Attaining accurate colors for retail prints can be frustrating to many since various factors determine the final outcome. Today, we highlight 25 primary reasons prints don’t match your digital file or physical artwork.
- Incorrect color profile settings on the computer or printer
- Calibration issues with the monitor or printer
- Outdated or incorrect printer drivers
- Use of non-compatible inks or toners
- Paper types affect color absorption
- Lighting conditions in the room where the print is viewed
- The age of the monitor or printer affects color accuracy
- Use of low-quality or compressed image files
- Differences in color gamut between the monitor and printer
- Use of third-party printing services or software
- Poor maintenance of the printer
- Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity
- Differences in resolution between the digital file and printed image
- Use of a different color space or color mode in the digital file
- Printing on non-photo paper
- Incorrect color settings in the printing software
- Using a printer with different color cartridges
- Using a printer with low ink or toner levels
- Incorrect use of color correction or color adjustment tools
- Use of a different type of printer than what the file was created for
- Use of a different type of ink or toner than what the file was created for
- Dirty or clogged print head
- Incorrect use of color management settings
- Differences in print settings between the digital file and printed image
- The age of the physical artwork affects color accuracy
Keep reading/scrolling for examples of each…
Examples For Each Reason Prints Don’t Match Your Digital File
- Incorrect color profile settings on the computer or printer – For example, if you set your software to use the sRGB color profile but your printer to the Adobe RGB color profile, the colors in your print may not match those on your computer screen.
- Calibration issues with the monitor or printer – For instance, if you incorrectly calibrate your monitor, the colors you see on your screen may not match the colors in the final print. Similarly, if your printer’s color calibration is off, your print’s colors may differ from what you expect.
- Outdated or incorrect printer drivers – If you’re using an older version of your printer’s driver, it may not be compatible with the latest version of your computer’s operating system, causing the colors in your prints to be inaccurate.
- Use of non-compatible inks or toners – For example, if you’re using an aftermarket ink or toner not explicitly engineered for your print hardware, the colors in your prints may not match those of the original manufacturer’s inks or toners.
- Paper type or quality affecting color absorption – If you’re using glossy photo paper to print a photo, the colors may be more vibrant than if you were to print the same photograph on matte paper.
- Lighting conditions in the room – If you view your print with natural light, the colors may appear differently than if you view it in a room with artificial light.
- Age of the monitor or printer affecting color accuracy – As your monitor or printer ages, its color accuracy may decrease, causing your prints to not match the colors on your screen.
- Use of low-quality or compressed image files – In low-resolution or compressed image files, the colors in your print may not be as accurate or vibrant as if you were to use a high-resolution or uncompressed file.
- Differences in color gamut between the monitor and printer – For example, some monitors and printers have a wider color gamut than others, which can cause colors to appear differently on different devices.
- Use of third-party printing services or software – If you’re using a third-party printing service or software, the colors in your print may not match those of the original digital file due to differences in color management settings or other factors.
- Poor maintenance of the printer – If you clean or maintain your printer regularly, the colors in your prints should be more accurate and vibrant.
- Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity – For example, if the temperature or moisture in the room where you’re printing is too high or too low, it can affect the colors in your prints.
- Differences in resolution between the digital file and printed image – If you’re printing a high-resolution image at a lower resolution, the colors in your print may need to be more accurate and detailed.
- Using a different color space or color mode in the digital file – If you’re working in the RGB color space but are printing in the CMYK color space, the colors in your print may not match those of the digital file.
- Printing on non-photo paper – For example, if you’re printing a photo on regular office paper, the colors may not be as vibrant as they would be on photo paper.
- Incorrect color settings in the printing software – For instance, if you’ve accidentally set the printing software to print in grayscale instead of color, your print will have a different color than your digital file.
- Using a printer with different color cartridges – For example, if you’ve replaced one of the color cartridges in your printer with a third-party cartridge, the colors in your print may not match those of the original manufacturer’s cartridges.
- Using a printer with low ink or toner levels – For example, if your printer’s ink or toner levels are low, the colors in your prints may be faint or inconsistent.
- Incorrect use of color correction or color adjustment tools – For example, if you’ve over-corrected or over-adjusted the colors in your digital file, the print may not match the original colors.
- Use of a different type of printer – For instance, if you’re trying to print a file created for a specific kind of printer, such as an inkjet printer, on a different type of printer, such as a laser printer, the colors may not match.
- Use of a different type of ink or toners – For example, not all inks and toner systems can match every color spectrum.
- Dirty or clogged print head – If your printer’s print head is dirty or clogged, it can affect your prints’ color accuracy and consistency.
- Incorrect use of color management settings – If you’ve accidentally turned off color management in your printing software, the colors in your print may not match those of the digital file.
- Differences in print settings between the digital file and printed image – For example, if you’ve accidentally set the print settings to print at a lower quality than the digital file, the colors may need to be more accurate and vibrant.
- The age of the physical artwork affects color accuracy. For instance, if you have stored a physical piece of artwork for a long time without appropriate preservation, the colors in your final print may not match those of the original.
