good photo, bad print?

[charlotteinkennesaw]

Hey Guys,
I am loving Elements so far...it has been rough trying to learn it alone. Glad help is available from you.
I have an edited photo that I used layers on, used "hard light" and upped the saturation so that the colors are really vivid. Also sharpened to get good detail. The problem is that when I print the photo, it turns muddy, the colors are not what I see on my screen. Since I had this problem before on my HP printer, which is supposed to print photos, I assumed it was outdated so I purchased a Canon MX700 which came highly recommended at Staples.
Any idea what I am doing wrong?? This is very frustrating.:(

[ladybug]

Welcome to the forum there are a lot of wise forum members here and i am sure that someone can help. I however mud when they start talking colors it is above my head so , welcome to the forum and i hope someone comes along soon to help.

[frank abramonte]

Hi chrarlotteinkennesaw.
1. Have you assigned a color profile to your photo?
It should be sRGB ICE61966-2.1

2. Choose Photoshop Elements to determine color, not the printer.

3. Choose a paper profile for your printer.
You can find them on the spec sheet packed with your photo paper, or follow this list.
"Printer Profile".
Listed are the following profiles:
BJ Color Printer Profile 2000
Canon i560 MP2 Matte Finish with a custom quality setting of 2
Canon i560 PR1 Photo Paper Pro with custom quality of 1.
Canon i560 PR2 Photo Paper Pro with custom quality of 2.
Canon i560 PR3
Canon i560 SP1 Photo Paper Plus Glossy media with custom quality of 1.
Canon i560 SP2 Photo Paper Plus Glossy media with custom quality of 2.


4. Calibrate your monitor if you wish to see what you print.
There are a number of calibrating tools from about $90.00 and up.
For home use you can use the HueyPro from Pantone, about the least expensive. I doubt if you will ever get an exact match between monitor and print unless you invest in a high tech monitor for over $2,000 and a fairly good quality 6 or 8 ink printer.
To get the best you would also have to have a printer that can be calibrated along with your monitor.

At this point why not begin with assigning a color profile to your photo.
Post back if you need additional info.

PS: One other point, are you printing on the correct side of the photo paper. If you not the print will come out all smudged.