Printing colors used on my artboards when creating a postcard

[BlueDog007]

Hello to Adobe Illustrator masters:

Go gee, I am so new, you can almost smell the leather!

I have this new HP Officejet Pro printer 9025e.

It uses HP Smart to print.

I've also learnt how to control the setting of my printer from my computer settings.

What I'm trying to do is:
1. Contol what artboard gets printed.  I am trying to design a Postcard, and it has two artboards.

2. If I try to print from within the Adobe Illustrator app, it only prints in black & white or grayscale.

3. The dialog boxes in Adobe are confusing as a rabbit running from a fox.

I am so confused.

I am so very new to doing things with Adobe Illustrator..

I even tried to export my Postcard project and printing from the exported file, but still no positive results.

Aside from pulling my hair out of my head, I am totally lost on this.

Have I been able to figure out how to get a color print?  Well, yes, but I don't remember what the heck I did to do that.  This is so complicated.  But its probably a cinch for you masters.  Please tell me exactly what to do before enroll in an institution for crazy people.  Well, I'm not really gonna do that, but I hope it made you laugh.  Cause I'm about to scream and wake up my neighbors.

[Test Screen Name]

"I even tried to export my Postcard project and printing from the exported file"

What format did you export? The usual thing would be to save a PDF and print that directly.

[BlueDog007 · Accepted solution]

To those of you who've taken a stab at answering my query: Thank you.

Saving to a PDF format was helpful.

Figuring out how to understand the setting in the Adobe Illustrator dialog box was really challenging for me.

I sure wish Adobe would take time to explain the many options in their print dialog box.

I solved my problem by trial and error, and for those of you out there who are having similar issues:

I discovered by selecting Letter over the option Defined by Driver helped.  However, it took me quite a while to figure that out.  Again, Adobe needs to help new users understand their acronyms used in their dialog boxes.

Well, I am finally moving forward with my postcard project.  Gosh, there is just so much to know when using the Adobe programs.

[Jacob Bugge]

defaulteot,

Based on its being unmentioned in the printer specifications, I am afraid you have no PostScript (emulation) option, so I believe the only safe way to get a (tolerable) print is to save a PDF and print from that, as Print Screen Name said.

I also believe you will be happier if you work in RGB and restrain yourself from colours too far from the CMYK gamut.; you may do that already.

[BlueDog007]

Yes, the suggestion to save as a PDF helped.  I do, however, think when I created my artboard it is set to RGB.

However, I am still having trouble controlling my HP 9025e printer.  This is not something you need to worry yourself about.  I plan on speaking with HP about this again.  I've set the settings to print from Tray 1 and not use Tray 2, but it still uses Tray 2, even after I also go to the printer itself and lock Tray 2.  The HP 9025e printer has given me more challenges then I care to write about here.  But thanks for you input about saving my file as a PDF.  It did help.  Now I'm trying to figure out how to just print the 2nd of 2 artboards to a regular size 8.5 x 11" page in Tray 1.  Thanks again, but I will be talking to HP Smart Friend about this issue and problem.

[Jacob Bugge]

For my part you are welcome, Blue Dog.

Concerning (without worrying) the driver, I believe you will always be happier if you leave as little to fate, sorry, the printer driver as possible.

[BlueDog007]

Thank you.  But HP made working with my HP Officejet Pro 9025e a nightmare.  Be so warned.  If you buy one then prepare for a long learning curve.  What can I say.  HP is a great company, but they do have their weaknesses.