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Subject:Re: printing a manual with Mac OS X screen shots From:"Richard G. Combs" <richard -dot- combs -at- voyanttech -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Sep 2002 14:31:32 -0600
Erin Sellers wrote:
> I recently sent a manual that has Max OS X screen shots to the printer for
> printing on a Docutech. Though the screen shots looked okay on our
laserjet
> printer, on the printer's proof they looked very pale and washed out. The
> printer says he can't do much to fix the problem. Has anyone had a problem
> printing Mac OS X screens and were you able to fix it?
What did you send to the printer? Source files, PostScript, or PDF? What
printer driver and settings?
You say the output looks OK from your LaserJet. Are you printing to it using
PCL or PostScript? Are you printing from the source files (what
application?) or from a PDF?
A screen capture is just an arrangement of pixels. To the printer, it
shouldn't matter whether the screen that was captured was on a Mac, PC, or
Nintendo -- if you've got a clear, sharp image it should print that way.
One possible explanation occurs to me: IIRC, the Docutech uses "write-white"
technology (it "paints" all the dots that _shouldn't_ have toner applied,
instead of the ones that _should_). As a consequence, lines in an image can
become thinner on the Docutech, and very thin lines can break up or even
disappear.
If you're creating PostScript or PDF output that prints properly on another
PostScript printer, but looks "thinner" or "lighter" when printed on the
Docutech, that might be the problem. If that's the case, the printer *can*
adjust the print density to correct the problem. If the printer can't or
won't do that, shop for another printer.
HTH!
Richard
------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT voyanttechDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT freeDASHmarketDOTnet
303-777-0436
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