New Canon Pixma Pro-100 printing with streaks on backgrounds

[jen]

Hello.  I just purchased the printer last week.  I'm operating on a MacBook Air.  I typically use LightRoom and Photoshop.  

I'm a professional photographer and recently look a class at ICP and learned how to print there.  I was shocked at how beautiful the prints were.  This was using an Epson in a classroom.

I did my research and talked to other photographers and decided the Pro-100 would be perfect for me, and so far, it is.

I've had trouble with magenta casts when using LightRoom.  Switched to PhotoShop and got better results.  But some prints, especially those with a simple, plain background, faint lines appear across the page.

Here's an example.  The lines appear top to bottom every 1/4 inch or so:

[jrhoffman75]

Download and print this test image:

http://outbackprint.outbackphoto.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html

This will help determine if it's a printer problem or a particular image problem.

[jen]

I will try that when I get home from my day job!

I'm pretty sure it's not an image problem, since it happened on a few different prints.

Here are some weird details that might help:

I started by printing from Lightroom.  The first 8x10 was beyond perfect.  A colorful pic of my dog, on a red couch, with greens and blues in the background.

Then prints came out magenta.  I played with settings and read different tips online.  And yes, my laptop monitor is callibrated.  (And it's a Mac, so I can't access turning off the printer color settings.(

I tried printing from Lightroom and changing the settings to "let the printer" decide how to print.  The colors were back to perfect, but with the faint lines you see in the pic attached.

So I switched to printing from PhotoShop and things improved after playing with settings.  But then the dreaded lines came back.  On 2 out of 4 prints.  Not on B&W prints, only color prints.  It seems so random...

But it's so close to being amazing, I'll keep trying to figure it out!

[jrhoffman75]

Try using Print Studio Pro. It should have been installed by the printer driver. Here is where you can download the instruction manual:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/printers_multifunction/pixma_pro_series/pixma_pro_100...

Also, try a print head test print and maybe head cleaning and head alignment in the printer driver.

Here are some YouTube resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlV7cqqladQ&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiYfoDpKk5Y

[jen]

I did all the noozle checks, test prints, allignments recommended in this thread and the manual.  I also printed using the Print Studio Pro.  And calibrated my monitor with a Spyder device.

(I'm a professional  photographer and have printed my work on large canvases, acrylics, and paper using online services.)

The prints from the Canon printer, when they work, are FABULOUS.   

But I still get a horrible magenta tint trying to print photos of people.

I still get lines when the background is a solid, smooth color.

In LightRoom, I get the worst results with magenta if I let Lightroom dictate color.  If I select "let the printer figure out the color" option, it looks great, but more background streaks occur.

It seems like I'm going to have to keep playing with settings on smaller paper until I get it all working.  

[jen]

And I'm on a Mac. I think that's the problem.

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

Call Canon at 1-866-261-9362, Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. ET (excluding holidays).

[jen]

Ok, after some trail and error and not calling the help line (I'm stubborn) I have found the trick!

To get rid of the lines, I add a little bit of noise in PS.  It happens frequently with bright, flat blue skies.  Adding noise to the sky does the trick.

To get spectacular prints, I print in LR and use the printers color management.  Works like a charm!

[jrhoffman75]

Great. Give the Print Studio Pro plugin for LR a try also.

[wpiman]

I am getting these on my mac as well.  I have tried several application to print several photos.  All with streaks.  This this is terrible.  I have made maybe 5 prints with it; huge buyers remorse.