(This is LONG, I apologize. I just want to provide as much information as I can.)
Hello. I have joined this site after becoming thoroughly confused about what to do in regards to replacing my current printer. I'm anxious to do what I need to do to get printing again, hopefully today. So any guidance is much appreciated.
I have read some of the very informative articles but I am still lost in a sea of choices so I am hoping someone will be able to help me narrow down what I should buy. Follows is my situation:
I recently retired from my mundane day to day job and made the choice to pursue my art work. I have even joined a well known online/brick and mortar art gallery. I have been editing my paintings and photographs and uploading them to the particular site. The colors look fine and acceptable on my computer screen. I am on a laptop Macbook Pro running Mavericks and I already know that for photo and art work I should have a desk top monitor which I do it just isn't hooked up at the moment. (It is a HP w2007).
I printed a number of photos for my own hard copy portfolio from my HP PHOTOSMART PREMIUM c410a over the last few days. At first the images looked acceptable enough. Not perfect matches to what I have been seeing on the screen, but close enough. NOW, however, all of a sudden NOT so good My first indication that there is a problem is that the dramatic red reds I need are orange in some prints and as adjusting them they even turn pale and washed out. I printed another photo with a lot of blue and it just doesn't match my monitor very well at all.
At first I thought there was a problem with the monitor calibration and have made numerous tweaks. Then I thought maybe there is a problem with color management etc. I started to work on this but wow, confusing and over my head.
So I called HP. The tech started to walk me through some trouble shooting. She asked me about the ink cartridges, I told her they were brand new. She had me clean them and align them. Still no good. She asked me to print my photo on photo paper and plain paper. Still no good. Then she had me find a picture to place on the scanner and copy. I chose a page from a magazine that had people and a huge red box at the bottom.
Well, apparently the fact that this image did not print with good color representation indicated to her that the problem is not with my computer at all, but with the printer only. So she had me remove the print head and clean it with a damp cloth. What a mistake. Now there is a black smudgy line that appears in the printed images. I tried to wipe the print head again and the line is still there not to mention that the colors are still off.
Bottom line according to tech: I need a new print head and/or printer. I told her I was not happy about this because the printer hadn't been used extensively but she said these things can just happen after a while.
So I guess I need a new printer. But which one? I have tried to comparison shop on line but i'm not clear on what I should be looking for. I want a wireless printer that is compatible with my Mac. I want the best photo quality I can get for the little I have to spend, preferably under $300. I want an all-in-one. I want an all-in-one that can handle almost any type of paper...glossy, matte,brochure,flyer,plain,textured,etc. Two sided printing would be nice. It ISN'T important to me to be able to edit the photos from the printer. It ISN'T paramount that I be able to insert a memory card directly into the printer. I don't care if it is touch screen or actual buttons. I guess these are the obvious parameters to me.
If indeed the printer I have is really kaput, what would be some suggestions for a new printer?
I appreciate any help that can be provided.
Respectfully,
mythical
Hello. I have joined this site after becoming thoroughly confused about what to do in regards to replacing my current printer. I'm anxious to do what I need to do to get printing again, hopefully today. So any guidance is much appreciated.
I have read some of the very informative articles but I am still lost in a sea of choices so I am hoping someone will be able to help me narrow down what I should buy. Follows is my situation:
I recently retired from my mundane day to day job and made the choice to pursue my art work. I have even joined a well known online/brick and mortar art gallery. I have been editing my paintings and photographs and uploading them to the particular site. The colors look fine and acceptable on my computer screen. I am on a laptop Macbook Pro running Mavericks and I already know that for photo and art work I should have a desk top monitor which I do it just isn't hooked up at the moment. (It is a HP w2007).
I printed a number of photos for my own hard copy portfolio from my HP PHOTOSMART PREMIUM c410a over the last few days. At first the images looked acceptable enough. Not perfect matches to what I have been seeing on the screen, but close enough. NOW, however, all of a sudden NOT so good My first indication that there is a problem is that the dramatic red reds I need are orange in some prints and as adjusting them they even turn pale and washed out. I printed another photo with a lot of blue and it just doesn't match my monitor very well at all.
At first I thought there was a problem with the monitor calibration and have made numerous tweaks. Then I thought maybe there is a problem with color management etc. I started to work on this but wow, confusing and over my head.
So I called HP. The tech started to walk me through some trouble shooting. She asked me about the ink cartridges, I told her they were brand new. She had me clean them and align them. Still no good. She asked me to print my photo on photo paper and plain paper. Still no good. Then she had me find a picture to place on the scanner and copy. I chose a page from a magazine that had people and a huge red box at the bottom.
Well, apparently the fact that this image did not print with good color representation indicated to her that the problem is not with my computer at all, but with the printer only. So she had me remove the print head and clean it with a damp cloth. What a mistake. Now there is a black smudgy line that appears in the printed images. I tried to wipe the print head again and the line is still there not to mention that the colors are still off.
Bottom line according to tech: I need a new print head and/or printer. I told her I was not happy about this because the printer hadn't been used extensively but she said these things can just happen after a while.
So I guess I need a new printer. But which one? I have tried to comparison shop on line but i'm not clear on what I should be looking for. I want a wireless printer that is compatible with my Mac. I want the best photo quality I can get for the little I have to spend, preferably under $300. I want an all-in-one. I want an all-in-one that can handle almost any type of paper...glossy, matte,brochure,flyer,plain,textured,etc. Two sided printing would be nice. It ISN'T important to me to be able to edit the photos from the printer. It ISN'T paramount that I be able to insert a memory card directly into the printer. I don't care if it is touch screen or actual buttons. I guess these are the obvious parameters to me.
If indeed the printer I have is really kaput, what would be some suggestions for a new printer?
I appreciate any help that can be provided.
Respectfully,
mythical