Adobe photoshop elements User Manual

Page of 296
CHAPTER 13
264
Printing
Some print spooler programs, computer 
networks, and third-party printer drivers don’t 
support files that are binary or JPEG-encoded, and 
some PostScript output devices accept binary and 
JPEG-encoded image data only through their 
AppleTalk and Ethernet ports, not their parallel or 
serial ports. In these situations, you can select the 
ASCII encoding method. However, ASCII files 
contain about twice as many characters and 
require about twice as much time to transfer as 
binary files. (See “Photoshop EPS format” on 
page 250.)
To change the encoding method:
1
Choose File > Print Preview, or click the Print 
Preview button in the shortcuts bar.
2
Select an option from the Encoding menu.
Using color management when 
printing
Understanding when to use color management 
requires an understanding of how colors are repre-
sented in digital images. Photoshop Elements uses 
a grid of elements known as pixels to represent 
images. When you view an image on your monitor, 
pixels are displayed using red, green, and blue 
light. When you print an image on a desktop 
printer, pixels are reproduced using colored inks. 
The number of inks used in the printing process, 
as well the exact color value of each ink and the size 
of the dots printed, are determined by the printer 
manufacturer.
Because your monitor operates in a different color 
space than your printer, and different printers 
have different color spaces, the colors you see on 
your monitor can vary drastically from those in 
the printed image. Color management provides a 
solution to this dilemma. In a color-managed 
workflow, you use color profiles to ensure that the 
colors remain consistent. (See “About color and 
computer graphics” on page 65.)
Converting colors to a different color space usually 
involves an adjustment of the source or image 
colors to accommodate the gamut of the desti-
nation printer or output device color space. 
Different translation methods use different rules 
to determine how the source colors are adjusted; 
for example, colors that fall inside the destination 
gamut may remain unchanged, or they may be 
adjusted to preserve the original range of visual 
relationships as translated to a smaller destination 
gamut. These translation methods are known 
as rendering intents because each technique is 
optimized for a different intended use of 
color graphics.
To determine if you need to use color management 
when printing:
1
Print an image without color management. 
2
Compare the colors in the printed image with 
those on your monitor. If the color fidelity is not 
acceptable, use color management.