Printing Clipart?

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Printing Clipart?

Clipart question for y'all.

The problem I'm having is not with printing clipart, but printing them out so they actually look good. I mean, is this even possible? I have a bunch of clipart, which on my computer screen is clear, crisp and colorful, but on paper looks like krappola (excuse the language).

I'm not in the mood to fool around with my printer settings or going out to buy and try every type of paper there is. I've spent a lot of time surfing the Net for answers, so now I'm hoping for some Mac guru out there to lead me to the promise land. Someone, who preferably, has experience printing clipart.

I'd like to make high-quality flashcards using the clipart I've downloaded at some of the top art sites. So what exactly do I need? I understand A4 Plain Paper is probably not going to do it for me. So what paper will? What settings do I need to set the printer to? Do I even have the right printer?

I'm using a Canon iP4300, 9600x2400 dpi with 5 separate ink cartridges.

Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

eMac 1GHz PowerPC G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Oct 25, 2006 12:39 AM

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Answer 1

sig

Level 8

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Oct 25, 2006 2:58 AM in response to Genki Genki

What format is the clipart in? .jpg, gif, etc..? What program are you using to print out the clipart

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Answer 2

Genki Genki Author

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Oct 25, 2006 4:06 AM in response to sig

.jpg format. Mostly the clipart is being print from a Microsoft Word Document.

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Answer 3

sig

Level 8

35,862 points

Oct 25, 2006 3:14 PM in response to Genki Genki

Try printing it from another application and see what happens.

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Answer 4

Oct 25, 2006 7:48 PM in response to Genki Genki

What type of files did you download? Are they screen resolution (72 pdi)? what file type (gif, jpeg, tif, EPS)? Are they RGB or CMYK colour space (RGB will work best for your printer I would think)

Try importing the files into Photoshop or something similar and saving them as a tif or jpeg (RGB colour space). Also make sure you import them at the size you will be printing them (approximately). If you enlarge them too much they will look jaggy, etc. Low resolution web images will look like krap if you try to enlarge them too much.

If you're making flash cards print them on a thicker paper - try a matt photo paper and make sure your print settings are set to the proper paper type.

PowerMac G5 Dual Mac OS X (10.4.2)

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Answer 5

Genki Genki Author

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Oct 25, 2006 9:05 PM in response to Simon Hall

Most of the clipart I use is in JPEG format and at 72 dpi (which matches a typical monitor resolution).

If I didn't resize them at all, why can't I get the same quality that I see on my screen when I print them out. That I just can't understand.

When you say try matte photo paper, are you talking from experience? Sorry, but there must be some precise step by step instructions out there for doing this. I mean, people use clipart all the time. I can't be the only one who is dissatisfied with the quality one gets when printing. It's just so frustrating to see how great they look on my monitor and not be able to produce them as a hard copy.

Appreciate your help and everyone elses who has taken the time to give me their advice. 🙂

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