Canon duplex printing - quality degraded

[Touche]

Pixma iP4000

Why is printing quality degraded if duplex printing is activated? Is there a
way to fix this?

Draft only:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8167/canonnonduplexzo4.jpg

Draft + duplex:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8470/canonduplexae9.jpg

 

[Roy G]

Pixma iP4000

Why is printing quality degraded if duplex printing is activated? Is there
a way to fix this?

Draft only:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8167/canonnonduplexzo4.jpg

Draft + duplex:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8470/canonduplexae9.jpg

If you are using "DRAFT", you don't really expect any kind of quality,
whether single or duplex. Do you??

Roy G

 

[Touche]

If you are using "DRAFT", you don't really expect any kind of
quality, whether single or duplex. Do you??

Well, the problem here is that draft w/o duplex is
perfectly acceptable for majority of my prints, while w/ duplex it's not
acceptable at all. Since the printer is capable of more than adequate
quality while printing in draft mode, I just want the option to use it with
duplex also.

 

[Roy G]

Well, the problem here is that draft w/o duplex is
perfectly acceptable for majority of my prints, while w/ duplex it's not
acceptable at all. Since the printer is capable of more than adequate
quality while printing in draft mode, I just want the option to use it
with
duplex also.

Very Strange !!

Roy G

 

[Martin ©¿©¬ somewhere]

Pixma iP4000

Why is printing quality degraded if duplex printing is activated? Is there a
way to fix this?

From what I have read, less ink is applied during duplex printing so
that it doesn't show though on the other side so much.

 

[Dan G]

I use duplex all the time on my 4000, with 28# copy paper and "normal"
settings. I've never noticed any difference when printing color and text
flyers. I'd say your problem is due to the use of draft settings. You can
use draft with a high-res paper setting, but the result will be much the
same as using normal with plain paper settings.

 

[Touche]

I use duplex all the time on my 4000, with 28# copy paper and "normal"
settings. I've never noticed any difference when printing color and
text flyers. I'd say your problem is due to the use of draft
settings. You can use draft with a high-res paper setting, but the
result will be much the same as using normal with plain paper
settings.

I've tried to use draft with better quality paper setting, but duplex is
greyed out then
I guess I'm stuck with "standard" quality setting, which is unfortunate
because draft is a) faster, b) consumes less ink.

 

[Touche]

From what I have read, less ink is applied during duplex printing so
that it doesn't show though on the other side so much.

That is what I'm guessing too. But it's totaly unneccessary, because even if
I print in high quality on both sides of the paper, everything is fine. I
just wish they made it possible to bypass this internal driver setting.

 

[zakezuke]

I've tried to use draft with better quality paper setting, but duplex is
greyed out then
I guess I'm stuck with "standard" quality setting, which is unfortunate
because draft is a) faster, b) consumes less ink.

To do what you want to do, you have to use the duplex feature in your
print dialog box, not in printer properties. If you don't see the
duplex mode as an option, print pages 1,3,5..999 and then pages
2,4,6...1000. The last number can be higher than your actual page
count, so long as you print odds and evens.

Duplex mode mixes pigment and dye ink, we presume to save ink and to
prevent bleeding. It is something not much more than a toy on inkjets
in general.

 

[KnightCrawler]

The draft mode without duplex is pigment black ink and when you use
duplexing feature it only uses a composite black instead of true black.


The only solution for this is to use manual duplex and print the odd
pages first and the even pages after. It will be faster and it will
look better.

The automatic duplex feature is a JOKE because of this lame decision by
Canon and how they worried that pigment black ink would soak through
and ruin the other side of the page.

 

[measekite]

[email protected] wrote:

The draft mode without duplex is pigment black ink and when you use duplexing feature it only uses a composite black instead of true black. The only solution for this is to use manual duplex and print the odd pages first and the even pages after. It will be faster and it will look better. The automatic duplex feature is a JOKE

Manual duplex is a joke because there really is no such thing.  Some call it that for just flipping the paper over.  I use duplex all of the time and the results are very satisfactory.


because of this lame decision by Canon and how they worried that pigment black ink would soak through and ruin the other side of the page. Touche wrote:



Pixma iP4000 Why is printing quality degraded if duplex printing is activated? Is there a way to fix this? Draft only: http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8167/canonnonduplexzo4.jpg Draft + duplex: http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8470/canonduplexae9.jpg

 

[Charlie+]

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:18:20 +0100, "Touche" <[email protected]>
wrote as underneath my scribble :

This is a well trodden path see many previous threads - if you want the same
quality as non duplex you have to use IP4000 as manual duplex and turn the
paper stack over by hand..
Charlie+

 

[Touche]

The draft mode without duplex is pigment black ink and when you use
duplexing feature it only uses a composite black instead of true
black.
Ahh...

The only solution for this is to use manual duplex and print the odd
pages first and the even pages after. It will be faster and it will
look better.

As I said in reply to zakezuke, I'm stuck with Canon drivers if I want to
print more pages per side from programs that don't have their own (manual)
duplex option.

The automatic duplex feature is a JOKE because of this lame decision
by Canon and how they worried that pigment black ink would soak
through and ruin the other side of the page.

Really stupid decision. Ok, they could have done it like that, but should
have made it an option!

Thank you all for answering.

btw I've contacted Canon asking for a solution, but my guess is there won't
be any.

 

[Touche]

To do what you want to do, you have to use the duplex feature in your
print dialog box, not in printer properties. If you don't see the
duplex mode as an option, print pages 1,3,5..999 and then pages
2,4,6...1000. The last number can be higher than your actual page
count, so long as you print odds and evens.

That is an option if I print from Word, but unfortunately Acrobat Reader or
PowerPoint don't have duplex option. This isn't a problem if I want to print
odd pages on one, and even pages on the other side, but manually typing what
pages to print if I have 2 or even 4 pages per side in >100 page document is
definitely not practical. Damn Canon!

Duplex mode mixes pigment and dye ink, we presume to save ink and to
prevent bleeding.

Absolutely unnecessary.

 

[zakezuke]

Really stupid decision. Ok, they could have done it like that, but should
have made it an option!

Thank you all for answering.

btw I've contacted Canon asking for a solution, but my guess is there won't
be any.

Pretty much. Seriously their drivers are a tad limited in features an
options. Their target market is pretty much the plug and play crowd.
I would like it if their prints were more object oriented, as in
pigment for text and dye black for images if on anything other than
plain paper, or be able to define pigment black for outlines and such.


But it's resolved easily enough in software.

 

[Touche]

I would like it if their prints were more object oriented, as in
pigment for text and dye black for images if on anything other than
plain paper, or be able to define pigment black for outlines and such.

But it's resolved easily enough in software.

By the user or their driver development team?

 

[Charlie+]

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:37:24 +0100, "Touche" <[email protected]>
wrote as underneath my scribble :

Get a little program called FinePrint - this allows all the extra options, on
top of the printer's facilities, we use it as the default printer and
everything is printed through FinePrint which has instant preview , multiple
pages to sheet, border choices, will configure to manual duplex, yada yada -
invaluable tool! There is a trial version. Have a go and letus know!
Charlie+

 

[Touche]

Get a little program called FinePrint - this allows all the extra
options, on top of the printer's facilities, we use it as the
default printer and everything is printed through FinePrint which has
instant preview , multiple pages to sheet, border choices, will
configure to manual duplex, yada yada - invaluable tool! There is
a trial version. Have a go and letus know! Charlie+

Sounds like a good workaround. I'll give it a try. Thx.

 

[zakezuke]

By the user or their driver development team?

I don't know enough about the canon protocal to say "by their
development team". But one can print odd and even pages and manualy
flip and get normal quality on both sides. It's usually in the windows
print dialog box "duplex". It's a normal print job if you print odd
pages, and another normal print job if you say print evens.

pages 1,3,5...999
pages 2,4,6...1000