Online Labels Forum

I'm printing on the white matte removable labels with an inkjet HP Envy 4500 printer and the black ink just loves to smear all over the place. I am printing stickers and need the colors to be bright and vivid so I set the settings to "best". With it set to "best" the colors are great and all, but whenever I touch any of the black lines it smears all over everything. If I print on "normal" it doesn't smear nearly as much, but then the quality isn't there; there are clear lines in the artwork. I originally had the paper settings to "auto" but then changed it to "plain paper" I haven't had enough time to really test the results. I think it may have smeared less than "auto" but that's from a quick exam. Does anyone have any ideas on what kind of settings I should use to stop it from smearing? I just tried ordering some weatherproof labels to see if those will help but I still have 75 pages of these matte ones I have to use up.

I have the same issue with my HP Envy 4520

Pharmucho - To add to Dave's response, adjusting the material type setting can have a significant positive impact on smearing issues as well. Using the default or plain paper setting will sometimes lead to ink that is susceptible to smearing when printing on glossy or plastic film surfaces. Adjusting the paper type setting to Photo or Glossy should improve the print durability on these types of surfaces.

If you've made these adjustments and are still experiencing issues please just let us know and we'll be happy to continue looking into it for you.

DJ_Balogh -

Printing a full black background with a desktop inkjet printer can prove challenging. Large amounts of concentrated black ink have a tendency to over-saturate the top-coating used on most glossy inkjet materials when printing with the default printer settings. Selecting the "Best" quality option will typically result in bolder colors, but also tends to exacerbate the over-saturation issue.

The biggest key to improving the print durability and reducing smearing and smudging is the paper type setting. The default paper type setting for the HP ENVY 4520 is Plain Paper. Plain Paper settings typically output a higher volume of ink since uncoated paper products are very absorbent and require more ink output to produce vibrant colors on that type of material. Using the Plain Paper setting on a glossy material may result in a more vibrant printed image, but it will likely also over-saturate the glossy top-coat - leading to a greater chance of encountering smearing issues.

Selecting the Other Photo Inkjet Papers setting is the best way to ensure that smearing won't be a problem. This setting will make sure that the correct amount of ink is being applied to the glossy top-coating in order to avoid smearing and smudging. As you mentioned in your post, you may see a slightly duller appearance for black backgrounds when compared directly to prints using the Plain Paper setting that is over-saturating the glossy top-coating. Unfortunately, this is simply a limitation of the printer model combined with the material type and design featuring a full black background.

We keep a wide variety of different inkjet and laser printer models on hand for testing purposes, including the HP ENVY 4520 that you're currently using. I spent some time this afternoon print testing black labels on the white gloss inkjet material in hopes of finding some possible suggestions to provide to you.

Here's what I found:

- Using the default Plain Paper setting will provide a truer black background color, but will also result in smearing no matter what.
- Using the Other Photo Inkjet Papers setting will result in print that cannot be smudged, with the faded black background that you reported in your post.
- Using the Other Photo Inkjet Papers setting and manually adjusting the quality setting to "Best" will provide a darker black background that cannot be smudged, but it still won't quite match the depth of the black color possible on the over-saturated Plain Paper prints that are prone to smearing and smudging.

If you've tried the combination of the Other Photo Inkjet Papers setting with the "Best" quality setting and are still not satisfied with the print quality, you could potentially use a clear protective spray like Krylon Preserve-It to "seal" the labels after printing with the Plain Paper setting. This should add durability to the print, while allowing you to maintain the darker black background achieved by over-saturating the material. You can view some tips on applying the Krylon Preserve-It spray in the article linked to below:

https://www.onlinelabels.com/articles/how-to-make-labels-waterproof.htm

It's important to note that the spray will not make the white gloss inkjet material "waterproof" as it's still a paper based material that isn't intended to hold up to consistent contact with moisture. It should dramatically improve the durability of the print though, and should also provide some protection from incidental contact with moisture.

If for any reason you decide you're unable to use the label material you've purchased we'll be happy to accept it back for a refund on any unused material. You can initiate a product return by visiting the link below:

https://www.onlinelabels.com/return.htm

I hope this helps. If you need any additional information please just let me know.