Expert: Amy - 1/1/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have a Mac OS X 10.4.11 with Illustrator 11.0.0.  My printer is a Canon
S400.  I am trying to use a template file created on a PC using Illustrator 8.0,
but when I go to print, the colors aren't right and they aren't sharp.  My
printer software offers few options for improving print quality.  Do I need a
new printer or is this a problem caused by the conversion of a file from an old
version of Illustrator made with a PC to the Mac?  Can you recommend a
printer that offers lots of print quality options in the software?  Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Dave,

Illustrator isn't really designed to print on an inkjet printer... the best results are achieved on a postscript device. That might explain the crispness issue. But since I don't know exactly what you mean... I can't say for sure. Are you saying that, for example, you print the same graphic from both Acrobat and Illustrator, the Illustrator result will be blurrier? Can you do that as an experiment and let me know what happens? Save or print the AI file to A PDF, open it with Acrobat and print it. Tell me what you get.

Colors are a tricky business. Your colors on screen will probably never match your inkjet results. Think of it this way. What you see on screen is like a neon sign. What you actually get on a printer is like a photo of that neon sign. The colors will never be as bright. The tones will always be a little bit off. But that's not to say that you can't get a little closer.

Are you printing graphics or photos? I am guessing graphics.

Since you are printing to a CMYK device, make sure you are working in a CMYK color space in Illustrator. That will probably help you get closer. You could also do some experimentation and find a Color Proof profile for yout Illustrator display that emulates your printer results. I personally use an HP 5650 and have never found a proof mode in Illustrator that helps much. I use Sheetfed Coated profile.

If you are trying to print graphics (logos, type), make sure you don't let the printer driver adjust the colors. All those printer drivers seem to want to adjust everything as if it were a photo. I skipped version CS but I am pretty sure that there is still some sort of Color Management option in the print set up.  You should let Illustrator determine the colors, not the printer profile.

As far as new printers go, I have found that most of the lower priced inkjets have about the same level of control and nearly all of them are geared to make PHOTOS look good, not graphics. My HP 5650 was a pretty good buy - I've been very happy with it as a general purpose printer. It has controls like smart focus, contrast enhancement, etc. I personally was never happy with my Epson because I do mostly graphics, not photos, but a photographer friend of mine had one of those expensive (~500) Epsons for photos that was incredible...

I am actually in the market for a laser printer now. I have outgrown inkjets... the ink is too expensive.

Well let me know a little more about the "not crisp" issue and we'll take it from there!
-Amy



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Amy, I saved the file as a PDF and it printed much the same as the
Illustrator file did.  It was very grainy and the colors were not crisp as they
appear on the monitor.  In the past when I used my PC to print these files to
the same printer, the end result was much better, not a perfect translation of
screen to paper, but much more vibrant color and clarity.  Most of the
advanced printing options available to me on PC version of the printer
software are "greyed out" for the Mac.  Yes, I am printing graphics.  I am not
a very advanced Illustrator user so I don't know if there is something I need
to do differently or if this is just a print software issue.  How do you let
Illustrator determine the colors?

Answer
So I think it's safe to assume that your printer driver software is causing the blurriness... if both Acrobat and Illustrator are printing blurry.

If you are certain that your default printer preferences aren't set to "draft" or "low quality" then the reason may be in the content.

Are your graphics embedded images, per chance? or embedded EPS files? Do all Illustrator files print blurry or just the one you're currently working on?

Maybe I should take a look at the file to see if the content is the issue. You can send it to AmyLynPace@yahoo.com

To let Illustrator determine colors, look under the Color Management item in the print setup menu (Click print and you are presented with options in a menu. There's an option to "Let Illustrator Determine Colors."

There is also an option called [ ] Print as Bitmap. I believe that is found in the Advanced tab. You should probably try it, and set the rasterization quality to high, even though this wouldn't affect the Acrobat results.