Pro-10 Printer Not Printing Correctly

[MG9]

My Pro-10 printer has been sitting idle for several months until about two weeks ago. I printed six or seven graphite drawing prints then and they printed well although they had a blue cast. I needed them for an out of town funeral so I couldn't take the time to figure it out so now I'm back home and working on it. Yesterday the first few were printing as if the yellow wasn't working at all. The last time that happened I thought it was probably from inactivity and after several prints it corrected itself. This time it hasn't but it's confusing. I did two nozzle checks and both printed perfect. I removed the yellow cartridge and lightly touched and the ink was coming out without issue.I printed a yellow flower picture and it looks perfect--then I printed a scene and the whole thing has a blue cast and absence of yellow. I do have new cartridges on order but my current cartridges show about 1/3 full so I hate to change if I don't need to.

My second problem is that the colors are "bleeding". Example pictures below--see how the pink and red has bled down into the blue shadows? It doesn't always do that though as proven by the snowman picture where it is red against blue and worked perfectly. The snowman was printed in between the first and second pictures so it isn't that it has corrected itself. Help?

[jrhoffman75]

What type of paper are you printing on?

[MG9]

Canson Aquarelle Rag

[jrhoffman75]

Are you using the Canson ICC profile and recommended media type?

[MG9]

I am not using the ICC profile--I've used the printer for six years and have always gotten good results previously. (Using the same settings and same paper.)

[ebiggs1]

You know things like this are mostly caused by a setting error. We know the printer will print like it is expected. Right? So, first off I would go through your settings extra carefully. Second, I would make sure I had the correct ICC profile for the paper. Even if it is the same paper but perhaps from a different batch.

Stop doing wasteful nozzle scheck and alignment. The good prints confirm that the printer is OK. Are you using Photoshop to print?

[MG9]

A setting could make it color bleed like that? All of my settings are exactly alike from one picture to the next. I had no idea that a different batch of identical paper could throw it off like that! Thank you.

(Yes, I'm using Photoshop to print. I've been contemplating whether that's the best way.)

[jrhoffman75]

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@MG9wrote:

A setting could make it color bleed like that? All of my settings are exactly alike from one picture to the next. I had no idea that a different batch of identical paper could throw it off like that! Thank you.

(Yes, I'm using Photoshop to print. I've been contemplating whether that's the best way.)

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There are two settings you need to select when printing - Media Type and ICC profile.

Media Type controls how the printer applies the ink to the paper. The ICC profiles controls how the colors look - translates the RGB data in the file to how the medium (display or paper) responds to the color data.

You state that you are not using an ICC profile. You didn't identify what Canon media type you are selecting - a Canon printer only understands how Canon papers respond to ink application.

An incorrect media type could cause bleeding, but since you said it has been OK with the settings you select in the past then I wouldn't suspect that the settings are your problem.

Not saying this is your problem, but some papers are very hard to tell the print side (which is coated to accept ink) from the back (uncoated side). printing on the wrong side of the paper could result in bleeding. Have you verified you are printing on the coated side?

[MG9]

Oh that's very helpful-thank you. I know where to select the ICC profile but didn't fully realize the purpose. I have always just printed a few tests as I tweaked the color until I got it where I wanted it--now I'm realizing that probably would've been a better and more cost effective way of getting the color correct. Live and learn. 🙂 Like you said though, that's probably not the issue here since it worked correctly before (and after).

In some of my tests to see if the coloring was correct I did purposefully print on the backside so as to not waste as much paper but the "problem pictures" were all printed on the correct side of the paper.

Thanks for your help.

[ebiggs1]

"I had no idea that a different batch of identical paper could throw it off like that!"

Yes different batches can print differently even though they are the same paper and brand. This is especially true with the higher end art papers. Most of the time there will be a new ICC profile. When I was working for Hallmark Cards we printed with every way known to man. Even how paper was stored and/or transported could affect printing.