All Adobe programs printing dots/jagged edges instead of clean vectors and text

[megawatt53]

Hi! I'm wondering if anyone can help with what I imagine is a "settings" type issue.

I am trying to print really basic stuff. Like, basic fonts and vector images in black and white.

When I try to print from Illustrator and InDesign, the images and text appear as tiny printed black dots (or, with thicker type, just super jagged edges). Like, it prints like a crappy rendering of the fonts and images.

Zooming in on the computer screen, it's all crisp, even when something the size of a 12-pt period, zoomed in to the size of my head. So, I do know what a vector is and that it's not a poor resultion image that can't be blown up.

The same fonts print beautifully from Microsoft Word, etc.

I'm attaching an image of a photo of a couple sentences that I printed in black and white (sorry I have whack lighting; it's just black toner on white paper). The sentences on the computer screen look normal.

I'm using a super basic printer--a Brother black and white laser printer (MFC-L2750DW). 

Does anyone have ideas, or is there any additional information I need to research about my settings or printer? Extra extra gratitude to anyone who can answer like you're dealing with a total newbie.

Thank you all so much in advance!

 

[rob day]

Try setting your Appearance of Black Printing Preference to Output All Blacks as Rich Black. The default CMYK [Black] swatch doesn’t necessarily display or print as absolute black—it depends on your document’s color management settings.

Here’s CMYK [Black] vs. RGB 0|0|0 black with and without Output All Blacks as Rich Black:

Output All Blacks Accurately:

[megawatt53]

Thanks so much, Rob! I just checked, and I already have it set to rich black. Any other ideas for quick fixes or things I should research about my settings or printer, if I may impose on your expertise just a little more?

[rob day]

What’t the exact color mode and values of the text’s fill? Does it happen if you fill the text with RGB black (0|0|0 showing in the Color panel when the text is selected). Are there any transparent objects on the spread

[megawatt53]

Just double/checked; it was already set up at RGB 0/0/0.

What else can I look into? Thanks!

[rob day]

Does it happen if the fill is  0|0|0|100 CMYK black and you have your appearance of black set to Output All Blacks as Rich Black?

[megawatt53]

I'm not sure why, but I can't get the settings to stay at CMYK 0/0/0/100.

I go into the color swatch with the type selected. I type CMYK 0/0/0/100. I say "OK" then click back in, and the CMYK says 70/67/64/74.

I also went into File --> Document Color Mode --> CMYK Color, in case that would make a difference. The swatch still refuses to stay at 0/0/0/100, aand the printing remains the same.

[megawatt53]

Also, to clarify, I have also followed your recommendation and set "Output All Blacks as Rich Black." No change with that setting.

[megawatt53]

I just realized that one thing that might also be helpful is a thinner type than Futura to demonstrate what's happening, in case it's more clear. Attaching another photo of Times New Roman printed, which looks much worse (I'm sure the thickness of Futura somewhat lessens the issue). Thanks for all of your help with this!!

[rob day]

I also went into File --> Document Color Mode --> CMYK Color, in case that would make a difference. The swatch still refuses to stay at 0/0/0/100, aand the printing remains the same.

You must be in Illustrator, InDesign doesn’t have a Document Color mode—ID lets you mix color modes in the same document. Are you printing from Illustrator, or placing AI files and printing from InDesign?

[megawatt53]

Ah! Apologies. I inadvertently switched programs, forgetting it was an InDesign specific question. I tried all the same steps in InDesign, and I have the same results.

For some reason, I'm having this jagged printing as a broader issue with all of the Adobe programs (Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat), whether it's in original format or converted to a PDF. 

If I print those same exact fonts via MS Word, Sibelius, Finale or anything straight from Safari, they print just fine, no jagged edges. That's a pretty decent spectrum of things that print really well.

Is this an issue where I have a broader-scope Adobe default setting that isn't communicating with my printer correctly? It's literally every single Adobe thing I print. And it's not an issue from anything non-Adobe. Like maybe it's that I have a printer that's a couple notable grades below what people would generally use for printing design work, so it's got different general settings...? Those ideas may be absurd, but I'm just trying to think of anything!

[Eugene Tyson]

What happens if you export to PDF and print from Acrobat?

[megawatt53]

Same issue when it's a PDF. Everything Adobe prints this way; nothing else does. I got specific in a reply above, but I'm thinking there must be a broader settings-type issue.

[Willi Adelberger]

I would strongly recommend to export to PDF and print from Adobe Acrobat. Don't print from InDesign. Don’t create any PDF via printing. Don’t use the OS’ PDF creating tools.

Do you use any transparency?

Is an image with transparent parts above the text? It should be beyond.

[megawatt53]

Thanks Willi--I have tried PDFs, and it still does the same from Acrobat. I do export it to PDF (not the print to PDF).

There's no transparency. To remove all unnecessary variables of other things affecting the printing, I took a new blank document and typed two sentences (as per the rich black specs in the comments above). Nothing else. 

Do you have any other ideas? I feel like I have to be missing something ridiculously obvious!

[Eugene Tyson]

It's likely down to a Printing Setting.

Can you choose something like Photo Quality from your Print Settings?

[megawatt53]

Thanks! I'm thinking so, too. I didn't find "photo quality" in the settings, but I tried selecting 600 dpi in InDesign (though it seems unlikely that 300 was insufficient), and I chose "for complex art" in Illustrator. Same printing issue.

Thinking it's not from my actual printer's separate settings, since the printing looks nice from every other application that's not Adobe. Is there any other suggestion as to where I can look? I'm not offended by solutions as simple as "restart the computer/printer" (though I did do that), or "completely uninstall and reinstall Creative Cloud programs" (which I have also done). I've had this problem with printing from these Adobe programs in years past--different computers (all Apple) and different printers (all Brother). Is there maybe a compatibility issue with this printer that I need to learn to fine tune?

[rob day]

Thinking it's not from my actual printer's separate settings, since the printing looks nice from every other application that's not Adobe.

The Adobe applications are color managed and the "jagged" edges are actually halftone (not printer) dots caused by a color conversion somewhere—that’s the reason for the appearance of black preference, which only affects black CMYK fills.

From InDesign try making a new document with the Intent set to Print, choose Edit>Assign Profiles... and set the CMYK profile to Photoshop 5 Default CMYK. Set some text filled with the default [Black] swatch at 100%, and print to Composite Gray

This is what I get from my Brother:

[megawatt53]

Thanks! I did all of this and still haven't gotten the text printing straightened out. Is there any other place I should try to sort out the halftone dots/color conversion? I truly appreciate all of your help.

[Simon GB]

Found it!

Under Print > Advanced > Uncheck Print as bitmap. It did it for me!

[defaultl2dcn3pi5o8u]

yeah was gonna say this is a resolution issue

[HowToPrintThisPage]

Wow, that made huge difference for me. Thanks!! Still searching for a solution when you want to print text and a photo on the same page - I cannot uncheck the Print as bitmap in this case since this fixes the jagged text issue bit it damages the quality of the photo and I am out of ideas