Ongoing ICC profile & Photoshop issues, Help please?

[Chris-P-Midlands]

Hi, I spent a long while getting to grips with installing my ICC profile and also learning the basics of Photoshop. Although I can see a slight improvement in the colours produced, Any text on the item is now slightly blurred and not as sharp as the text when I was just using windows publisher to produce print outs. The 2 photographs to show the difference in text clarity. Is there any adjustment on photoshop that I can make to improve the sharpness of text ?

[Chris-P-Midlands]

[LEFT]I have also just noticed that when looking at the design as it sits in photoshop even looks poor quality when compared side by side to the design when its sitting in publisher. Why would this be ?[/LEFT]

[GoonerGary]

Is your printing file set at 300ppi?

[webtrekker]

Have you got any pressed items for comparison rather than just the printed wraps?

[InkExpress]

Ensure your artwork is set to 300DPI, if the image is from off the internet it is most likely at 72DPI (screen resolution) and is not ideal, but can be used as long as the resolution is increased.

Programs like Publisher will only show an image as screen resolution so it will look decent, when opened in Photoshop or other more advanced pieces of software the image issues will be shown more clearly.

You can easily change the DPI by selecting IMAGE> IMAGE SIZE > RESOLUTION : change to 300 (pixels per inch)

In regards to colours you should always heat press the print before making a judgement as images printed on the paper do not look how they should. When heat pressed sublimation ink goes through a chemical reaction, the inks change colour slightly - generally becoming brighter.

Below is a good example; image printed on to sublimation paper-

vB_ID:5305

IMG_0540.jpg (89.33 KiB) Viewed 19 times

Image following heat transfer onto a t-shirt-

vB_ID:5305

IMG_0540.jpg (89.33 KiB) Viewed 19 times

[webtrekker]

Can I just say, increasing the resolution of a 72dpi image to 300dpi will not improve the image. It may improve slightly, due to Photoshop's scaling algorithms, but may appear with jagged or blurred edges. The best thing to do is to start off with an image of 200 to 300 dpi at roughly the size needed.

For simple, non-photographic images, it's sometimes possible to vectorise a small image then upscale it to the size you require to achieve a better result.

[Chris-P-Midlands]

Thanks for your help & suggestions. I do realise that sub printouts look different on paper to the finished pressed article. I thought I had said that the difference was as apparent on the pressed item, as i had printed & pressed a few trying diferent settings. My main issue was that Photo shop was reoprodicing exactly the same immage poorer than publisher was, and this apprently in both the paper print, and the pressed item (mug) It was the text that was poorer, not as sharp. But the colours were fine, better in fact with photoshop. CP

[InkExpress]

Can I just say, increasing the resolution of a 72dpi image to 300dpi will not improve the image. It may improve slightly, due to Photoshop's scaling algorithms, but may appear with jagged or blurred edges. The best thing to do is to start off with an image of 200 to 300 dpi at roughly the size needed.

For simple, non-photographic images, it's sometimes possible to vectorise a small image then upscale it to the size you require to achieve a better result.

Agree Webtrekker, it was more of a 'quick' fix if the OP had already got their artwork and didn't want to / have time to remake it from scratch at 200-300DPI in PS.

Obviously making print resolution ready artwork from the offset is always the best way to ensure the bets final results.

Alex