Why won’t my Stupid Printer Work Properly ? ? ?

[The Hat]

Can I be so bold as to ask a question, and I guess the answers will probably be far simpler that I suspect, the men in white coats will be calling soon.

Why do many many guys have so much trouble trying to use an inkjet printer, this goes double for Mac users, these little printers are no more complex than a wind up train set, or a transistor radio, Aren’t they...?

First you unbox it and follow the instructions, then you set it up on the desk free from tape, plug in the power lead, cartridges and USB cable then finally install the software and drivers that came on the CD, now you’re ready to print when you just add some plain paper.

Could anything be more simple than that, and this is where my question comes in, why do guys try to fiddle, tweak and change the default setting before then know how the darn thing works.

Finally, if you only need to print occasionally then please get a laser printer and not an inkjet, they are perfectly suited for such occasions, because inkjet printers hate taking holidays...

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Is it that simple ? - I barely remember anymore , I probably would start off to install a CISS, sell the original cartridges on Ebay etc, some of my printers have never seen one drop of OEM ink....

 

[Roy Sletcher]

At our local camera club participation in printed competitions is declining precipitously. Projected digital images regularly get 120-150 entries. Prints, if we are lucky, get 40 entries.

My observation is that novice printmakers wishing to make a serious art print have unrealistic expectations, plus the simplicity of the iPhone concept reduces the desire to follow the simple procedures mentioned by The Hat. They are completely oblivious to the fact that a poorly crafted jpg image some 1,000x700 pxls is not going to make a great 12 x 18 print.

By unreasonable expectation I also mean that many have an overly bright monitor to look at an over saturated, over sharpened file with large areas of "out of gamut" colours. When this does not translate into an outstanding print on the first try, what do you think they will hold to account. Certainly not themselves, their expensive camera, or their post processing workflow.

Of course I am generalizing, and not everybody fits the stereotype I have created, but you get the point I am trying to make.

Good files, realistic expectations, and good printing methods lead to great prints.

Otherwise convert it to black and white, print it big. Call it art.

The rant is now officially off//

rs

 

[The Hat]

@Roy Sletcher, you get the picture, and should get a POW...

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

everybody knows how big an LCD screen you can get for the price of a 17" or 24" printer, and lots of colors and saturation, no wonder that prints cannot really compete there and the interest into this type of printing we are discussing here is declining, and no refill is even necessary for the liquid colors in those screens .... but o.k., I won't put a big screen onto my wall and continue with prints.