Color prints different -- shade of color is darker

Hello.
Hopefully someone can help me.. I'm designing my daughter's baptism invitation on PSE, it look great on the PC screen, however when I print the colors look darker. Is there a setting I should be using so that the color is true to the screen color? What am I doing wrong???
TIA
Valerie

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question. I would suggest you read these notes on my web site. I've tried to keep them basic and they do relate to Elements, albeit and earlier version.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin_w/colour%20problems.htm
Colin

Similar Messages

Colors print differently when using different printers.

When I print from Illustrator 3 to a Xerox printer, my bright yellow prints bright yellow. When my project is sent to a HP Designjet T1100ps plotter/printer, my bright yellow prints as an orange color. How do I fix this? What am I doing wrong?

I was wondering if you could ever get them to look the same. It's two
different printers on two different papers. Still, you'd think they could
be closer than you're getting.
Richard

Why are printer managed color prints different from Photoshop managed color prints using the same color profile?.

I'm using Photoshop 13.0.1, Windows 7, to print images using custom color profiles made with an XRite colorimeter. However, when I print the image using Printer Manages Color, it is not the same as Photoshop Manages the colors and selecting the Canon ICC profile that (Canon 7200 MP2) that is the same as the printer managed settings. Why are these prints not the same if the same color profile is being accessed??

Hi WA Veghe,
>First: DO synchronize, makes sure you have the same profile settings and color mange settings.
I don't seem to be able to synchronize between CS4 (Photoshop) and CS3 (Indesign).
It seems I have to do without synchronizing..
>I do not seem to find HOW you are diplaying images on you screen: with Soft proofing?
What happens if you soft proof in Photoshop and InDesign on screen: View > Proof colors. Do you proof with the same profiles, both simulate paper and black on?
I can simulate Proof Colors (working CMYK), but not simulate Paper, both in Indesign and Photoshop.
Problem is: SAME settings in Photoshop and Indesign BUT the image displayed in Photoshop is brighter and more saturated.
So which image should I correct after?
thanks for all help
/L

Darker Places on line art make colors a different shade?!

So yesterday I was coloring line-art that had some dark areas in it with bright colors and it worked perfectly fine with the "background copy" layer on multiply and still the bright colors worked perfectly fine. Now for some reason When areas in the line-art are dark the bright colors are darker on layer 1! (not background copy" I have restarted my computer (mac) and force quit the application and tried again but nothing is working! I have no idea what is going on and this is very weird. The link below shows EXACTLY what is happening on my screen . The locked background layer is on "normal" Background copy is on "multiply" and Layer 1 is on normal! This was not going on yesterday and I am very worried. Note that The color I am using is bright red and it turns dark red on the picture. I am using a screen shot I took from the picture I found. But the bright red is perfectly fine on the white area. Please help I am using PSE9.
Link to what is going on: http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=16bzog3&s=8#.U4ON6i_TbTc
- DrawingLover524

Open the file with the line art
Place a blank layer above this
Use the brush tool to paint on this layer. The brush tool utilizes the foreground color.
By using a small brush, you should be able to paint within the confines of the black lines. If you need to tidy up, use the eraser tool.
If you want to try with an adjustment layer, do this:
Open file with the line art
Open a color fill adjustment layer above this with the color of choice
Temporarily reduce the layer opacity of the adjustment layer so that you can see through it to visualize the line art
Left click on the mask (the white rectangle)
With a black brush, paint where you don't want color. If you go too far, correct with a white brush. Black hides, white reveals.
Reset adjustment layer opacity to 100% when finished
Tips:
D on keyboard sets color chips to default
X toggles between foreground/background colors
The bracket keys on the keyboard increase/decrease the brush cursor size
Sent from my iPad

How to draw Overlapping transparent Polygons with different shades of color

I had been working with the Graphics package for some time now. I want to now draw multiple polygons without using the fill method i.e by shading a transparent color. The overlapping regions should have a thicker density of the colors. I am currently trying out by creating a Buffered image of the polygons. Let me know if there is any other easy approach..................

This may be a dumb quesiton and if so, I'm sorry, but why doesn't fill work for you?
I think that you may do well to create and post the smallest program possible that is compilable, runnable, demonstrates your problem, and has no extraneous code not related to the problem, an [SSCCE.|http://sscce.org] Please see the link for details on how to create one of these because trust me, if your SSCCE is compliant with the specs, you'll likely get a very helpful answer from someone here quickly.

Transparency Printing different shades, WIN only

I'm experiencing issues printing some PDFs to a laser printer on my PC. I am using Acrobat 8, and overall the document looks good. However, some sections print out with defined light areas and dark areas not shown in the PDF (in any of the modes). My big observation is that when I go to Flattener Preview and highlight transparent areas the areas that are not highlighted are the areas that experience the lightening and darkening. I do not experience these problems on Macs through Acrobat or Preview, only on Windows. If i'm experiencing these things I'm sure our customers are too. Any suggestions?

More to the point on this, I think, is that both RGB and CMYK values listed for any spot color are "best approximations" (many, perhaps most, spot colors have no good CMYK equivalent, and that would be true as well for some subset using RGB) using Pantone's unknown color space. Even in that space the probability of getting an actual match between the simulation and the true spot ink is close to zero. Using some other space makes things worse, and since there is no way to know the sapce in use at Pantone, you're kind of up the creek.
For CMYK converison you can do reasonably well by using the Ink manager to convert the spot to process and check the bok to Use Lab Values at the same time. For RGB, I have no idea how to come close, at all.

Colors printed do not match color on screen

When printing photos from adobe elements I cant ge the same colors as on the screen -come out much lighter. have tried mackinc the colors on screen darker in hopes of geting the color i want -doesnt work completely

You probably need to calibrate your monitor. Take a look at this link:
http://www.macworld.com/article/45798/2005/07/augustdigitalphoto.html

All color print outs are pink color

My picture prints are all pink. I have scrubbed my printer heads (three times). I have replaced all my color cartridges with NEW full ink Hp cartridges. I have never used anything but Hp cartridges. Why do all my photos have a pink tinge. I even used only photo paper to print them out on, to see if it would make a difference. (NO!)
I'm frustrated because I did not have to replace the cartridges yet. I am waisting alot of expensive ink!!!!

Hi bonnieb2
I understand you are unable to print color and almost no black.
I have included a document which Bob provided, if you want to try soaking the printheads to see if this will resolve the issue.
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Ink-Toner-Cartridge-Printhead-Issues/New-black-cartridge-prints-partial...
Hope this helps.
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
Gemini02
I work on behalf of HP

How do I prevent the Darker Shade Box (color shift) around Vector Objects when Printing

Sorry in advance for the novelette. I am absolutely mystified and frustrated and would love some help! I've been working on this problem for about 30 hours over the last 4 days to figure out what the heck is happening and cannot find an answer through various forms of research.
Basically, when I print a JPEG, I am getting this area (a box) of darker shaded coloring around my heart and love text. I've tested it a million different ways and am at a loss as to what the problem is ... is it an application problem, a color profile problem between my applications and printer, an improper way that I saved my file, etc.
Here is a photo I took of the image printed out (so it is slightly skewed from camera distortion):
The details:
(1) I create graphic art and sell it online. I save all of my printable art as JPEG files because of my customer base (diy hobbyists that print on their home printers without much knowledge base nor graphic design software).
(2) I use both Adobe Illustrator (AI) and Photoshop Elements 11 (PSE11) to design and save my artwork.
(3) I insert JPEG images into Microsoft Word 2003 documents to "test print" since most of my customers use home printers to print. Since most people have this basic software, it is a good gauge of the kind of print out they might get using the same or similar software.
(4) My PSE11 color profile setting is the default sRGB. I have test printed many times and I get the truest colors with this color profile.
(5) My AI color settings are normally also an sRGB color mode, but on occasion, I use a CMYK color mode if I am creating a larger document that I know the customer will need to take to a professional printer to print out.
(6) I do my home printing (for proofs) on an Epson Stylus Photo 1400 (which has the 6 color ink cartridges).
(7) Until this printing problem occurred on this test print out, I always used the "photo enhance" option when I designate settings for my printer via the Microsoft Word documents.
IMPORTANT: This is when I have the color shift?? or color rendering issues?? and it is the only time. If I use the regular ICM/ICC color profile of sRGB, the printing issue doesn't occur. Instead, I have a solid color background instead of this one with the strips of lighter color on the top and bottom. However, I can't control how the customer prints, so I need to feel confident that whatever color profile setting they use, they will not run into this problem. I even test printed the documents over at FedEx and the darker box/color shift did not occur.
(8) The document in question only has 3 sets of objects: the heart, the solid colored rectangle colored background and the text. All 3 objects are vectors, they are at 100% opacity and there are no "special effects" applied.
(9) The image was entirely created in AI this time and exported as a maximum quality JPEG file, although you will see below that I tried many ways to create and save the file so that I didn't have the color band borders on top/bottom.
(10) I regularly use AI for part of my art, then I drag it to my PSE11 open document and it becomes a Vector Object (it cannot by copying/pasting into a PSE11 document). I also regularly export AI images as PNG files, then insert them into an open PSE11 document. This printing issue has not occurred until recently. Here is an example of a very complex AI image I created, then inserted into PSE11 just to add the background (the Teddy Bear and books are AI vector objects) that were exported as PNG files then inserted into PSE11 to integrate with the background image - I test printed with Photo Enhance and had no printing issues:
So, from the research I have done, it looks like it is a color rendering or color space issue with conflicting color profiles in the same document. I checked my color profile settings and both sRGB and CMYK were set to embed ICC color profiles.
I tried changing AI settings to Preserve Numbers (ignore linked profiles) for CMYK, but that didn't work.
I also checked and made sure that not only the document setup showed the sRGB color profile, but that all the objects within the document also were converted to sRGB as well for consistency. That didn't work.
I tried converting the document to CMYK along with the vector objects. That didn't work.
I tried saving the heart image as a PNG file alone, the "love" text as a PNG file alone, both the heart and text together as a PNG files alone. Once saved as PNG files, I inserted them into an open empty PSE11 document - as I normally do. I then added the background color I wanted. That didn't work - the print still showed the color changes.
I tried dragging each vector object separately and even as a group and got the same color change issue when printing.
I tried "expanding" and "outlining" the text before exporting as JPEG, before exporting as a PNG and before dragging as a vector object into PSE11. Expanding the text did not help the situation.
I tried exporting as Adobe PDF, then opening in PSE11, then resaving as JPEG. That didn't work.
I tried flattening transparency (even though there is no transparency in the AI file). That didn't work.
I tried rasterizing the image. That didn't work.
Thinking that the file might be corrupt, I started from scratch and redesigned the same heart and love text. Unfortunately, I had the same problem as before. At this point, my AI started becoming buggy and would not open new files. It happened repeatedly and I decided it was best to uninstall and reinstall AI (and maybe that would fix the problem).
I created just the heart in AI, then inserted it into an open PSE11 document (both after exporting as PNG and also by dragging as Vector Object from AI). It seemed to work. I could both drag the vector into PSE11 from AI and export from AI as a PNG, then insert into open PSE11 document with a background color - and it printed a solid background.
So, I thought that reinstalling and setting back to defaults worked. But, then I added the love text around the heart and tried exporting as JPEG files and the same problem continued to recur. Whether I dragged as a Vector object into PSE11 (the heart object and love text separately and also another time with the vector objects dragged as a group) or saved them as PNG files and inserted into PSE11 - I got the different shades of color on what should be a solid background. I even tried saving the PSE11 as a PSD file first, then resaving as JPEG and I tried saving as PNG and printing and this didn't help solve the problem.
I really think it is some color conflict issue but I can't figure it out. I am definitely not very knowledgeable about color profiles and how to sync all my devices, however, as I mentioned, this was not an issue until recently (and I think??? I recall changing the CMYK setting from Preserve Numbers to embed color profile a month or so ago - however, it should have been solved when AI went back to its defaults upon reinstall).
The reason I believe it is a color rendering/color space issue is because I could see the color output when I saved the JPEG with CMYK color profile versus sRGB color profile and the sRGB colors were much richer, not surprisingly. The top and bottom colors matched the sRGB printout and the middle darker box section matched the CMYK printout.
I am sure it is something fundamental or simple and I am completely overlooking it. I wish it were just a transparency issue, because people know how to fix or do workarounds for it. But, there are no vector objects with any transparency ...
If I missed some detail, I apologize. Any help would be a dream come true at this point! lol
Thank you!

Okay, I got motivated to try again. From doing a bit more research on troubleshooting AI printing problems, the Adobe article talks about print drivers. It was advised to uninstall and reinstall the print driver if the printing issue persists. So, I did. Unfortunately, I still had the same result after reinstalling and trying a test print! Ugh.
So, as Jacob said upfront, I seem to have an overactive print driver that is trying too hard (and it is a non-postscript printer which I realize is part of the problem).
There are so many variables in my situation as to how I create art and save/export art. I sometimes work solely in AI, sometimes solely in PSE and sometimes I use both programs to create. Consequently, I will:
(1) export directly from AI as JPEG if I am not adding PSE11 artwork.
(2) export directly from AI as PNG if I plan on inserting that image into PSE11 to add to artwork I have created in PSE11.
(3) drag vector objects as a Smart Objects directly from AI to PSE11 to add to artwork I am creating in PSE11 if I know I will playing with the vector object and resizing in PSE11.
So, I did a test print using scenario 2, where I inserted the heart and love text PNG (AI created vector object) into an old PSE11 document. This old document already had a vector object from AI with a solid background and I knew it printed correctly. So, after inserting this new PNG from AI into this old document, it printed correctly using the photo enhance mode.
However, I haven't had a chance to actually create new art in the older AI files (that I know print properly), resave as something else and try another test print (either by exporting as JPEG and printing in Word or by exporting as PNG file and inserting into PSE11 document, then saving as JPEG and printing in Word).
After testing the different possibilities of ICM settings within my printer, I found that the JPEG images printed out with the truest colors and best quality if I simply selected "no color management" from the printer. Shocker, huh? lol
MY SOLUTION: So, what I think I will simply do is add an instruction sheet with the printables I sell, explaining that the color profile setting should never be handled by the printer so make sure to turn off color management by printer (and if they feel they must use the printer for color management, make sure the setting is sRGB since I embed that color profile in my JPEG's).
Edited to add: Since my issue was never about how I could print a successful image (I knew I could simply change the color profile settings), but rather about how to make sure that customers would get consistent and high quality print outputs of my digital images, this seems like the best approach.
I don't think I will every really know exactly why I am now getting color shifts in the "photo enhance" mode when I did not have this problem a couple months ago - applying the same methods of creating artwork. I was concerned that I was saving/exporting using incorrect or mismatched color settings or something of that nature. However, since I went through the process of making my color spaces the same for everything, and I still have issue, clearly that is not the culprit. The only thing I can do to solve the problem and it is a straightforward solution anyway -> is to educate the buyer on how to print successfully (don't use photo enhance! ha ha).
Thanks again to everyone who chimed in and offered advice!

Why do placed images in illustrator print a different shade of black than the black in the document?

It has happened to me more than a few times. For example, I'll place artwork that was created in photoshop into an illustrator document, and the blacks are inconsistent. Any advice?

Your blacks may have different CMYK values. The default value for foreground swatch in photoshop is 75c 68m 67 y 90k and many people don't realize that is not 100%k. A common Rich black value is 60c 40my 100k, which makes the black darker, and still neutral by having cyan above my.
If you specify 100 k in photoshop & 100k in illustrator, and the colors print different, you may have a color destination profile assigned to your placed CMYK image.

HP Color LaserJet CP1215 - Color printing - Page prints yellow background

Good morning --- I don't believe I have posted to this forum before, so I hope someone can help me solve this issue.
My CP1215 color LaserJet -
printing pref set to color-
printing a document with colored icons, etc. or color photograph
Results: the "background" or what should be the white area, is yellow - bright yellow.
If I switch printing pref to B/W, I get a black/white document or photo. Of course, no color.
I have replaced the yellow toner cartridge (HP product) TWICE, the second one just this morning.
There are NO error messages.
Tried running the cleaning tool; disconnect/reconnect, etc. No luck.
I gave up trying to solve this issue 2 years ago, and have kept the pref set to black/white with no tech issues.
Now, however, I have the need to print in color, and I would really like to figure out how to correct this problem.
This printer is a monster - ~30 lbs or more, and I would rather not have to haul it to a computer shop or ship it.
If anyone out there has had this problem, please let me know how/if you were able to resolve it. Many thanks.
Susan - Threecats

Hi Threecats
I understand when you print in color you are getting a yellow background.
I have included a document for troubleshooting the all yellow background printing.
Print out a configuration page from Solution eight first. This document will provide steps for cleaning and calibrating the printer. The Print quality troubleshooting page will identify the print cartridge that is causing the issue.
Let me know the results when you compare it to the one in the document and if the background printed yellow again. Also the Print quality troubleshooting page results.
What kind of paper are you using?
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
Gemini02
I work on behalf of HP

MFP M476dw poor color print quality with streaking

I bought this printer in January and only printed half a dozen or so color prints, but always has color streaks. I have printed may 200 B&W pages and they seem OK. I ran the calibration I found in the operator interface, but doesn't make any difference. See attached original image and scan of the color print. Yes the scan looks just like the color print. Color cartridges all show 80% full. B&W cartridge is 70%. scan of color print Original ImageWhat can I do to improve this? I really was expecting better color print quality.

Dale007 wrote:
I am experiencing horrible print quality with this printer. Colors are way off what they appear on the screen - reds appear yellow, browns appear blue / green. The printer has new HP ink cartridges, both basic and advanced inkjet cartridge cleaning processes have been run and the inkjet alignment process has been run. What can be done to correct this problem?

I'm looking for network laser color printer

Hello,
I'm looking for two network laser color printers for small business (lowest price) that having the following features:
laserjet
colored
network printer
A4 paper
duplex printing
and second printer have the same features + A3 paper
thank you
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi Hatemem,
I have found 2 printers that I believe meet all the specs you requested.
The HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer M451dn
The HP Color LaserJet Professional CP5225dn Printer
Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you.
Also, remember a click on the Kudos star to the left is a quick "Thanks" for a helpful post.
Please select the "Accept as Solution" button on the post that best answers your question.
I appreciate your input ! ___________________________________ _____
Thank You,
Rich
Expert

Getting Darker Blacks from My HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw Color Printer

Hi. I own an HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw Color Printer and am on a Windows XP system. For regular printing, it works great. However, for some graphic work I am doing, I can not get the blacks to print out dark enough. I can not find any settings on the print properties panel that would allow me to set a darker black coverage. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hey,
I see you are having an issue with Air Print on your CP1525nw Color Laserjet Pro. Have you tried a full network power cycle?
Unplug the router and printer while on
Power down the iOS device completely. Check out the following link for how: http://ipod.about.com/od/iphonehowtos/qt/turn_off_iphone.htm
Wait 30 seconds
Power the router up and wait for it to completely initialize before proceeding
Power the printer up and wait for it to completely initialize before proceeding
Power the iOS device back up
It sounds like the network most likely lost communication with the bonjour service of the printer.
If you need to update the firmware of the CP1525nw please click the following link: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=lj-86473-9&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&...
Let me know how it goes.
-------------How do I give Kudos? | How do I mark a post as Solved? --------------------------------------------------------
I am not an HP employee.

Why is a color print from CS5 so different from the same image in CS4?

I have made prints from the same file using CS4 and CS5, and the prints from CS4 are showing what I think is good color. My monitor is calibrated, and I have always been quite happy with prints from CS4. When I make prints of the same files using CS5, the color is terrible compared to the CS4 print. I am using the same printer, same sRGB color space and all the settings in the "Print" dialog windows. I make sure the Color Handling box is set to "Photoshop Manages Colors" and I then go to the "Page Setup" box and make sure Color Settings is set to Off (No Color Adjustments). I am using a New MacPro Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 16 GB ram. I did notice that Apple Software Update did install Epson drivers after I installed CS5 Creative Suite 5 Design Premium. The color using CS5 looks the same starting in either 32 bit or in 64 bit. Another thing I notice is that printing on an Epson 2200 Stylus and using their 13x19 paper that the prints are being cropped to 5/8 inch into the full screen size of the images. I.E. The prints are losing 5/8 inch of what I see on the 30" Apple monitor. in both dimensions of the screen image. This cropping effect is showing now using CS4 and CS5. I have "Position" checked for Center Image, and Scale to Fit Media is also checked. I've been using PS since version 2 and have always been quite happy with the prints from my Epson printers and the prints from my Photo Lab, but the prints I am getting using CS5 are terrible. All the settings are the same in both the CS4 and CS5 "PRINT" windows.
HELP!!!! :-)

I have tried all of these things. I have checked and double-checked the print dialog. Sheet after sheet of paper goes by. Ink, at $40 per tank, is wasted. Results are still wrong. I followed your video. You use an Epson printer. I use an HP. Different print dialogs. different results. Whatever worked in previous PS versions does not work now. PS CS5 requires new settings to get the results that match what was determined by years of evolution and fine-tuning.
I set up all of those print dialog parameters but it required an adjustment layer or two to get the results I got using previous Photoshop. So I could do that with every image I printed with good results using previous versions. There is nothing out of gamut in these images, so I don't have unrealistic expectations about more saturation in the prints. Anyway, it's an 8-color printer that can handle a pretty wide gamut compared to a 4-color.
Wade, I know you are trying to help but this finger-wagging "error in your ways" and "you need to change your ways" stuff is patronizing. I did "change my ways" and try everything in your video. All was not well on the paper. I'm glad it worked out for you but it didn't for me. Accept it. I'm not some novice hobbyist still getting the hang of Photoshop. I've been using Photoshop since version 2. Adobe changed something in CS5. I haven't seen Chis Cox or any Adobe staffer jump into this discussion and say otherwise. Maybe there are no answers from the folks who should know the most about it. Maybe they're working on it.
It's not the first time Adobe has broken a tool. Anyone remember what happened to Outline Stroke in Illustrator CS2? It had previously made a path that could be edited by selecting points but after CS2, it was broken. Illustrator made a filled path that was nearly impossible to edit with all of the overlapping points. It was finally fixed in CS4. It's hard to understand how a useful tool that functioned properly in every version since it was introduced became an unusable mess. Maybe that's the case with PS CS5 and printing.
With 4,300+ posts in 14 months, maybe Wade has more time to tinker and tell us about it. I don't.
Or I could just print in CS4. At this point it's not that important to spend several days of testing to be able to say that CS5 can print my legacy stuff that was created and printed with various color profiles over a 12 year period. Maybe a more disciplined approach to color management would be a good way to work in the future when creating images, I'm dealing with tried-and-true printable images that were not done that way.
As long as Adobe doesn't make me give up CS4 to use CS5, I'll use it for printing.

Color prints different -- shade of color is darker

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