Canon GP-2000 prints 72 ppi by default (no matter the Illustrator file size and resolution settings)

[polinaraw]

Hi everyone, I am having an issue printing with GP-2000 (MacOS Monterey 12.7.6; Canon’s driver version 26.10.0.0) and haven’t been able to figure out why my vector graphics come out pixelated — until now, after I saw that media width and height gets automatically set to 612 px by 792 px for an 8.5x11 in document, resulting in low 72 ppi resolution.

Even when I create a large file in Illustrator with an initial size of 6120x7920 px and 300 ppi, the document size displays 6120x7920 px, but media size stays at 612x792 px in the Print dialog box. Media width and height are greyed out (I am unable to adjust them).

Has anyone dealt with a similar issue? I would highly appreciate your help and suggestions! Thank you.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Two important things here:

"media size stays at 612x792"

This makes sense. Media size is not a resolution setting. It's a dimension. Paper sizes are defined in points, of which there are 72 to an inch. Because you defined your document's units in pixels, Illustrator will default to equate this to points, so this is completely correct for a Letter Size page.

"resulting in low 72 ppi resolution."

Not related. Printing vector objects directly from Illustrator requires a Postscript RIP. Without one, you can only achieve a low-res approximation of your vector objects as best as your actual printer driver can manage... some are better than others. This is even detailed in the specs for your printer: "For printing from PostScript applications such as Adobe Illustrator or QuarkXpress, please use a PostScript compatible RIP package. For a list of Canon recommended RIP packages, please consult with Canon Alliance and Industry Market list of RIP vendors."

What to do?

You don't print from Illustrator. Instead, you create a print-quality PDF that you print to your device through Acrobat. The Acrobat PDF workflow acts as your Postscript RIP, and will convert your vectors to high-res raster objects appropriate for your device.

[polinaraw]

Brad,

Thank you very much for such a detailed and informative explanation! I am quite new to printing and have a lot to learn. 

I now understand that media size has nothing to do with resolution and that Illustrator requires a Postscript RIP. I will do my research and read more about it! It has been quite frustrating to not be able to print crisp and smooth graphics.

I just tried exporting a high-resolution PDF (6120 × 7920) and printing from Adobe Acrobat; unfortunately, I am still seeing pixelation and unsmooth lines when printing (attaching an image below). Do you know what else might be affecting print quality? Thank you!

[Srishti Bali]

Hi @polinaraw

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with printing. Does the file look fine when opened in Acrobat? Also, could you confirm whether this issue is specific to this particular file or if it's happening with other files as well?

Regards,

Srishti

[polinaraw]

Hi Srishti Bali,

Thank you for your reply!

Yes, the file looks great when opened in Acrobat – high resolution and fine details. Unfortunately, it's happening with all of the files I am printing. Have been trying to figure out the reason, but no luck so far.