WYSIWYG question

redtuiop · 14 Jul 2012

I know this "problem" probably has a very simple solution, but forgive me, I'm currently brain dead (thanks to chronic pain meds) & can't figure out how to go about it.

I'm using Win 7 with a rather old HP Scanjet (which I know isn't supported etc, but it works perfectly for my needs & is the only one I've found that can adequately scan thick documents, in my case, decoupage cards), and a Canon IP4700 printer with manually refilled inks.

Now, my problem currently is that I suspect the scanner to perhaps be part of the problem, but when I scan particular papers (background papers that I use for putting on the cards), the colours never seem 100% what I want. And certainly, when it comes to printing, they are far removed from the original e.g. pinks turn out lilac, blues turn out grey, & reds turn out pink (of sorts).

Since I can't afford to start buying full price inks again, and can't find another scanner that will do the job I need, I'm lost as to find a way of at least figuring out perhaps which hardware is the culprit.

Or, is it likely that in the current setup I'm never going to succeed in being able to get reasonable accurate colour copies of anything I scan?

Finally, does anyone know of any other quality scanner that could cope with thick items (all the previous ones I tried, in particular, AIO's, couldn't in any sense), so that perhaps I could maybe find a cheap secondhand one to try??

Thanks for any input/suggestions you could provide for me.

Dwarf · 14 Jul 2012

I'm not so sure that hardware is your problem. If everything is working, i.e. you can scan to your computer and print from it using the scanner and printer you mentioned, then the problem doesn't lie there.

As you quite rightly state, not all devices (particularly older models) are officially supported by MS and/or the hardware manufacturer. That does not mean to say that they won't work, in a number of cases they will work with limitations. Some of these limitations may be down to colour profiles, and you should ensure that these are set appropriately for your hardware. By doing this, you ensure that colours are displayed and printed as they should be. However, age also plays a part, and you might need to tweak these settings ocassionally to ensure consistent results.

Finally, you state that you use refillable inks. These are not to the manufacturer's specifications and can give rise to incorrect colours being printed.

Having said all that, your best bet might be to purchase a new printer/scanner to suit your needs. Your local computer hardware store should have plenty for you to look at, and many will also let you try them out before you buy, if you ask.

redtuiop · 14 Jul 2012

Thanks so much for your swift & comprehensive reply Dwarf

- I think you're probably right in focusing on the inks - I did have much worse colour deficits earlier on after reinstalling Windows & forgetting to update the printer settings at that time. Once I did things improved to a degree, but just not as good as I'd like. As ever, money always comes into the picture & at the moment I've no mission of upgrading any of the equipment, so might just save up for original colour inks just to see if they make any difference at all. If they do, then at least I'll know where the problem lies.

Had just hoped there might be a cheaper solution.

In your experience should you get true colour representation if equipment is configured correctly i.e. true WYSIWYG (allowing for certain variations in monitors etc)?