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I recently ordered a variety of labels in the white gloss and weatherproof gloss varieties. I was SO excited to find a service like onlinelabels.com, until I tried printing. So far I've wasted almost all of my order trying to get my labels correct, and lost a decent amount of $ in the process.
I wanted to print labels with black backgrounds (yes, I'm aware that it wouldn't be a true black, but I'd be happy with something that even comes close). I'm using an HP 5740 inkjet printer and it is absolutely impossible to get a decent print!
When I print on my test sheets of plain paper, they turn out OK, so I know the problem is with the labels. The toner continually comes off, the label smudges, and the colors are wildly inconsistent. I'm using all the tricks and tips I've been able to find in this forum, but so far, no luck. I've lowered my resolution to 300 DPI while simultaneously using the lowest possible ink output... even when the images come out barely visible (I'm using THAT little ink), they STILL smudge. I never touch any part of the page except on the very edge, so I'm out of ideas.
Why would this be? Is there any way to fix this issue or should I give up and look for a printing service? I absolutely love your endless size options and quick shipping but I've spent days in frustration and can't seem to make any of your products work for my business. I've ordered labels from companies like vistaprint that print and ship to you (for 5 cents a label!) and enjoyed true black, vivid colors, and high resolution. What is it about printing at home that makes it impossible to get high quality images?
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 Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895  Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
jaebilder -
Printing a full, black background with a desktop inkjet printer can be a tricky task - black is a very heavily saturated color, so you run the risk of potentially over-saturating the label sheet when printing with the default or high quality settings. Reducing the quality setting can help to some degree, but as you mentioned the image quality can be compromised. Professional printing services are generally using commercial printing presses that behave quite a bit differently from their desktop counterparts.
That being said, there are a couple of additional settings to change that could potentially resolve the problem that you're running into:
- If you haven't adjusted the material type already, please make sure that you select a glossy or photo material type. This can drastically improve the vibrancy and durability of the ink when printed on to a glossy surface. You could probably even increase the ink output to some degree if you're using one of these material type settings.
- When printing your labels click on the "Advanced" button within the printer dialog box. On the pop-up screen, click the checkbox next to "Print as Image" and then click on "OK". Using this setting will instruct the printer to compile the colors used on your design slightly differently, and can sometimes improve issues associated with over-saturation on designs where a lot of black ink is used.
Please try making these adjustments and let me know if you see any improvements in the printed results. If you should require any additional information please just let me know.
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Rank: Label King Posts: 769 Location: Sanford Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 45 post(s)
I apologize for the issue that you are experiencing. Are you noticing that just the black ink is smudging? What happens when you print something that has no black in it? Does it smudge?
I took a quick look at the HP 5740 printer information online and I believe that printer is using a pigment based ink for the black cartridge (vs. dye based ink in the color cartridge - Cyan, Yellow, Magenta). The particles in pigment based inks (your black cartridge) tend to be larger and may not be absorbing into the top coating as well as dye based inks (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta).
Here is some interesting information on the topic. This is an article related to Canon ink cartridges, but I believe it is related.
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/11782/what-is-the-difference-between-canons-black-inks
Let me know if see smudging when you print something with no black in it. If you see no smudging on the colors, I can try to research to see if there is a way to get a dye based black cartridge for the HP 5740.
Thanks.
Dave C.
OnlineLabels.com
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Josh,
Thank you for your tips! If you have any recommendations for affordable desktop printers that behave more similarly to their commercial counterparts, will you let me know? I'm fine with investing in a new printer if it will cut down my printing time (currently spending hours trying to fix problems, get colors right, etc) and produce quality blacks.
Unfortunately I've tried every paper setting imaginable in my print options and have been using "glossy"/"photo" settings this whole time. My printing software is quite old, but I've made sure to fiddle with its photography settings too. Still not sure what the problem is.
Dave,
I tried printing something in lime green and white... lo and behold, no smudging! Your suggestion was brilliant. However, the colors were still wildly inaccurate - lime green was a pale mint, even after I spent 30 minutes color correcting it in my print settings. I increased ink output, contrast, and tried everything imaginable to get a less faded look, but couldn't fix it. Then I tried printing the same image on your white matte labels... it turned out perfectly. What is it about the white gloss?
I'm SO appreciative of you bringing up the pigment vs dye based ink dilemma... I had no idea how big an issue that could be. It seems that is the main problem, although I couldn't find a dye-based ink that would be compatible with my printer. How would YOU go about printing white gloss labels with a black background?
Thank you both so much for your time (and suggestions).
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Rank: Label King Posts: 769 Location: Sanford Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 45 post(s)
Originally Posted by: jaebilder 
Dave,
I tried printing something in lime green and white... lo and behold, no smudging! Your suggestion was brilliant. However, the colors were still wildly inaccurate - lime green was a pale mint, even after I spent 30 minutes color correcting it in my print settings. I increased ink output, contrast, and tried everything imaginable to get a less faded look, but couldn't fix it. Then I tried printing the same image on your white matte labels... it turned out perfectly. What is it about the white gloss?
I'm SO appreciative of you bringing up the pigment vs dye based ink dilemma... I had no idea how big an issue that could be. It seems that is the main problem, although I couldn't find a dye-based ink that would be compatible with my printer. How would YOU go about printing white gloss labels with a black background?
Thank you both so much for your time (and suggestions).
There are thousands of inkjet printers on the market and they all vary in performance. Our white gloss product uses a different coating than the white matte product. The glossy waterproof inkjet product is intended to produce more photo quality results, therefore, it has a different coating than our white matte weatherproof labels. It is obvious based on the results that you are getting that the coating is performing significantly different with your ink / printer. Since you have tried every setting, I think it may be best to have Josh recommend an inkjet printer that we know performs well with the weatherproof inkjet product if you are committed to using our gloss weatherproof material. We can also work on getting you additional sheets of the product to make up for what you have lost during the testing process. I will speak with Josh on Monday to see what he recommends. Dave C. OnlineLabels.com
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Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895 Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
jaebilder -
As far as inkjet printers go, I've had a ton of success using the HP Officejet 8600 with a wide variety of our different materials - the Weatherproof White Gloss included. It's in the same Officejet family as your current printer, but uses an entirely different inkjet set of inkjet cartridges (HP 950/951 vs. HP 62). When using the correct material type settings, this printer is capable of very vivid and durable prints, and seems to do well printing solid black.
Exact color duplication might still be somewhat of an issue due to the glossy inkjet topcoat, but in my experience the colors printed with the HP Officejet 8600 remain relatively true and accurate even on high gloss surfaces.
If you are in the market for a new printer you may also want to consider purchasing a laser printer model. The HP LaserJet Pro 200 is an affordable option and has tested well with our selection of materials. Laser printing generally results in more durable printing results and better reproduction of colors due to the fact that the toner is being fused to the surface of the material, rather than being absorbed into the topcoat.
Unfortunately, we don't offer a high gloss weatherproof material for use in laser printers, but our Weatherproof Polyester material does feature an attractive satin finish that has an almost semi-gloss appearance. You can view more information regarding our Weatherproof Polyester Laser material at the link below:
http://www.onlinelabels.com/material_polyester_laser_labels.htm
If you'd like to try samples of this material before placing an order, you can enter a request at the following link:
http://www.onlinelabels.com/General/SamplesSelectItems.aspx
I hope that you find this information useful. If you should require any additional details please just let me know. I'll be happy to help in any way that I can!
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Rank: New User
Posts: 4
Location: Sanford, FL
The the online labels.com employees responding on this post:
After reading this post and realizing that it was very recent I was wondering if you would recommend the most recent version of the printer you mentioned, the HP Color LaserJet Pro M252dw Printer? I'm currently in the market for a new printer as my inkjet performs very poorly for what I need. I have a home based business where I make and sell soy candles and natural body products. I'm a current customer of yours and I'm in need of white and clear waterproof labels. What's the best printer that you recommend under $300?
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Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895 Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
Marlene -
As far as affordable laser printers go I am partial to the HP Laser Pro 200. I've used it with both our Clear Gloss Laser and Weatherproof Polyester Laser materials and have had a ton of success with both. Most online retailers should have this printer model available near your specified budget.
I hope this information helps. If you should require any additional details please just let me know.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 4
Location: Sanford, FL
When I look it up all sites including Amazon say the 200 is the "old version" and the new one is the one I posted above. Any experience with the new model? According to the sites and reviews it's just the newer version but sometimes that doesn't mean it's the better one.
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Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895 Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
I haven't had the opportunity to test the printer model that you're referring to, but my experience with HP printers in general has almost always been very positive. I'm sure the new model is excellent as well.
Regarding the HP LaserJet 200, I'm still using it as my primary color laser printer even if it is an older version.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 3  Location: London
Hi Josh
I also have smudge problems, this time with just blue letters on round gloss EU30021WS Onlinelabels.com labels
I print from a Dell 1320c label printer.
Please advise
Many thanks
Steven
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Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895 Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
StevenD -
I'm sorry to hear about the smudging issue that you've encountered and I'll be happy to offer any assistance that I can. I was able to locate the user manual for your printer model on Dell's website, and there are a couple of printer options that could potentially improve your print quality.
- The user manual mentions that there are two Paper Density settings: Plain and Label. Selecting the Label paper density should provide the best printing results.
- Separate from the Paper Density setting there should be a Media Type setting as well. This option should also be set to "Labels".
- According to the user manual there is a also setting available for the fuser temperature - just like the settings listed above, this one should be set to "Labels" too.
Setting all of these options properly should improve the quality and durability of your printing results. If you've made these adjustments and are still experiencing the smudging issue, it's possible that the printer is outputting too much toner onto the sheet. You could potentially try reducing the print quality in this scenario.
I hope this helps. If you should require any additional information please just let me know.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 3 Location: London
HI Josh
Thank you for your response.
Sorry, but where do I find 'paper density settings' 'media type setting, and 'fuser temperature'?
When clickiing Help none of these words/descriptions return anything?
Please advise.
Thanks
Best
Steven
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Rank: Label King Posts: 769 Location: Sanford Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 45 post(s)
Originally Posted by: StevenD HI Josh
Thank you for your response.
Sorry, but where do I find 'paper density settings' 'media type setting, and 'fuser temperature'?
When clickiing Help none of these words/descriptions return anything?
Please advise.
Thanks
Best
Steven Steven, When you press the print button, a dialog box normally pops up. In most cases, there is an advanced button or an options button in that dialog box. Just click on one of those buttons and you should be able to find configurable printer options (e.g. media type settings). The look of the print dialog box varies based the printer / print driver so I can't provide exact directions. I hope this information helps. If you aren't able to locate the options let us know and we can do some further research on your specific printer. Thanks. Dave C. OnlineLabels.com
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Rank: OnlineLabels Rep Posts: 895 Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 77 post(s)
Steven,
Unfortunately, I don't have access to the printer model that you're using to print your labels so I am unable to verify the exact location of the settings in question. The information that I provided was pulled directly from the user manual provided on Dell's website. You can access the user manual by visiting the link below:
http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_printers_main/esuprt_printers_color_laser/dell-1320c_user%27s%20guide_en-us.pdf
As Dave mentioned, the advanced settings for most printer models are usually found tucked away in the printer dialog box - usually in a section called "Advanced Options" or "Other Options" or something similar. If your printer model has a screen on the unit itself, advanced options can sometimes be found there as well.
I hope the manual linked to above will help you locate the printer options that you need.
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Rank: New User
Posts: 3 Location: London
Cheers Dave & Josh
I'll investigate and hopefully I can sort it out.
Best
Steven
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Rank: New User
Posts: 1  Location: Ontario
Hello,
I just purchased a CANON MF632CDW imageclass laser printer that hasn't arrived yet and wants to purchase some glossy white laser sheet labels, but before doing so I would like to know if it will be compatible to print my labels that have a black background. And if not what type of laser printers do you professionals at Online Labels requirement for professional-looking labels?
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Rank: Label King Posts: 769 Location: Sanford Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 45 post(s)
Originally Posted by: sus.blackwood@gmail.com Hello,
I just purchased a CANON MF632CDW imageclass laser printer that hasn't arrived yet and wants to purchase some glossy white laser sheet labels, but before doing so I would like to know if it will be compatible to print my labels that have a black background. And if not what type of laser printers do you professionals at Online Labels requirement for professional-looking labels? I don't foresee you having any issues printing a black background with that printer. We do recommend that you set the media type to "Labels" when printing to get the best toner fusion. We are happy to send you some samples of glossy white laser labels to test with your printer if you would like to confirm you are happy with the results. You can request samples at the link below: https://www.onlinelabels.com/samplesThanks. Dave C. OnlineLabels.com Edited by user Friday, November 23, 2018 8:41:53 AM(EST)
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