Topic awaiting preservation: Prints look horrible

When try to print for example this image


it comes out like this or even worse



I have tried calibrating the monitor with adobe gamma. I have tried to change the color matching using my monitor profile and no luck.

Please help!





(Edited by OlssonE on 11-03-2004 15:40)

More info. What printer. What software. Have you calibrated the *printer*...

It's a HP deskjet 920c and I'm using photoshop CS.
I have recently installed a new cartridge and it usally ask if I want
to calibrate the printer. But this time it didn't ask. And I can't find the
calibrating program anywhere.

edit: and it looks ok in photoshop it's just when i print it looks
horrible.

edit2:
Ok I have calibrated the cartridge but still the same horrible prints...


(Edited by OlssonE on 11-03-2004 16:35)

(Edited by OlssonE on 11-03-2004 16:46)

From memory the HP printers have an option to reduce the amount of ink used to make a print (forgotten the name of the option havent been out of bed long enough to think coherently) but i would try reducing that , as well as tweaking the dithering options.

matthew@iconiansolutions.com
www.iconiansolutions.com

Is the dpi set correctly?

______________
Is This Thing On?

Webbing; the stuff that sticks to your face.

It looks as if the printer is try to reduce the dynamic ranges, to compensate for dot gain. Check your paper type choices and black /ink useage setting if there is one.

But first I think we need to do is find out where the problem actually lies.

Does it print normally from another application? If not then it's the driver or the image it's self or rather it's format, (ie. 16bit, layers, channels etc....)

If it prints ok outside of Photoshop, then it's something native to Photoshop. Are there extra channels, maybe a layer is having an ill effect. Maybe try flattening before you print see if that works.

Is the image 8 bit or 16bit, RGB, CYMK or Grayscale. Perhaps there is a problem there, I would hope photoshop would convert it to 8-bit prior to sending the data to the driver but who knows. Most comsumer print driver expect RGB or Grayscale data and perform the convertion to CYMK or CcYMmK at the Printer.

How are you printing from Photoshop? Print or Print Preview. Try using print preview, and check the color mamagement setting. Try using a source space of the document, and use print space same as source. If intent becomes an option, choose either Relative or Perceptual which ever you perfer best.

( The Print Space should realy match your printer profile. But chances of you having an output profile for a HP consumer level printer are slim. Most comsumer printer should match sRGB. But if you are lucky there maybe one that matchs your printer installed with the driver. My HP2500c or 1120c installed profile labled called ColorSmart that work wells for me.)


J. Stuart J.

(Edited by jstuartj on 11-04-2004 16:20)

Ok, I found out what the problem is. It's rather simple.
It seems that even I if I print in black and white you still
need ink in the 3 colour cartridge.

Thanks for the help everybody!