hello,

I'm very new to using photoshop. I can do the basics. After reading a thread on here raving about redfields sketch master I bought it and have been playing with it for several weeks. It is an awesome tool, but I have run into a snag. Although the pictures look great on the computer when I try to print the images they look terrible.

I have tried resizing before using the filter, resizing after filter, not resizing and letting the print function fit to page, I have tried playing with the pixel resolution. Nothing seems to work, the printed out pictures are not very attractive. Out of about 100 images I used sketchmaster on only 3 printed out looking half decent. too much blur and stretching. They do look great on the screen in photoshop and also the screen for sketchmaster. They just do not look good when you print.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

todd

hello,

I'm very new to using photoshop. I can do the basics. After reading a thread on here raving about redfields sketch master I bought it and have been playing with it for several weeks. It is an awesome tool, but I have run into a snag. Although the pictures look great on the computer when I try to print the images they look terrible.

I have tried resizing before using the filter, resizing after filter, not resizing and letting the print function fit to page, I have tried playing with the pixel resolution. Nothing seems to work, the printed out pictures are not very attractive. Out of about 100 images I used sketchmaster on only 3 printed out looking half decent. too much blur and stretching. They do look great on the screen in photoshop and also the screen for sketchmaster. They just do not look good when you print.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

toddHi Todd...

The symptoms you're reporting may be a function of image resolution before/after you resize. Are you having the same quality issues with images that are unmodified by any plugin or filter and that you have resized?

The following info would be helpful...

Open an unmodified image to which you would apply SketchMaster. Then...
* Image > Image size: What are the values for Width and Height (in inches) and Resolution?

How are you going about enlarging the image for printing? (Include setting values, too.)

~Danny~

along with what danny asked, i have to ask if you are using layers and flattening all your layers before you try to print?

additionally, printer technology and computer technology did not evolve along the same lines. thus, they dont really 'think' the same way and dont necessarily communicate very well together sometimes. there is a certain amount of compromise that gets done when you send a file from your computer to your printer, or at least potentially so. some folks convert their images to cmyk first, before sending to print. others can explain this better, but it's basically a color palette issue. the range of colors available on the computer is generally far greater than that on the printer and the printer has to translate the palette into something it can recognize and use.

there is a way in photoshop to check your images first to ensure they will print more correctly, but since i dont have photoshop i cant give you the exact details. it has to do with 'gamut' and 'out of bounds' and so on. check your photoshop manual or the photoshop help sites or do a search in here or maybe someone else here will post something on this.

it could also be a hardware/software/ink issue. if your printer is using the wrong inks or isnt calibrated correctly or the software is a bit out of whack or the drivers are wrong, you could also have problems getting the right colors. check your printer manual's troubleshooting guide or if they have an online help/support site, try there.

also, if your monitor isnt calibrated correctly you may be seeing the wrong colors where your printer is seeing the right colors and thus they wouldnt match up. i doubt this is the case though, since you did get some to print right.

you might also try sending one of your files to a friend or post it here and ask someone to print it on their printer and tell you if it came out right. that might narrow the problem down.

oh, and welcome to RP :)

craig

When I open a picture, I go to image-image size. I then change the width and heighth to 8X10. I then use redfield to get the effect I want. I go to print with preview and it looks ok on most images. but when I print I usually get little blurred boxes in the image.

I am currently trying something new. I open the image. go to image-resize. I uncheck the resample image and change the resolution to 300. Click ok. Then I go to image resize and recheck the resample and change the size. This has worked on the first one but I don't know if it's a fluke or if this is actually going to work.

the attachment is one that doesn't print correctly for me. it looks good on my screen but the printed copy doesn't look good.

Thanks for your replies.

todd

it looks good on my screen but the printed copy doesn't look good.Before you print sure the Actual Pixels option is in effect (Window > Actual Pixels). Viewing in this mode is the most accurate predictor of what printed results will look like quality-wise. (It's not uncommon for printed colors to not match colors on the screen, but that's a different issue.)

8"x10" at 300 ppi should be fine for printed output.

What's the image width, height and resolution before upsizing? That's important info to know.

Keep us posted on the outcome of your experiments.