 in green by pressing the M or m button, then specify the parameter using the < or , button.
SPLIT9
INTENSITY
SATURATION
VALUE
HUE
Description
Specifies the hue of the color range
(ex: [R-Y]) selected with COLOR
SEL as the parameter for adjustment.
Specifies the saturation of the color selected with COLOR SEL as the parameter for adjustment.
Specifies the brightness of the color selected with COLOR SEL as the parameter for adjustment.
Specifies the hue of the color selected with COLOR SEL as the parameter for adjustment.
R: I=8, S=0, V=0, H=0
The specified color and the INTENSITY,
SATURATION, VALUE, and HUE values of the specified color appear in order as captions in the image.
Specified color
R: RED [R-Y]
Y: YEL [Y-G]
G: GRN [G-C]
C: CYN [C-B]
B: BLU [B-M]
M: MAG [M-R]
I = INTENSITY value of specified color
S = SATURATION value of specified color
V = VALUE value of specified color
54
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
8
H = HUE value of specified color
The changes in the parameter specified with SPLIT9 that appear in the test print are as follows.
Select the image that has the best adjustments among the nine images.
If you want to change the adjustment values again,
refer to “To readjust parameter values” on page 56.
If you want to adjust a different parameter, repeat the procedure from step 5.
If you want to adjust a different color, repeat the procedure from 4.
9
Display the parameter values corresponding to the ones of the image selected in step 8 by using the < or , button.
Example: When the INTENSITY value of 8 for RED
[R-Y] in the image printed on the bottom right is best
The HSV of printouts will be adjusted to the values selected in step 8.
Parameter adjustments
The adjustment range for parameters is ±16. The parameter value and a slider are displayed on the screen. The value of 0 is located at the center of the slider.
Parameter
INTENSITY
SATURATION
VALUE
HUE
Description
Adjusts the hue of the color range
(ex: [R-Y]) selected with COLOR
SEL.
If RED [R-Y] is selected for COLOR
SEL, for example, the hue of colors between red and yellow is more red when the slider is closer to the right, and more yellow when closer to the left.
This value is used as a base parameter for HSV adjustment printouts.
Data is stored separately for each color selected with COLOR SEL ([R-
Y], [Y-G], [G-C], [C-B], [B-M], [M-
R]).
Adjusts the saturation of the color selected with COLOR SEL.
Saturation values increase in the right direction and decrease in the left direction.
This value is used as a base parameter for HSV adjustment printouts.
Data is stored separately for each color selected with COLOR SEL
(RED, YEL, GRN, CYN, BLU,
MAG).
Adjusts the brightness of the color selected with COLOR SEL.
Brightness values increase in the right direction and decrease in the left direction.
This value is used as a base parameter for HSV adjustment printouts.
Data is stored separately for each color selected with COLOR SEL
(RED, YEL, GRN, CYN, BLU,
MAG).
Adjusts the hue of the color selected with COLOR SEL.
A value of -16 rotates the hue -30 degrees, and a value of 16 rotates the hue 30 degrees.
This value is used as a base parameter for HSV adjustment printouts.
Data is stored separately for each color selected with COLOR SEL
(RED, YEL, GRN, CYN, BLU,
MAG).
Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
55
To reset the values to the factory setting
Select each item with the cursor, then press the
< and
, buttons at the same time.
As data is stored separately for each COLOR SEL color, be sure to perform the above procedure for each
COLOR SEL color if you want to reset all the settings.
10
If you want to adjust another parameter, repeat steps 5 to 9.
11
If you want to adjust another color, repeat steps 4 to 9.
To readjust parameter values
If the desired parameter values were not obtained in step 8 of “Specifying Colors for Adjustment (HSV Adjustment),” readjust the parameters.
You can also perform precise adjustment following the same operation procedures.
1
Display the parameter values of the image that is the most appropriate among the nine images by using the
< or , button.
You can select whether to perform precise adjustments or broad adjustments by changing the
STEP value.
To perform precise adjustment
To perform parameter adjustment within the current parameter range, reduce the current STEP value.
The HSV test print will appear as follows when STEP is set to 1.
To perform broad adjustment
To perform parameter adjustment beyond the current parameter range, increase the current STEP value.
The HSV test print will appear as follows when STEP is set to 4.
2
Make a test print by repeating steps 2 to 7 in
“Specifying Colors for Adjustment (HSV
Adjustment).”
3
Select the most appropriate image among the nine images.
If you cannot find an appropriate image, repeat steps
1 and 2 until you can find an appropriate image.
4
Go back to step 8 in “Specifying Colors for
Adjustment (HSV Adjustment).”
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Adjusting the Color and Picture Quality
