Okay, I know it’s not really personal, and it’s probably not even the printer’s fault, but I can’t sort out the reason for the results I’m getting. I’ll try to put this mare’s nest as succinctly as I can.
Mac G4 OS 10.4.10
Epson RX580
Illustrator CS
I’ve designed a full color business brochure with photographs and full bleeds on the left and right. Basically, when I print from the software print dialog box, I get a fine bleed and lousy color. When I print from the printer dialog box, I get accurate color and a slightly reduced version that leaves a white border on the sides.
- Print > Get Illustrator’s Print Preview window > click “Print”
It prints an 8.5 X 11 page with full bleeds on the left and right.
But the color is horrible, desaturated and muddy.
I have poked around, changing the Color Management settings, but the result is the same (my document color setting is CMYK U.S. Web Uncoated v2). Is there something in particular I should be setting it to?
Alternately:
2) Print > Get the Print Preview window > click “Printer”.
The Printer dialog box comes up.
Layout > Border > None
Paper Handling > document (US Letter (Sheetfeeder - Borderless)
Print Settings > Plain/Bright White Paper, Color, Advanced, and Fine > hit Print.
Returned to the Preview window, which shows the bleeds as before.
Hit Print on the preview window
It prints good color, but there’s no bleed. There’s an eighth inch white border on both sides. Comparison with version #1 proves that for some reason, it’s reducing the image slightly.
I have also set the print settings on the printer itself (this is a new printer for me, and I’m a little at sea with it): Color, Photo, Borderless, Matte (paper), Letter (paper size), 100% (no reduction). Doesn’t appear to alter either result above. Neither does saving a pdf and printing that, or making the document in InDesign.
So I gather I can get good color and a right/left bleed. Why can’t I get them on the same document? Any help at all would be appreciated, even if it’s just a recommendation for where I should probably look to correct this. Is it easier to try to get good color on #1, or easier to get #2 to quit reducing the image? I have looked at Illustrator help on line (both color and printer advice) but all I can find is stuff I already know and stuff that’s incomprehensible. I am wasting buckets of ink trying to figure this out.