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Pictures are pale using Windows 7 PC, OK with prev XP machine ! |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sheffield
Posts: 2,215
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Pictures are pale using Windows 7 PC, OK with prev XP machine !
Does anyone know what could be causing a strange printing problem ? ! ?
We use a Canon MP260 printer and when we link it up to our older XP machine the pictures are fine. But when the same printer is used on the newer Windows 7 PC the prints are all washed out / too pale. We actually thought the cartridges were low (they were reporting as "low ink") so we replaced them but it made no difference, and the low cartridges work fine on the on the XP machine anyway ! |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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Well it's the software on use on each machine that you should be looking at, not the hardware.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2010
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Hi Justin,
Have you installed the W7 specific drivers? Here's the MP260 UK Support W7 drivers. Note I selected the W7 x64 (64-bit) operating system ones. You should install downloads Nos. 2, 6, 8 & 9 and any of the optional ones that are relevant from reading the descriptions of what they are for: http://www.canon.co.uk/Support/Consu...90335468283764 I think No.7 is a marketing one only, so I reckon you could give that a miss. |
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#4 |
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Quote:
Well it's the software on use on each machine that you should be looking at, not the hardware.
I assume I`ll have to remove all the existing software from my PC then reinstall the new stuff ? This is a classic case where it`d be most helpful if I could just phone up Canon and ask them but I`m so certain I wouldn`t be able to I`m not even going to look for the phone number. Even if there is a phone number I bet the person in Customer Service wouldn`t know what the hell I was on about..... |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sheffield
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Quote:
Hi Justin,
Have you installed the W7 specific drivers? Here's the MP260 UK Support W7 drivers. Note I selected the W7 x64 (64-bit) operating system ones. You should install downloads Nos. 2, 6, 8 & 9 and any of the optional ones that are relevant from reading the descriptions of what they are for: http://www.canon.co.uk/Support/Consu...90335468283764 I think No.7 is a marketing one only, so I reckon you could give that a miss. I don`t think I`ve got the 64bit W7, how would I know ? Just to make this clear I have to download all 4 seat of drivers ? Should I delete all the software I`ve already got installed ? I have to say I`d have thought many users of this printer (e.g. my Aunty ! ) wouldn`t know where to start with all this, I`m not sure do and I run my own website ! Why is life so complicated these days ! ! ! |
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#6 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Reading
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Quote:
Thanks for that, I suspected that might be the case so I went on Canon`s website to download the correct software for my W7 machine. I can`t actually remember whether I did it off the CD when I got the PC. But on the Canon download page there are no less than 9 (NINE ! ) sets of software/drivers ! How the hell are you supposed to know which one to use ?
1 and 2 are the basic programs for operating the printer. Though you can probably do most of what 1 does with other software. 2 would be needed if you scan photos/documents. 6 is the main driver for the printer and is probably the only one that is essential. 9 seems to be an add on for the generic driver bundled with Windows. Might be less necessary if you install the drivers in 6? The others seem optional from their descriptions. Quote:
I assume I`ll have to remove all the existing software from my PC then reinstall the new stuff ?
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#7 |
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Join Date: May 2004
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Quote:
Sorry I was writing my answer as you were posting !
I don`t think I`ve got the 64bit W7, how would I know ? Just to make this clear I have to download all 4 seat of drivers ? Should I delete all the software I`ve already got installed ? I have to say I`d have thought many users of this printer (e.g. my Aunty ! ) wouldn`t know where to start with all this, I`m not sure do and I run my own website ! Why is life so complicated these days ! ! ! |
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#8 |
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Quote:
They all have a description (however brief) that should help you decide if you need them or not. Of the 9 options.
1 and 2 are the basic programs for operating the printer. Though you can probably do most of what 1 does with other software. 2 would be needed if you scan photos/documents. 6 is the main driver for the printer and is probably the only one that is essential. 9 seems to be an add on for the generic driver bundled with Windows. Might be less necessary if you install the drivers in 6? The others seem optional from their descriptions. Not necessarily. The new software should overwrite the old if it is indeed newer than what you already have. Often the installer will pop up a message telling you to uninstall the old stuff if it needs that doing. Or may pop up a message asking if it is OK to uninstall the old stuff before continuing. Or (more likely) just get on with it. |
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#9 |
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Download No. 6 has different versions for W7 and W7 (x64). To find out whether you have W7 32-bit or x64 64-bit, click Start, then Computer, then in the left hand navigation pane right click Computer and select Properties from the drop down command menu. This will take you to the Control Panel System window and under the heading System there is System type. This will say 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System.
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#10 |
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I`ve now installed 1 + 2 + 6 + 7. All the others say "optional"
I tried to install 9 but it keeps coming up "printer not connected" despite the fact I`ve done test prints with it ! Incidentally one of the packages wouldn`t install because it was Windows 7 64 bit. I discovered my W7 is 64 bit (via Start > Right click on Computer > Properties). After all that the pictures are still pale, despite the fact I removed all the previous software before starting just to ensure I was using the bang up to date stuff ! I shall do more investigations and tests when I`ve got time. I still think there`s something deeply deeply wrong that it`s so complicated just to install a printer, I`m sure many - maybe most ? - peoples` eyes would just glaze over if confronted by that list of drivers/software on the Canon site. I somewhat naively expected I`d just go on there select printer and operating system and click one button and it`d all be done..... |
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#11 |
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Quote:
Download No. 6 has different versions for W7 and W7 (x64). To find out whether you have W7 32-bit or x64 64-bit, click Start, then Computer, then in the left hand navigation pane right click Computer and select Properties from the drop down command menu. This will take you to the Control Panel System window and under the heading System there is System type. This will say 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System.
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#12 |
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Quote:
Download No. 6 has different versions for W7 and W7 (x64). To find out whether you have W7 32-bit or x64 64-bit, click Start, then Computer, then in the left hand navigation pane right click Computer and select Properties from the drop down command menu. This will take you to the Control Panel System window and under the heading System there is System type. This will say 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System.
Not sure what was going on before, though I have used CCleaner to clear out the dross since then so that may or may not be significant. |
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#13 |
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When I suggested "software" as the problem I wasn't thinking of drivers, although I suppose there could be an issue there.
I meant the application software that is being used on each PC. Only the OP would know if the software being used is different on each PC. So this is an important question, is the application software the same? -------------- I just downloaded the 32bit and 64bit versions of this: MP260 series MP Driver Ver. 1.02 Unzipped them (often works with .EXE installation files) and briefly looked at the files within and they seem identical, even the dates/times created. So likely it's just the front-end that is 64bit/32bit with the actual driver files the same. Not that that matters here! |
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#14 |
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Quote:
When I suggested "software" as the problem I wasn't thinking of drivers, although I suppose there could be an issue there.
I meant the application software that is being used on each PC. Only the OP would know if the software being used is different on each PC. So this is an important question, is the application software the same? -------------- I just downloaded the 32bit and 64bit versions of this: MP260 series MP Driver Ver. 1.02 Unzipped them (often works with .EXE installation files) and briefly looked at the files within and they seem identical, even the dates/times created. So likely it's just the front-end that is 64bit/32bit with the actual driver files the same. Not that that matters here! |
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#15 |
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Other idea, the driver for Windows 7 might have a standard setting that is deliberately desaturating images when the paper is selected as "Normal"
This might be seen as an "improvement" by Canon over the driver for Windows XP. Maybe the Win XP machine has an old driver and if the newer ver 1.02 driver were to be installed on the WIn XP machine then those images would come out light as well. Solution: Look in the settings of the printer driver on your Win 7 machine and look for an "HQ" setting or "High" or something similar. Or try selecting a different paper type in the settings, such as coated. |
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#16 |
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Quote:
Other idea, the driver for Windows 7 might have a standard setting that is deliberately desaturating images when the paper is selected as "Normal"
This might be seen as an "improvement" by Canon over the driver for Windows XP. Maybe the Win XP machine has an old driver and if the newer ver 1.02 driver were to be installed on the WIn XP machine then those images would come out light as well. Solution: Look in the settings of the printer driver on your Win 7 machine and look for an "HQ" setting or "High" or something similar. Or try selecting a different paper type in the settings, such as coated. |
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#17 |
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Quote:
I will investigate when time permits and report back.......
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#18 |
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I have checked that the settings on both machines are the same, i.e. both Plain paper. Also if Standard (print Quality) and Auto or Manual (Colour/Intensity) is the same the XP PC is still prints out correctly and the Windows 7 PC is pale !
Try setting the Win7 driver to a higher quality paper, but actually use plain paper in the tray. |
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#19 |
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Quote:
What I meant is that the the Standard on the new (win7) driver might be different.
Try setting the Win7 driver to a higher quality paper, but actually use plain paper in the tray. The only slight problem we`ve still got is we often use the printer to print out sheets of labels and the setting on the two print drivers are different for that too ! On the XP machine by selecting Full page centred (not cropped) the stickers are all perfectly centred on the printing. I think the equivalent setting on the Windows 7 machine is "Full page photo, not fit to paper" but the labels don`t then line up with the print ! I`ve tried one or two other likely settings and they`re even worse.... Are we really going to have to have two versions of the sticker artwork, one to use on each machine ! ? ! Why can`t they stop messing about with things....... |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Dec 2011
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I use this Website to calibrate every monitor, and use the same Colour Profile for each Device.
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ In the OPs message that would be the Monitor and Printer. It is not necessarily a printer problem, it could just as easily be a bad Monitor calibration. In Windows 8.1 Control Panel > Colour Management > Devices Tab > Display > ICC Profiles. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
Thanks T. I tried it on m Goss and it`s OK !.
Incidentally, I don`t type that fast but even I have noticed that there are far more typos and missing letters when I enter text onto Digital Spy than any other forum. Is that just me ? Can that be anything to do with DS software ? |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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DS forums have always been fine for me.
------------------------ With the printing problem is does seem that Canon have fundamentally changed the nature of the later drivers. So I wonder if the driver that was installed on the XP machine is available it could be installed onto the Win7 machine and everything would be the same on both machines? Maybe the original CD that came with the MP260 could be used? -------------- I have looked online at Canon websites world-wide and all MP260 drivers seem to be at 1.02, no earlier versions are available online. I found that the MP260 is the same model as the MP240, renamed for the UK |
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sheffield
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Quote:
DS forums have always been fine for me.
------------------------ With the printing problem is does seem that Canon have fundamentally changed the nature of the later drivers. So I wonder if the driver that was installed on the XP machine is available it could be installed onto the Win7 machine and everything would be the same on both machines? Maybe the original CD that came with the MP260 could be used? -------------- I have looked online at Canon websites world-wide and all MP260 drivers seem to be at 1.02, no earlier versions are available online. I found that the MP260 is the same model as the MP240, renamed for the UK The layout issue might be more to do with the fact on the Windows 7 machine I`m using Photo Viewer to print the pics. Whereas on the XP machine I`m using the older Windows Picture & Fax viewer ? The print layout options aren`t exactly the same. This might not matter that much for most applications but when I`m printing out a "picture" of 8 stickers (which have to align more or less exactly where the stickers are on the sheet) it does matter ! |
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#24 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Posts: 2,215
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We recently replaced the MP260 with an MP280, and had the same problem with the printing ! In fact we also had a problem with the scanning but we`re working on that !
The workaround was the same, to select semi gloss paper even though it was actually plain paper we were using...... |
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