Canon PIXMA MP600 cable question

[Brendan R. Wehrung]

I hooked one of these up tonight. Was I supposed to get a USB cable with it?
(None found)

I started out with a generic inkjet paper I had. Is the MP600 finicky
about what it will print well on? How about for photo use, if not ($$$)
Canon photo paper? I've acquired cheap or "free after rebate" HP and
Epson papers over the years I've never tried and wonder if they will
react properly.

Brendan

 

[Tom Crooze]

I hooked one of these up tonight. Was I supposed to get a USB cable with
it?
(None found)

I started out with a generic inkjet paper I had. Is the MP600 finicky
about what it will print well on? How about for photo use, if not ($$$)
Canon photo paper? I've acquired cheap or "free after rebate" HP and
Epson papers over the years I've never tried and wonder if they will
react properly.

Brendan

If you're not happy with it...return it! Perhaps you should have bought a
'cheap ' or 'free after rebate' Epson or HP to go with your paper
Obviously , you had a spare USB cable , possibly from a previous printer ,
so why would you need a second ?

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Most printer manufacturers have stopped boxing cables with their
printers. My suspicion is because cables are often very highly
profitable for the retailer. The retailers probably asked the printer
manufacturers to stop including them. It was a "win-win" ... the
manufacturers saved 40 cents or so per cable, and the retailer could try
to sell one for $15 (making about $14 profit!), since they weren't
making anything on the printer.

I usually suggest people go to their local "Buck or two" dollar store
and pick one up for $1-2.

Art

 

[Brendan R. Wehrung]

If you're not happy with it...return it! Perhaps you should have bought a
'cheap ' or 'free after rebate' Epson or HP to go with your paper
Obviously , you had a spare USB cable , possibly from a previous printer ,
so why would you need a second ?

Actually, it was "great deal after rebate (if you buy a computer"--which I
was doing anyway). My Lexmark was 4 years old and I needed a reliable
printer for my backup computer, so the Lexmark returns from whence it came.

Brendan

 

[Brendan R. Wehrung]

I've been playing around with my new Canon MP600. I find that it seems to
print a little red and needs a mite more contrast.

For any given print I can check the image optimizer box and I found manual
color adjustment (although that does not seem to have a great deal of
affect).

My question is, if I come up with settings that seem to work for one photo
(or a series of pictures), how do I save these to make them a default?

Canon's manual tries to hard so be precise, with all those notes, that it
is almost incomprehensible.

Brendan

 

[Dan G]

You want to create a profile for your specific type of paper, and a separate
profile for each and every paper type you use.

Suggest you start by calibrating your monitor, so that what you see is in
fact "correct". Then get a set of color bar test sheets to print, and set up
the profile. Do not use the special effects settings, except perhaps "vivid
photo". It really depends on your paper. Expect to use 10-20 sheets of
photo paper to get the profile exactly right.

Some papers benefit from using the "transparency" paper type setting instead
of photo paper type, but be sure to try all the different paper type
settings.