 Sherri McGee |
Printing Problem I have a HP Photosmart 1215 printer. It has two ink cartridges. One for color and one for black and white. I have been happy with the print quality until recently. When I print a picture using both color & black ink (night shots and sillhouettes) the blank ink reacts badly to the page in the photo album. It sticks to the album and looks wet. I let the pictures dry at least 1 or 2 days before I put them into the album. I have used HP Premium Photo Paper and also Kodak Premium Photo Paper. Has anyone else had this problem. I don't know if I need a different kind of photo paper or a new printer. I had the same problem with both brands of photo paper I used. Does anyone have suggestions?
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David J. Varela |
hey sherrie, I work with a rep from HP and he says that you should try using HP's photo cartridge. its the same as the color buy geared for making prints. I think its a number 58.the draw back is that you have to remember to switch out your regular color to the photo color when you want to use it. although some people just leave the photo in all the time. But just so you know HP came out with these amazing new printers in last month(not that much $), so you should go check them out.
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Sherri McGee |
Thank you David. I just checked online for the cartridge and the 58 photo cartridge fits into the 7000 series printers. According to the chart I found, there are no photo cartridges that fit the 1215 printer (the one I own). Can you please have your coworker correct me if I am wrong. Thanks again for your help. I hope to find a solution to this problem that doesn't require buying a new printer.
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Piper Lehman |
Sherrie, I also use the HP 1215. If I'm not mistaken, I believe when printing color images, the color cartridge will mix colors to print the black areas, i.e., you are not using the black ink cartridge when printing color images. This means more ink, which means more dry time. You can change the drying time in the printer's toolbox menu. It's probably a good idea to let all prints dry, regardless of the amount of dark ink, as they can smudge easily. You might also try a different photo paper to lessen drying time. I like Kodak's high-end photo paper - the thicker weight, the better. The courser your paper, the more it 'drinks' ink though. High gloss paper takes longer to dry, but it also makes a better looking print. It might help to think of the drying time somewhat corresponding to the archive quality of your finished print. The more ink you use, the longer the print should retain its color and not fade. This is probably just in my mind, but it seems to work out this way in my work.
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Sherri McGee |
Thank you Piper. I just got out my printer manual. I didn't know I could change the drying time and ink levels. My settings are still set at the factory preset levels. How long do you allow your photos to dry before you put them in an album? I let them dry 24 hours. Is that long enough? I will lower the ink levels on the black photos and reprint them. Thanks again for your help.
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Piper Lehman |
I figure the prints are dry enough when you can touch them without it being sticky or leaving a fingerprint. 24 hours seems like plenty long enough. You might look into that spray lacquer stuff that portrait shooters use to "archive" their prints to 'permanently seal' the color before putting them into your album. I think Hobby Lobby has the spray. Photo stores like B&H and Adorama should also carry it. Good luck!
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