Upgrade Hell Part Two: The Elusive Print Driver

What would you do if you were greeted by a print dialog box like this after upgrading Adobe Lightroom, your operating system, and the print driver? Hurling the computer through the nearest window will not be considered a reasonable option.

In Upgrade Hell Part One I reported on the trials and tribulations of upgrading from Adobe Lightroom 2 to Lightroom 3. I ended by implying that my ability to use my Epson Stylus Photo R800 inkjet printer might be compromised. Was it ever. At first I couldn't even get Lightroom 3 to recognize the printer, even though I had updated the drivers. It turns out I had to have the printer on while Lightroom 3 was open.

Okay, that was logical enough. The real horror started when I tried to print. All of the normal drop-down menu parameters in the Epson print dialog box such as Print Setting and Color Management were crossed out, which is to say unavailable. When I tried printing anyway, the resulting print was so dark it looked as if the original image had been at least two stops underexposed. Was the printer driver at fault or was it Lightroom 3?

To answer this question I tried printing the same image with my copy of Adobe Photoshop CS3. Not only were all of the drop-down menus available in the Epson printer driver dialog box, the image printed flawlessly. This meant the problem was with Lightroom 3. But what exactly was the problem?

After an hour of intense Internet searches (it really shouldn't have to be this hard), I discovered that I had to set the Epson printer driver to 32-bit mode and "Open in Rosetta." Rosetta translates applications written for older generation Power PC-based Macs into the Universal instructions needed for today's Intel-based Macs. I then had to set Lightroom 3 to open in 32-bit mode as well. Neither one of these pieces of information were available on the Epson or Adobe support sites, by the way. That would be much too easy.

Once I did all of the above, I was able to use Lightroom 3 and my printer as intended. My prints still don't look quite as good as when I send them through Photoshop, but at least they're not ridiculously dark when I use Lightroom. That's close enough to success for now that I will look no further.

The point here isn't how clever, tenacious, or lucky I am. The point that it shouldn't be necessary for a photographer to jump through this many hoops just to get a decent print. But now that I can, I'd better make as many prints as possible before the digital demons devise more devious torments.

Comments

[Nicholas Condon]

"What would you do if you were greeted by a print dialog box like this after upgrading Adobe Lightroom, your operating system, and the print driver?"

[unhelpful comment] I'd buy a Windows 7 machine, where Lightroom 3 installs painlessly and the print drivers work! [/unhelfpul comment]

[Ryan Lavering]

Printers aren't manufactured; they are summoned from the darkest depths of the inferno to wreak havoc on the land. The boxes should just have a warning label that says, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."

[Lesley]

Oh dear! I had been feeling quite excited about switching from Lightroom 1.something to 3 but this post makes me feel quite trepid (and I know that's not a real word) about the jump forward. I have an ancient but still functioning Epson Photo 870 which I use for small prints and cards (which I sell, quite successfully). It just keeps going and going and over the years I have learned its quirks and have mostly beaten them into submission. The 870 never clogs, can be left for months without printing anything and has never needed maintenance. Whenever I lust after the latest gee-whiz Epson at the local shop I am told about clogging, and the need for regular printing, and I decide to stay with the 870 for just one more model change. How many has it been now?
However, I really do want to upgrade to Lightroom 3--but if I do will I really have to say goodbye to old faithful?
Trailing edge technology (which I often, but not always, adhere to) has its advantages, but it also has its share of pitfalls, and it seems as if one may lie ahead.

[Gianni Galassi]

Gee, you scared me.
I was going to test my old Epson Stylus Pro 7600 with my brand new MacBook Pro 15" (which looks to be an almost user-friendly machine for now), but I think I will keep driving it via my old Windows XP unit for a while. I couldn't stand the task of getting familiar with a new computer AND coping with a printing psycho-drama like the one you just experienced, at the same time.
Obviously manufacturers don't care about their customers having trouble in using their high-end products, only because of poor communication and poorly designed user-interfaces. The same doesn't seem to happen with consumer-grade products, as it could seriously endanger manufacturers' profits. Look at the printing wizard software bundled with most low-cost printers: printing photographs or CDs is an easy task even for the dummiest user, and with great results.
Companies focus on big numbers. High-end products are there only to bring prestige to the cheaper models, which are manufacturers' real business.