Printed output very different from screen

wrote in message

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out looks VERY different from what is on the screen. I don’t think this is a Photoshop problem, but I’m stumped.
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

The image is a green line with a thin black border. Regardless of the program used to view the file, the green line has two obvious shades of green. However, when I print this from any app (e.g., Photoshop, Word, IE, Picture Viewer, etc.) the green appears to be just one shade. I’ve tried printing this on a new HP 4650DN and a less-than-a-year-old Lexmark 810 printer.

I am really quite stumped. I have certainly seen times when images appear different on the screen (e.g., trimmed to web colors), but I’ve never seen an entire color lost on printed output.

The image has 32 colors in the table, and appears to be a 5 bit optimized indexed image, not a web optimized image.

Check your printer driver settings and make sure they are in "picture" mode or the equivalent. I suspect that your printer driver is set to graphics mode, and colors are being modified driver to maximize saturation, but I can’t reproduce this. Also try converting the image to 24 bit RGB before printing.
—

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

Thanks Mike.

When you print from your browser, do the two major shades of green print? If so, what OS and browser?

The printer is setup for ICM Intent: Pictures. I tried it set to Graphics to see if it would help. It didn’t.

I tried converting it to a 16 bit RGB in PS and printed from the PS file.

I tried printing with no color management and with "let printer determine the colors."

I tried on a third printer with the same results.

I from second computer with the same results.

I printed to a pdf file (with a pdf "print" driver) and the shades DID appear in the pdf, although when I printed from the pdf to a printer the same thing happened.

FYI, to create the gif, I copy a graphic from another program (which puts it on the clipboard), paste it into a PS as an RGB 8 bit document. Then chose Save for Web, GIF 128 Dithered. When I look at the colors during the web save, I can see there are only 23 colors in the color table (i.e., even though I’m picking 128). I expect Photoshop may save it as a 32 color even though I picked 128.

It is hard for me to think this is a printer or computer problem, because it happens on three printers and two computers. It is hard to think it is a PS problem, because it views right in a bunch of different apps.

Ideas?

Thanks,

Steve

wrote in message

When you print from your browser, do the two major shades of green print? If so, what OS and browser?

I printed from Photoshop to SnagIt, which is a software capture program that can simulate a printer.

The printer is setup for ICM Intent: Pictures. I tried it set to Graphics to see if it would help. It didn’t.

Actually that’s the opposite of my idea – that you were already printing in graphics mode.

I tried converting it to a 16 bit RGB in PS and printed from the PS file.

16 bit should be about the same as 24 bit.

I tried printing with no color management and with "let printer determine the colors."

I tried on a third printer with the same results.

I from second computer with the same results.

Totally weird. Do normal photographs print OK? I don’t see how the printer can determine that this is your image, and then screw up the colors. I’m still guessing it has something to do with the printer setup. Perhaps someone with a similar experience with printing indexed images will have something to say.
—

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

In article ,
wrote:

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out looks VERY different from what is on the screen. I don’t think this is a Photoshop problem, but I’m stumped.
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

The image is a green line with a thin black border. Regardless of the program used to view the file, the green line has two obvious shades of green. However, when I print this from any app (e.g., Photoshop, Word, IE, Picture Viewer, etc.) the green appears to be just one shade.

Yes, that is correct.

Those two shades of green you are seeing are bright, saturated RGB greens that can not be reproduced in CMYK. Color printers print in CMYK. They are incapable of reproducing that bright, saturated RGB green.

Instead, they produce the nearest equivalent in CMYK. The closest CMYK equivalent to the shades of RGB green you are using are all the same.

—
Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

On 13 Nov 2005 15:16:29 -0800, wrote:

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out looks VERY different from what is on the screen. I don’t think this is a Photoshop problem, but I’m stumped.
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

The image is a green line with a thin black border. Regardless of the program used to view the file, the green line has two obvious shades of green. However, when I print this from any app (e.g., Photoshop, Word, IE, Picture Viewer, etc.) the green appears to be just one shade. I’ve tried printing this on a new HP 4650DN and a less-than-a-year-old Lexmark 810 printer.

I am really quite stumped. I have certainly seen times when images appear different on the screen (e.g., trimmed to web colors), but I’ve never seen an entire color lost on printed output.

Ideas?

Thanks!

Steve

I just printed it from IE to my old hp990 with standard setiings and plain paper. It looks fine as far as the colours go.

I have no idea what the problem is but it is definitely something in your setup.

Your green is out of gamut for printing. Check it in PS CS2 color palette. Eyedrop the color and watch out for a triangle encloses an exclamation mark indicates out of gamut color.

wrote in message

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out looks VERY different from what is on the screen. I don’t think this is a Photoshop problem, but I’m stumped.
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

The image is a green line with a thin black border. Regardless of the program used to view the file, the green line has two obvious shades of green. However, when I print this from any app (e.g., Photoshop, Word, IE, Picture Viewer, etc.) the green appears to be just one shade. I’ve tried printing this on a new HP 4650DN and a less-than-a-year-old Lexmark 810 printer.

I am really quite stumped. I have certainly seen times when images appear different on the screen (e.g., trimmed to web colors), but I’ve never seen an entire color lost on printed output.

Ideas?

Thanks!

Steve

wrote in message

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out [only one shade of green is produced]
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

"kctan" wrote in message > Your green is out of gamut for printing. Check it in PS CS2 color palette.

Eyedrop the color and watch out for a triangle encloses an exclamation mark indicates out of gamut color.

I think kctan has got it – good sleuthing.

Use Photoshop’s soft preview with just about any inkjet profile and you’ll see the bright green fade to almost match the darker green near the edge. —

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 21:01:50 GMT, "Mike Russell" wrote:

wrote in message

When I print a file created with Photoshop CS2 (a web-optimized 128-color gif), the print-out [only one shade of green is produced]
You can see the file at: http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

"kctan" wrote in message > Your green is out of gamut for printing. Check it in PS CS2 color palette.

Eyedrop the color and watch out for a triangle encloses an exclamation mark indicates out of gamut color.

I think kctan has got it – good sleuthing.

Use Photoshop’s soft preview with just about any inkjet profile and you’ll see the bright green fade to almost match the darker green near the edge.

I don’t understand this. I can print this image straight out of IE and get a clear definition between the two greens. What’s the story?

"Avery" wrote in message
[re differentiating greens when printing this image}
http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

I don’t understand this. I can print this image straight out of IE and get a clear definition between the two greens. What’s the story?

Chalk it up to different printers displaying colors differently. —

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

wrote in message

[re differentiating greens when printing this image}
http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

I don’t understand this. I can print this image straight out of IE and get a clear definition between the two greens. What’s the story?

Do you have any thoughts on why the colors would look different on your particular system, but not someone else’s? Have you printed out a variety of green shades to see if they are all distinct, or is there a "cutoff" point where greens cannot get any brighter.
—

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 08:49:47 GMT, "Mike Russell" wrote:

wrote in message

[re differentiating greens when printing this image}
http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif

I don’t understand this. I can print this image straight out of IE and get a clear definition between the two greens. What’s the story?

Do you have any thoughts on why the colors would look different on your particular system, but not someone else’s? Have you printed out a variety of green shades to see if they are all distinct, or is there a "cutoff" point where greens cannot get any brighter.

No Mike, I guess I am not all that advanced at this stuff.

It’s just that I printed the image that was posted straight out of IE to my HP 990 and the two greens were quite distinct. When I read the reponses to say that the colour was out of gamut for CMYK and could not be reproduced my reaction has to be "Huh???" I would have thought that if it was out of range then it was out of range – I don’t understand.

I have just printed the file, again from IE, to my Epson 2100 and the two shades of green are quite distinct – even more defined than on the HP. Just to be sure, I have now printed the file from Photoshop CS with the same results.

Is it possible that my prnters are set up incorrectly and are shifting the colours to a different gamut?

"Avery" wrote in message

Is it possible that my prnters are set up incorrectly and are shifting the colours to a different gamut?

Now you’ve done it, you got me curious. I’m going to do an actual printout

[… printing …]

Well, the results are in. My printer is somewhere in the middle. It also prints the center of the green rod distinctly lighter than the edges, but the green is not as bright, and the difference in shade is much less than what I see on the screen. Photoshop and IE give about the same result.

BTW – did you know you can open the image directly by pasting http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif as the file name to open the file directly in Photoshop?
—
Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:48:42 GMT, "Mike Russell" wrote:

"Avery" wrote in message

Is it possible that my prnters are set up incorrectly and are shifting the colours to a different gamut?

Now you’ve done it, you got me curious. I’m going to do an actual printout
[… printing …]

Well, the results are in. My printer is somewhere in the middle. It also prints the center of the green rod distinctly lighter than the edges, but the green is not as bright, and the difference in shade is much less than what I see on the screen. Photoshop and IE give about the same result.
BTW – did you know you can open the image directly by pasting http://bruff.com/rrtest.gif as the file name to open the file directly in Photoshop?

I guess mine is pretty much the same , a distinct difference but not the same as the screen – I just put that down to the quality of the paper I have used, consistent with what I get when I print other stuff on plain paper as opposed to Epson photo paper.

Thanks for the help.

One fact that I left out (to avoid more confusion) was that the program that the image came from is a program my company wrote. The greens were something like RGB(0,255,0) and RGB(0,180,0). I am finding that if I mix in some R&B the colors do print better, although programically I’m still trying to figure how much of each to mix in to get the right appearance. It is interesting that some of you can see the shades; I tried with three computers and three printers (all on the same network) and could barely see the center green shading. Anyway, back to the paint-buckets to mix up different colors.

Thanks again,

Steve