Printing > Problems >
Common Problems & Their Solutions
Here are some solutions to common printing problems.
A print can't reproduce the glow of your monitor.
The white cloud in a photograph on your monitor is transmitted
light.
The same white cloud on a print is light reflecting off white
plastic or paper.
White plastic or paper will never look as good as the glow from
a monitor.
The print exposure and color are important, obviously.
But, exposure and color are also determined by the viewing environment.
And, because of how our visual system works, it's hard for us
to see how our perception is changed by the viewing environment.
Here are some examples.
Example #1
Lets' say you're evaluating a print of a landscape.
There's a blue sky.
A Halogen track light is overhead.
The print of the landscape is going to look different than the
photograph of it on your monitor.
The Halogen light appears to be white, but is orange.
Therefore, the blue sky will appear to be not as blue.
The orange Halogen light cancels some of blue.
In addition, the Halogen track light may be brighter than the
monitor.
If so, the print may appear to be lighter.
Example #2
Let's say you have placed a print in a white matte.
The print will appear darker.
The same print, displayed in a black matte, will appear to be
lighter.
Example #3
Let's say your work table is red.
You're looking at a print on the red table.
Your visual system becomes red fatigued.
Your color vision becomes more cyan (blue/green), the opposite
color to red.
It's as if you were wearing eyeglasses with cyan-colored lenses.
Summary
So, you must adjust the exposure and color:
• For the print itself.
• For the environment in which the print will be displayed.
1) Check to see if the power cord is connected.
2) Reset any circuit breakers on power strips and surge protectors.
3) Turn printer on and off to reset.
4) Check if the cable is connected, and the doors and trays are
in their proper positions.
5) Check to make sure the printer is properly recognizing the
type and size of the paper that you're using.
6) Your printer may have a button that toggles between online
and offline states.
If so, check to make the printer is online.
Is It the Printer or the Computer?
Is the problem caused by the printer or your combination of computer,
software, and cable?
Print a test print from the printer's control panel.
Or, print a photograph from a memory card plugged into the printer,
or from your camera to the printer.
If the printer makes the print successfully, the problem is with
your computer, software, or cable.
If the print is poor, replace the printer driver.
Corrupt Printer Driver
A corrupt printer driver can cause many problems.
Download and install the latest driver from the printer manufacturer's
website.
The exposure and color of your prints may be disappointing if
your monitor isn't
calibrated.
You must set up Photoshop Elements properly.
If not, the exposure and color of your prints may be disappointing.
Go to Set Up
Photoshop Elements for Printing.
Step #1 - Check the
Photograph's Color Space
Determine the color space of the photograph.
sRGB and Adobe RGB are the two most common color spaces.
Go to
Color Management / 3 - Color Spaces.
You can check the photograph's color space with either of two
methods.
Method #1 - Check with Your Camera
Your camera is probably set, by default, to the sRGB color space.
Check in the camera's menu for the color space setting.
Look for sRGB or Adobe RGB.
Method #2 - Check with Photoshop Elements
In Photoshop Elements, go to File > File Info.
Look for sRGB or Adobe RGB in the metadata.
Step #2 - Check if Photoshop Elements
Is Set to the Same Color Space
The color space for the photograph—and for Photoshop Elements—must
be the same.
The photograph and Photoshop Elements must both be sRGB.
Or, they both must both be Adobe RGB.
Go to Edit > Color Settings.
If the photograph's color space is sRGB, select Always Optimize
Colors for Computer Screens.
If the color space of the photograph is Adobe RGB, select
Always Optimize for Printing.
Step #3 - One Color Manager, Not Two
When printing from Photoshop Elements, you must turn off color
management done by the printer.
You want Photoshop Elements to do the color management.
There are two tasks.
Task #1
1) Go to File > Print, or press Ctrl + p.
2) Look for the Color Management section.
In earlier versions of Photoshop Elements, you must select Show
More Options.
3) Look for Color Handling.
4) Change it from Printer Manages Color to Photoshop
Elements Manages Color.
Task #2
1) Go to File > Print, or press Ctrl + p.
2) Click Page Set Up > Printer > Properties.
Look for the section concerning color management.
This section is often abbreviated as ICM.
Make the selection for no color management by the printer driver.
This may be designated by the phrase, Same As Source.
Step #4 - Printer Profiles
If you're using printer profiles, check to make sure the correct
profile is being used.
Do the following.
1) Go to File > Print, or press Ctrl + p.
2) Look for the Color Management section.
In earlier versions of Photoshop Elements, you must select Show
More Options.
3) Make sure the profile in the Printer Profile box is the correct
one for your printer, inkset, and paper.
Not using printer profiles?
Go to
Color Management / 9 - Printer Profiles.
Step #5 - Rendering Intent
If you're using printer profiles, you must select the rendering
intent.
Do the following.
1) Go to File > Print, or press Ctrl + p.
2) Look for the Color Management section.
In earlier versions of Photoshop Elements, you must select Show
More Options.
3) Select the rendering intent in the Rendering Intent box.
Try Relative Colorimetric first.
If your photograph has many different saturated colors, try Perceptual.
Go to
Color Management / 12 - Rendering Intents.
Prints Are Too Dark
Monitor
Is the white on your monitor different from the white on the
print?
If so, turn down the brightness of your monitor to better match
the monitor white with the paper white.
Recalibrate your monitor after adjusting its brightness.
Environment
Is the room lighting too bright?
Bright room light may be affecting how a photograph appears on
your monitor.
CRT v. LCD
LCD monitors are about 25% brighter than CRT monitors.
David B. Brooks, in
Shutterbug, recommends setting the white luminance point to
120.0 CD/m2.
You may be able to do this using the monitor software, or your
calibration software.
Otherwise, edit the photograph to make it too dark on the monitor,
so that it will print at the proper brightness.
If you use Photoshop Elements, see
below.
Mac Monitors
Mac monitors may be too bright.
If so, you can dim them with the following programs.
DarkAdapted
Shades May
affect color
Or, edit the photograph to make it too dark on the monitor, so
that it will print at the proper brightness.
Edit to Brighten the Print
If you're using Photoshop Elements, do the following to lighten
a photograph before printing.
1) Make a composite layer.
A composite layer contains all of the layers of your photograph.
If you haven't already, go to
Composite Layer.
Do the following.
a) Deselect the Eye icons on the layers you don't want to merge.
b) Select the top layer (highlighted).
c) Select > All.
d) Edit > Copy Merged.
e) Edit > Paste.
3) Make sure the composite layer is at the top position in the
layers palette.
4) Change the blending mode for the composite layer from Normal
to Screen.
The blending mode box is at the top of the layers palette.
5) Adjust the opacity of the composite layer to change the brightness.
Opacity is located at the top of the layers palette.
6) Deselect and select the eye icon on the composite layer to
compare the brightening with the original brightness.
7) Remember the opacity value for use with other photographs.
Color Problems
A clogged nozzle may shift the color balance.
Use the check nozzle function, and follow manufacturer's instructions
for using the cleaning function.
As described above, make
sure:
• The printer is not performing color management.
• Photoshop Elements is managing the color.
As you tilt a glossy print at different angles, portions of the
surface may appear to be less glossy, and may have a varnished appearance.
Bronzing varies depending in ink sets and paper.
Banding is an abrupt transition of color where there should be
a smooth transition.
Cause #1
Banding may be caused by air bubbles in a nozzle.
Running the cleaning cycle over-and-over may create more nozzle-blocking
air bubbles.
Instead, don't do anything for a couple of hours, allowing the
air bubbles to migrate out of the nozzle.
Note that when an air bubble enters a drop generator, and the
generator is operated without ink, it can be irreparably damaged.
Cause #2
Banding may be caused by a clogged nozzle.
Use the check nozzle function, and follow manufacturer's instructions
for using the cleaning function.
Recalcitrant clogs may be dislodged by using cleaning solutions.
inksupply.com and
fixyourownprinter.com
both sell a kits, and
Lyson sells cleaning
cartridges, for example.
Cleaning solutions and their application methods may not be recommended
by your printer manufacturer.
Cause #3
If you're using the relative colorimetric rendering intent, try
the perceptual rendering intent instead.
The relative colorimetric rendering intent takes out-of-gamut
colors, colors that can't be reproduced, and converts them to the
last in-gamut color.
So, you may have a range of out-of-gamut colors that are being
converted to a single color.
IIf the paper must be printed on one side only, check to make
sure the paper is loaded properly.
Gaps & Faint Areas
A clogged nozzle may create gaps and faint areas.
Use the check nozzle function, and follow manufacturer's instructions
for using the cleaning function.
A clogged nozzle may create repeating white lines.
Use the check nozzle function, and follow manufacturer's instructions
for using the cleaning function.
Repeating white lines may also be caused by the printer head
being out of alignment.
To align, follow the manufacturer's instructions for head alignment.
Spots, Marks, Streaks
1) Dried ink, inside the printer, may be flaking off onto the
paper as it travels through the printer.
2) Hair or lint may be lodged on the nozzles.
3) The nozzles rest on a foam cleaning pad.
If this parking pad becomes dirty, follow the manufacturer's
instructions.
4) The face (bottom) of the print head may need cleaning.
To clean, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Procedure - To Clean Off the Bottom of the Print Head (Start
at section 6.1)
Print Head
Maintenance
B&W Problems
The best B&W prints are made using:
1) Ink sets with seven or eight inks
2) B&W ink sets
3) Printer profiles
Consider using Raster Image Processing (RIP) software.
RIPs take over the duties of the manufacturer's printer driver
and more.
Typically, many profiles are available.
Image Print
InkJet Control/OpenPrintMaker
Quad
Tone Rip
QTRgui
User interface for Quad Tone RIP
Prints Change Color
This is due to
metamerism,
a phenomenon most visible when viewing B&W prints.
A B&W print may have color caste x when viewed under one type
to light source, and color caste y when viewed with different illumination.
B&W prints often look slightly magenta under tungsten light,
and greenish when viewed with daylight.
If a new cartridge doesn't work:
1) The ink outlet hole of the cartridge may be dry.
Wrap the cartridge in paper towels.
Point the ink outlet hole down, and snap downward a couple of
times.
2) The vent may be blocked by a label.
If air can't get into the cartridge, the ink can't get out.
Use a pin to open the vent.
