Printing tweets (Pixma Pro-100)

[tweetprinter]

Hey everyone, so I run a business printing tweets (it's called Framed Tweets), and after going to Fedex Office for a year, I just got a Pixma Pro-100 to print at home instead.

Problem is, the tweets I'm printing aren't nearly as crisp and clear as the prints I was getting from Kinko's. The text is a hair less-sharp, and the colors are less vibrant.

Does anyone have any ideas for the best settings to print a tweet? I'm working with a Mac and 100 lb, 275 gsm cardstock, by the way.

So you have an idea of what I'm talking about (left is Fedex's print, right is Pixma Pro 100)  [Mod Note: Image removed per forum guidelines - inappropriate language].

[tweetprinter]

Looks like my image got censored for the profanity: here's the family-friendly version 🙂

(Left is Fedex Office's print, right is my Pixma Pro-100; note the slightly blurry, gray text + less color intensity on the "follow" button)

[jrhoffman75]

What media type are you selecting when you print? What kind of printer did FedEx use (maybe a laser printer)? Card stock (which I suspect is a matte type surface isn't the best media for a dye printer since the ink spreads. 

[tweetprinter]

Hey John, thanks for your reply!

I've played around with a few, but nothing in the list really matches what I'm using (it's not THAT textured, but it's definitely not photo paper). I'll admit, I've only tried a few—there's so many options...

Fedex was using their massive laser printer, yup. (side note, if you can suggest a laser printer that can handle thick cardstock and prints tweets perfectly, I would be open to returning this one and getting that)

I also tried using the Canon photo paper that came with the printer (with the media setting to match), but got similarly lackluster (literally!) results.

Any suggestions for a new kind of paper and/or media type setting to try? 

[jrhoffman75]

Hi again. My experience with Canon paper has been excellent. What software are you printing from?

[tweetprinter]

Yup, I'm sure it'll work well with the right settings! 

I'm printing from Preview on Mac—I also have Photoshop.

[jrhoffman75]

Check these settings in Preview

[tweetprinter]

This actually looks pretty sharp. Still, the color is a bit off. The black text is greyish, and all icons are desaturated and kind of lackluster. Here's what I mean:

(First is the Fedex print, second is Pixma Pro-100)

How would you suggest fixing that?

[jrhoffman75]

The snappiest paper I have found is Photo Paper Pro Platinum printed at highest quality.

[tweetprinter]

Hey John, I'd love to switch to that paper, but I do have 1,000 sheets of this particular custom-cut tweet paper I'd like to use. Is there something I could try to get more vivid colors printed with this paper? I noticed there's a TON of color profile options—could one of those be the answer? Thanks!