Photoshop and pixma pro-100 banding problem

[joelg19791143]

Hi!

I just got my new printer, a canon pixma pro-100 and the first few test print were ok, but color where off, then it started to do some banding... like really important. I ran a cleaning head cycle, realign the head in case, and test print... so far everything is good. Go back to photoshop CC2017 and again... freaking banding... like useless. I can print with other program and i dont have banding but color are really off.

So is there any way to configure photoshop so it print like it should without a problem.

Thank you!

and the sooner someone can help me the better, i'm in university and the printer was for my semester project.

Joel

[bzareenk]

Are there any gradients in your image? Are you seeing bands in the gradients? Are you editing in 8 bit or 16 bit?Have you transformed your image again and again which matters because this is the point when photoshop will not give such a smooth transition from one color to another. And make sure you have checked all the basics.

Photoshop print basics

[D Fosse]

There are two ways to print with Photoshop. You can let the printer driver handle color management, or you can let Photoshop do it. This is set in the main Print dialog in Photoshop.

Printer manages color is the safe option. Photoshop manages color is more flexible, and potentially a bit better quality in some scenarios.

With Photoshop managing color, there are two important things to remember: One, pick the correct icc paper profile in the "Print profile" rolldown. These profiles are installed along with the printer driver, and are typically called "<printer name> premium photo glossy" or something similar depending on the paper you're using.

Two, disable printer color management in the printer driver. You don't want double profiling.

Either way you do it, you must open the printer driver and make sure it is set to the correct paper type there. Even with Photoshop managing color, this is needed to control the total amount of ink.

[NB, colourmanagement]

Hi Joelg

#1 do your testing on a canon paper listed in the printer software under "media type"

#2 check the head, you did that

#3 take it easy with photoshop edits if working on 8 bit files. Over editing colour and tome can lead to insufficient data to define smooth gradations properly. maybe test with a test image to get started, that rules out issues you may have created in your own images. Look at my website, there is an Adobe RGB testimage there under downloads which is free to use.

downloads | colourmanagement.net

Can I ask though - by "banding"n do you mean straight lines across the print - parallel with the print head movement? That's normally a hardware fault.

Personally, I recommend using the term "banding" for only that symptom.

Those unwanted straight lines across a print can be caused by a partial head blockage (nozzle blockage) or, sometimes head strike - when the head is incorrectly spaced from the paper which, in some cases, means it touches the print leaving "skid marks").

Printers sometimes have a setting to adjust the head gap "platen gap", if not you'd need thinner paper to avoid head strikes.

Perhaps you have faults in gradations where there should be smooth tones, but now there are steps (like contour lines on a map). If that's it then the term "contouring" or "posterisation" describes the symptom better.

Bahaar Khan has some good tips for you above if it's "contouring" or "posterisation" you are seeing in your gradients. It's OK to call it banding but it can get a bit confusing when too many differing symptoms get the same name!

DFosse is right about the colour management settings, you do need to get that right too.

IF you're using Canon paper, then generally setting Photoshop to "printer manages colours" IS easier. Just make sure that the actual paper you have in the printer is selected under media in the printer's software settings.

If it's not Canon paper you'll need an accurate icc profile for your exact printer and paper - AND information about the correct media option to use with that profile. Paper manufacturers sometimes provide both, sometimes just the icc profile, which is pretty useless as the media option has a big influence on print appearance.

I hope this helps

if so, please do mark my reply as "helpful" and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct" below, so others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement

[davescm]

Hi

Others have given some great advice here but there are couple of things to add.

If what you describe as "banding" is horizontal lines across the paper, in the same direction as the print heads move, then  look at three additional things:

1. Print head alignment - there is usually a maintenance routine to set this up

2. Blocked heads - again there is usually a clean routine.

However 1 & 2 would normally show up on images printed from other programs.

3. When printing - check that the print driver (accessed under print settings) is set up for High Quality and for Unidirectional printing (not bi-directional printing). Bi-directional is faster but can result in that cross the page striping.

Dave

[tmyusuf74]

When you printed any kind of document at first check out the printer driver because it is necessary for printing. Next, you check out your printer connection because it is important. ...and as well as please page setup which document you are need a print.

[joelg19791143]

thanks you all. I don't know where i can choose to set the printer for a single pass over bi-directionnal pass. i checked every option and i don't see it.

That being said, i change a few thing and made a test print. I uncheck compensate black spot, high quality compare to standard quality and for paper, even if i'm printing on epson matte proofing paper, i choose high definition paper.

Now the print have the exact same color has my calibrated skin compare to magenta previously AND no banding. I only test on a 6x4 size since i was sucking dry my ink toner last evening trying to understand why it was printing bad.

Maybe someone is able to explain to me the difference between standard and high quality has it took pretty much the same time to print.... and if it does make a difference?

Thanks again everyone for your extreme fast response.

Joel

[NB, colourmanagement]

Hi Joelg

for some reason I could only go back and respond to your original post, ah well, here goes, I am answering your final comments with this, hope it helps:

you ask:

"Maybe someone is able to explain to me the difference between standard and high quality has it took pretty much the same time to print.... and if it does make a difference?"

these days "resolution" and "single pass or bi-directional" options seem (for simplicity?) to be bundled up into that one setting in printer software. I'd suggest that a setting such as finest detail of high quality is not only enabling finest resolution but also switching off bi-directional print.

I hope this helps

if so, please do mark my reply as "helpful" and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct" below, so others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement

[joelg19791143]

thank you! I will try. I made a color profilling, and the issues seems to be sporadic. something it does it sometime it dont. I really don,t understand but i'm just making a slower workflow and it seems to be better. just 1 page at a time.

[PapatonePictures]

For anyone who is just setting up this printer and seeing the banding issue, and none of the technical/troubleshooting fixes are working: is your printer moving? Is it too heavy for the stand you're using? That was my issue. 

I did the nozzle test and print head alignment, test pages came out fine. Did my first high quality page and was very disappointed to see extremely obvious banding on a 13x19 page. Thankfully, I noticed that the stand that I had the printer sitting on was shaking during printing. I took the printer off the stand, put it on the floor...and the large format print came out with exactly the kind of quality I had been hoping for.

Believe me, I felt all sorts of foolish. That stand had been fine for the smaller Epson printer that I had been using. But because the Pixma Pro-100 is a back-breaking bag of bricks in a printer's body, I'll have to find a new (and very heavy and extremely solid) stand that doesn't move. Which is complicated by the fact that my office is carpeted. But I'm glad it was a furniture issue, and not hardware related.

If any of you have suggestions for what kind of solid stand that your'e using, let me know.