Solved: my pictures are printing grainy, what can I do - HP Support Community

mab711 · ‎11-03-2012

I have been using the same camera and this same printer to print pictures from for years. Now all the pictures I print are very grainy.

Shane_R · ‎11-15-2012

Sorry. I think that last response by me was meant for another post. I get my wires crossed sometimes. I would try getting HP photo paper. I would start with a small pack just to test if there is a difference. Let me know what you find. I'll look into some other possible causes in the mean time.

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Bob_Headrick · ‎11-04-2012

Please read this post then provide some details. What printer model? What operating system? What is the resolution of the images you are printing? What size prints? Are you printing on photo paper or plain paper? Make sure your driver settings match the media type you are using.

For best results printing you would want at least 200 pixels per inch (ppi) of source resolution. Typical screen images on the computer will look OK at 72 ppi.

Bob Headrick, HP Expert
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mab711 · ‎11-04-2012

printer model: photosmart C8180

operating system: 7

the resolution of the images: 72dpi and 96dpi

size prints:4x6

printing on photo paper

Bob_Headrick · ‎11-04-2012

OK, the image resolution is the issue. If you print an image with resolution of 200-300dpi you will get much better results. While 72-96dpi is fine for screen images it really is not suitable for printing. Try downloading the test image here and printing it, that would verify your printer is working OK and the issue is with the images.

Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
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mab711 · ‎11-04-2012

I printed the test page you sent and it still came out grainy

Bob_Headrick · ‎11-04-2012

What program are you printing from? I just opened the test file from my browser and printed it on my Officejet 8600 and it looked good even at 8.5x11.

Bob Headrick, HP Expert
I am not an employee of HP, I am a volunteer posting here on my own time.
If your problem is solved please click the "Accept as Solution" button
If my answer was helpful please click "Yes" to the "Was this post helpful" question.

mab711 · ‎11-05-2012

I just opened it from the link in my browser also, but it still looked grainy.

Shane_R · ‎11-08-2012

Does it print grainy if you print on plain paper?

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mab711 · ‎11-12-2012

It looks better on plain paper, so what can I do to make it look the same on photo paper.

Shane_R · ‎11-12-2012

Are you using refilled or remanufactured ink? What brand of photo paper are you using? How old is the ink, and how old is the photo paper?

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my pictures are printing grainy, what can I do

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