Printer help, please? Im getting pretty frustrated here :(

So I hooked up a printer to my iMac for the first time. I wanted to ensure I installed it correctly so I printed a few Images.

First problem:

Everything is being printed MUCH darker than than the way I see the images on my screen.

This scares me because if my monitor is off in some way, then ALL of the photos Ive processed over the last 3 months would also be off too, wouldn't they?

Problem 2:

On every single print , anywhere there is black, there are vertical darker black lines evenly spaced going along the page (about 3 for every inch).


I have no real experience with printers BTW, so any help or advice you could offer would be GREATLY appreciated!

If it matters the printer is just a simple Cannon Pixma MG5220

What program are you printing from? Did you install the software that came with the printer?

zerovision wrote in post #11541875
What program are you printing from? Did you install the software that came with the printer?

Yes I installed the drivers/software.

I tried printing it from PhotoShop and just by opening the image and clicking print...

Unfortunately, opening and then clicking print does not work as good as we would like. Photoshop want a lot of information before you print.

It is difficult to list all the thing you need to change in photoshop to make sure the pic comes out the way you want it.

Since you view the pic on an LED or LCD screen, your most likely viewing the image with the screen set to its brightest setting. This will cause the picture to print darker than what you see. You should check the histogram to make sure that the right side is showing good exposure. If so, then you might want to lower the brightness on the screen some to help judge how the pic will print.

The lines on the page are due to low quality settings in photoshop. Under file, click print and the window that pops up will give you several options to chose. Below quantity, you will see print settings. Click this option for the proper settings. Click on the "layout" option in the middle. This will bring up what type of paper you are using and the quality setting you need to make sure it is set to its highest quality.

On the right side at the top make sure the drop down menu is set to color management. The chose the option below that says printer manages colors. Try this and see if it removes the lines, but make sure you tell it what kind of paper you are using.

As far as lightening up the pic, you may have to move the exposure slide up more than you want and play with it until you get what you are happy with.

Try these settings and go from there.

Some of the pics with the lines were printed outside of PhotoShop. They were processed in PS and then saved into a folder that is for my post-process stuff. Even when I open the image from my post-process folder, when printed it still has the lines....

MindlessConsumer wrote in post #11541857
Problem 2:

On every single print , anywhere there is black, there are vertical darker black lines evenly spaced going along the page (about 3 for every inch).

Have you done a cleaning cycle?

Have you generated a test print and gotten the same issue?

Have you tried switching the black ink cartridge?

ChasP505 wrote in post #11543249
Have you done a cleaning cycle?

Have you generated a test print and gotten the same issue?

Have you tried switching the black ink cartridge?

The printer is fresh out of the box...

I don't know what to suggest about the stripes, aside from running a thorough bunch of cleaning routines and if that doesn't clear things up contact Canon support.

As to the dark prints, this is a common problem -- off-the-shelf monitors are too bright and need to be adjusted. Check out this thread for some suggestions:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=978466

The OP should first go to Canon Support, and then download and install the latest drivers. The drivers that come on the CD's (or DVD's) may be new, but not the newest. Also, see if there is an application called Easy PhotoPrint EX that's compatible with the printer. For the time being, use Easy PhotoPrint EX to print your images instead of PS.

Well, I did the homework for the OP (remember to select the proper OS):
http://www.usa.canon.c​om …mg5220#DriversA​ndSoftware

MindlessConsumer wrote in post #11541857
First problem: Everything is being printed MUCH darker than than the way I see the images on my screen.


Problem 2: On every single print , anywhere there is black, there are vertical darker black lines evenly spaced going along the page (about 3 for every inch).

First problem is generally a monitor brightness issue as mentioned earlier.

Second is quite possibly a daisy wheel or similar issue.

Are you using Canon paper and using the appropriate media type setting. Reasonably common issue when not using the correct setting or an un-suited paper.

MindlessConsumer wrote in post #11544188
The printer is fresh out of the box...

Doesn't matter. When troubleshooting a new printer it's best to establish whether your issues are a mechanical defect or having to do with faulty color management or software problems. All printers are capable of generating a test image to demonstrate that the nozzles are clear and aligned, and ink is flowing properly. Takes one sheet of plain paper.

I downloaded that program Rafromak. It did have lots of option for paper size/media type. I printed off a test print and it looked much better (i just have normal printer paper). Actually the brightness was nearly correct (though the colors were dull). It looks pretty pixelated, but it might look better on real photo paper. High quality papers go in through the rear of the printer and normal paper goes in the front cassette. I clicked the paper type as "high-resolution" but the paper came out soaked in ink and the image was much darker than it should have been.


Do printers that are made to do photos do a higher res print job once good paper is selected? Is that common?

Sure, there's a difference between ink usage when printing a photo on photo paper and when printing on "plain" paper. And, as you've seen, if you give the printer the wrong info on paper type you can get messy results.

If you want to get good results, check what Canon photo paper type is compatibe with your printer -- the paper type drop-down list should give specific paper names, and the Canon web site should also provide you with names. Start with purchasing one or two of those papers and work with them. Trying to print good photos on plain paper will only frustrate you.

I was just testing the printer when I used the regular paper. But it was disconcerting to see how dark everything is coming out.

I googled something like "Canon printing dark" and it returned a LOT of other stories about this same issue. Though most of it was just people explaining the fact that they would take it out of the box, install it, and then end up with dark prints.

Tony is right. I had no idea you were trying to print on plain paper. Best way to start is to pick up a pack of Canon 4x6 Photo Paper Plus Glossy II from your local office supply store. This is a paper that will give you good results and is inexpensive for throwaway test prints.

MindlessConsumer wrote in post #11548377
I googled something like "Canon printing dark" and it returned a LOT of other stories about this same issue. Though most of it was just people explaining the fact that they would take it out of the box, install it, and then end up with dark prints.

Ironically... If you have a well exposed photo and do no adjustments to it in Photoshop, just feed it directly to the printer... If you allow the printer to handle the color management, it should print just fine.