Instructions on how to calibrate the printer Epson, HP, Canon, and others

The Importance of Printer Calibration - Konica Minolta Color, Light, and Display Measuring Instruments

It will be necessary to calibrate the printer, and in fact, the print head, if there are defects when printing on paper: a violation of color rendering, overlapping letters, lines, images on top of each other, blurring. It can be done in several ways: with the help of official utilities from manufacturers, and special programs, and if this does not bring results, then you will need to use the device “calibrator”. This article will walk you through the step-by-step algorithms for calibrating inkjet and laser printing devices from Epson, HP, Canon, and others in different ways.

Contents

1 A bit of theory
- 1.1 Action instruction
2 Using the maintenance utility
3 Features of laser printer calibration

A bit of theory

Calibration of the printer is required if the printed sheets have visual defects: distortion, blurring, incorrect color balance, overlapping colors, or imbalanced contrast.
As a rule, the reasons for such failures lie in mechanical damage. For example, when moving equipment to a new location, the print head may move. Distortion is also caused by heavy paperweight. You need to fix the problems to get the printing device working again. How to do this depends on the type and model.
When the device starts to junk, it itself will signal the need for diagnostics. There is no universal printer calibration frequency. It all depends on how often and how long it is used. The main thing is not to miss the “warnings”.
With the help of calibration, the color balance and contrast are normalized, the clarity of words and images is returned, the problem of “collision” of letters and pictures with each other is solved.

Action instruction

Before proceeding with the calibration itself, you need to prepare everything, namely: connect the printer to the computer, put a few sheets of paper in the tray, and turn on the device.

The computer may not recognize the printer at first. In this case, you will need to reinstall the driver. First, you need to remove the old software. The newest version of the driver you are interested in should be looked for on the official website of the equipment manufacturer or in our catalog.

Using the maintenance utility

The main reason why the color balance is out of order or letters and lines are overlapping, lies in the violation of the position of the print head. Therefore, first, you need to tackle fixing this problem.

You need to follow these steps:

Go to the “Start” menu, and then “Control Panel”.
Select the “Devices and Printers” section.
Find your printing device, right-click and select “Printing Preferences” (Epson).

Epson

Go to the Service tab, and below select the Printhead Alignment menu item.
In the drop-down windows, click Next and Print.
Wait for the calibration sheet to print and follow the instructions in the window that opens.
If squares with stripes are found, the head will need to be recalibrated.

Canon

Select the Align Printhead option.
A job is sent to the printer to print a calibration sheet.
Now you need to find the samples with the least noticeable lines. List them in the appropriate columns.
Perform similar actions along with the horizontal stripes.

HP

HP technology uses similar proprietary software for servicing printing devices. All steps are similar to the instructions for Canon or Epson but may differ depending on the specific model. The sequence of user actions for calibration is as follows:

Go to the section with printers and scanners through the control panel.
Select your own and select Printing Preferences or Printer Properties from the context menu.
On the tabs, find the item Service or with a similar name.
Click on the Calibrate button, and then follow the instructions of the program prompts.

Manipulation of cartridges

Some office equipment models have several ink cartridges of different colors. They are used unevenly: some paint is consumed more, others less. If you need to deactivate certain cartridges or turn on everything, then this is done according to the following algorithm:

In the Maintenance tab, you need to select Cartridge Options.
Specify the desired option from the list, click OK
Turn the printer off and on again to activate the new settings.

Extra options

And you can also enable additional special parameters of the printing device. They help improve printer performance, extend the life of parts, and reduce the risk of operating errors. To do this, you need to find the Special parameters option in the Service tab, and there you can select several options:

Preventing paper scuffs
Align Heads Manually.
Preventing Double Feeding

In addition, the length of the drying delay can be adjusted with the slider. In the end, do not forget to activate the selected configuration by clicking “OK”.

Cleaning other components

To avoid paper feed problems or smudges on the paper, you should periodically clean some parts of the printer. To do this, you need to pay attention to the functions in the tab With their help, you can deeply clean the pallet, nozzles, rollers. After selecting the desired option, a window will appear on the monitor with step-by-step instructions for cleaning.

Tincture of flowers

The final step in calibration is a color adjustment. This is required if the color balance on the printed sheets is not at all the same as on the monitor. Or you don’t like the color configuration and want to change it. The algorithm is as follows:

You need to go from the Maintenance tab to Color Management, and click there on the button with the same name.
From the list Devices select the desired printer, put a checkmark on the option Use my settings for this device.
After that, click Add and select one of the available template configurations, or upload your own through the “Browse” button.

In the end, you must remember to save all the changes by clicking OK

Printer Color Calibration | Custom Print Profiling Solutions

Using ProfilerPro and a scanner

Another way to calibrate your printer is to use ProfilerPro. It will fit most brands, including Pantum, Xerox, Samsung. The program will only work with Photoshop, so you need to install it from the official Adobe website. Photoshop does not need to be configured, just go to the menu with two options presented – DoctorPro and ProfilerPro. Choose the second one, launch it.

Further, the algorithm will be as follows:

Select Print
Color Correction
Select speed
Set Poor print quality
Choose A4 format
Set profile
Color Correction
Save the template
Start printing

Typically, calibration takes 10-15 minutes. It depends on the brand of the printing device itself, as well as the power of the computer.

Calibrator Device

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If all these measures did not help to calibrate the printing device, you will need a device – a calibrator. The most common brands are SpyderPRINT, Pantone, X-Rite. The composition includes the device itself and a stand for it. It connects to the printer via USB. Additionally comes software from the manufacturer.

SpyderPRINT – the main advantages of SpyderPRINT calibrators: correction of scales using a large library of templates and profiles, work with different interfaces, the choice of the desired language. The calibration procedure using such a device is not a minute matter, and therefore you will have to wait. After its completion, you do not need to immediately turn on the printer, it should dry for at least 15 minutes.

Pantone – When using a Pantone brand instrument, the calibration can be performed in 2 methods – easy and advanced. In the first case, automatic settings are applied, and the color spectrum is not involved. With extended calibration, all parameters are assigned. Duration – up to half an hour.

X-Rite – the advantages of X-Rite calibrators include: simple installation, intuitive software, fast operation, use of the latest technologies, color correction, compatibility with different printing devices.

The main disadvantage of these devices is their high cost (the cheapest “start” from 20 thousand rubles). Typically, the help of a calibrator is used in enterprises that deal with printed products.

Features of laser printer calibration

Calibration of the laser printing device occurs without additional programs, through the settings. By default, it is recommended to do it after each cartridge replacement.

The sequence is simple (example for devices equipped with a control panel on the case):

Connect the printer to the network.
Place multiple sheets in the tray.
Start the menu, select Printer Calibrator
Click Print
Mark the required templates.
Compare instances.
Reprint.

Color imbalances are eliminated. This method is suitable for different manufacturers of office equipment – Epson, HP, Canon.

Many models allow this procedure to be performed in a similar way to inkjet:

Through the control panel, go to the section with a list of printers installed on the PC.
Go to properties, and then to device parameters.
There find the button “Calibration.”