One/two pictures in a collage doesn't print

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One/two pictures in a collage doesn't print

I am using Mac Montery 12.1. Pages 11.2. I am making photo collages for my Epson ET-8550 ink jet printer. A couple weeks ago I did a collage with about 10 pictures, and one of them wouldn't print, the special effects (shadow) was there, but not the picture. I moved on. This week I made another collage with 8 picture and several small text boxes. This time 2 pictures won't print. The center picture has the shadow like last time, the other picture doesn't have any effects turned on, and it is simply missing. I compared formats and so on as others have suggested, but no luck. I printed 3 times, twice to normal paper, and once to photo paper. I haven't tried deleting and reinserting the picture, but the other posts suggest that won't help.

So...I sent the document to my old color laser printer and it works just fine on regular paper (except the quality is really low and I get red streaks which is why I purchased the ink jet).

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Feb 20, 2022 10:46 AM

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Answer 1

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erlingdr Author

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Feb 22, 2022 8:28 AM in response to VikingOSX

Progress :)

I went to print - save as PDF. The file was 34.7MB, the Pages document is 37.8MB. The screen version of the PDF looks fine, the printed file gets the same results, same three pictures not present. Then I did Export - PDF and reduced the quality to 1.3MB (BETTER vs Best) and printed that on regular paper. It DOES PRINT all the images! I printed to the good paper, and the quality difference is there, but not visible without scrutiny (clearly visible with magnification). I can play with file size to get better results. Attached is a comparison between full size file (with missing images) and reduced size file (will all images) so you can see quality.

So I think we are onto the issue, file size. It seems my new printer can't handle it but my old printer is OK. As I look back on my other prints, I see the 50MB file had a problem, and the 28.7MB file printed just fine. So for now it seems the cutoff is 30MB. I will report this finding to Epson and manage file sizes for my weekly collage. Thank you.

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Answer 2

Feb 20, 2022 12:29 PM in response to erlingdr

Update to Monterey 12.2.1 and verify that you are using the most recent Epson ET-8550 printer drivers. The last printer driver for it was released in Oct 2021 v11.52 for macOS 12.x. Just installing the driver will not allow the printer to recognize that version, and one must right-click on the printer entry in System Preferences > Printers & Scanners, select Reset printing system…, and then re-add the printer with the new driver selected.

If this does not correct the issue, then it could be software that you are using to create the collage or a limitation of the memory in the printer in resolving your collage images. Might be a reason to inquire with Epson or the collage software vendor about these issues.

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Answer 3

erlingdr Author

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Feb 20, 2022 5:39 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you for the fast response. I upgraded the computer to macOS12.2.1 and updated the printer driver to 11.52, removed the printer and re-added it (and verified it was on 11.52). I reprinted the Pages (v11.2) document, and this time one more picture failed to print. I will reach out to Epson as well, but look for any additional ideas you might have.

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Answer 4

Feb 21, 2022 6:51 AM in response to erlingdr

Pages v11.2 was not designed with the intention of being a free collage creation tool. You can search for the word collage in the Mac App Store, and there are plenty of choices. I would not purchase any of these unless there is a free trial from the developer's website and have verification of functionality.

There is no means for any of us users to know with any certainty if Pages v11.2 has a limit to the number of images that can reside on the individual foreground or background layers. If you export the collage from Pages to a PDF, are all images present? Is it the same image that is missing, or a random number of images that are missing when printed?

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One/two pictures in a collage doesn't print

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