PIXMA TS9521c settings for clear sticker paper

[mkw1983]

No matter what media type settings I try (photo paper glossy or matte) or what print quality (standard or high), I can't seem to print on clear vinyl sticker paper without the ink not soaking into the paper and smearing (comes out of the printer with ink beaded up and some spots are sharp while others are blurry, and even after 24 hours the ink doesn't dry and can be easily wiped away with a finger). I've even tried two different brands of sticker paper. I've also tried printing using the "all colors except PGBK" to see if that would help, since what I'm attempting to print at this point is just type, not graphics.

Can someone tell me what settings I should be using on this specific printer? I have no problem getting it to print regular photos on photo paper. I don't see an option to select "transparency" as the media type as I've seen suggested for some other printers, and the option to print in "draft" mode is grayed out in my settings (printing from Photoshop if that matters). 

[jrhoffman75]

Your printer is a dye ink printer. Think colored water. It needs to soak into the surface of the media you are printing on. If you sprinkle plain water on the material you will have the same problem. You need to find sticker paper designed for ink jet printing. 

[mkw1983]

Thanks John. The sticker paper I am using is specifically for inkjet printers, and reviews of the paper from other inkjet printer users indicate that it works for other people with different printers. So unfortunately that's not the problem. 

[jrhoffman75]

Can you post a link to the product? What you are describing is exactly what happens when one prints on the wrong side of RC photo paper. 

[mkw1983]

Sure! I've tried both this one...

...and this one.

The first one was terrible (completely unusable even after 24 hours) and the second one was slightly better in that it smeared less when coming directly out of the printer, but still smudges if I touch it 24 hours later. 

[Commercial links removed per forum guidelines and replaced with screenshots to serve as visual aids.]

[jrhoffman75]

A lot of the reviews talk about your problem. There are also cautions about printing on the correct side. If you are sure of that all you can do is try different media types.