CMYK vs RGB problem when printing from inDesign

Factual Questions
1

I have a CMYK eps placed into an inDesign file, only other color used is process black. When I print from my Canon MP560, the only output options from my printer dialog box are Composite RGB and Composite Gray (the CMYK option is grayed out). The image is definitely printing as RGB.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

2

Need more info:
[ol]
[li]Have you EVER been able to get this to work or is this the way it has always been?[/li][li]Does this happen to all InDesign files?[/li][li]Does this happen to files created via other Adobe Creative Suite applications?[/li][li]Does this happen to files created via other non-Adobe applications?[/li][li]Does your printer support PostScript?[/li][li]Do you have the correct printer driver installed?[/li][li]What happens when you use “Composite RGB”?[/li][/ol]

3

Generally speaking, almost all personal “photo” inkjet printers use CMY or CMYK inks (and sometimes a couple others like light magenta, a medium grey, or a light cyan), but print using the RGB model, and do a (variable quality) RGB->CMYK conversion on the printer.

It’s just the nature of these printers. If you need real CMYK control, you’ll need a printer designed for it, which is going to cost more than a personal inkjet; almost all Color Postscript printers will do it, as will most printers described as “proofers” in their name, and appropriate driver software, as well (plus CMYK-capable software, but you’ve got that).

4

I am having the same problem. All of my images are cmyk and my inks are cmyk in the printer, but I cannot seem to get the cmyk option to “ungray”. The preflight says that everything is cmyk. I actually started a new document and put four little boxes of color that are cmyk colors and it does the same thing. What the heck is going on?

5

Same thing I said above. Just because your printer takes CMYK ink cartridges doesn’t mean it supports CMYK input. Every home/office inkjet I’ve ever seen reports itself as an RGB device, and does a CMYK conversion internally.

You need to go to fairly high-end printers in order to get true CMYK all-the-way-through workflows.