HP Printers - Manage color settings

Use the HP EasyColor option

Learn how images can be enhanced using the HP EasyColor option available in the HP print driver.

Note:

The HP EasyColor option is enabled by default in both the HP PCL 6 print driver for Windows, and the HP print driver for macOS.

HP EasyColor used with the HP PCL 6 print driver for Windows automatically improves mixed-content documents printed from Microsoft Office programs.

HP EasyColor scans documents and automatically adjusts photographic images in .JPEG or .PNG format.

Rather than dividing an image into several pieces, HP EasyColor technology enhances the entire image at one time, which results in improved color consistency, sharper details, and faster printing.

HP EasyColor used with the HP print driver for macOS scans all documents and automatically adjusts all photographic images to improve the color consistency and sharpen the image quality.

In the following example, the images on the left were created without using the HP EasyColor option. The images on the right show the enhancements that result from using the HP EasyColor option.

Example of an image created without HP EasyColor (left) and with HP EasyColor (right)

Disable HP EasyColor

To disable HP EasyColor and manually adjust the color settings, follow the steps below that pertain to your operating system (Windows or macOS).

Windows:
1. In the software program, select the Print option.
2. In the Print dialog box, select the printer, and then click Printer Properties or Properties.
3. In the software dialog, click the Advanced tab.
4. In the HP EasyColor drop-down list, select Off.
5. Click OK to close the software dialog.
macOS:
1. In the software program, click the File menu, and then click the Print option.
2. Select the printer.
3. Click the Color/Quality Options tab, and then clear the HP EasyColor check box.

Change the color theme for a print job (Windows)

Follow these steps to change the color theme for a print job from the software program in Windows.

In the software program, select the Print option.
In the Print dialog box, select the printer, and then click Printer Properties or Properties.
Click the Advanced tab.
Make sure the HP EasyColor option is set to Off.
Click the Basic tab.
Next to the Color Mode option, click More Settings.
In the RGB Color Theme drop-down list, select a color theme from the following options:

Note:
The RGB Color Theme defines how the printer processes color printing.
- Printer Default: Uses the default theme for the printer.
- Office (sRGB): This is the best option for most of your printing needs. Colors are optimized to match the RGB colors on the screen while still providing vivid images and graphics. This option interprets RGB color as sRGB, which is the accepted standard for many software companies and organizations, such as Microsoft and the World Wide Web Consortium.
- Photo (sRGB): Select this option for a photographic-targeted rendering of documents and images.
- Device RGB: Prints RGB data in raw device mode.
  
  To render documents properly when this option is selected, you must manage color in the program in which you are working, or in the operating system.
  
  Note:
  Use this option only if you are familiar with the procedures for managing color in the software program or in the operating system.
- Photo (Adobe RGB 1998): Prints documents that use the Adobe RGB color space rather than sRGB.
  
  For example, some digital cameras capture images in Adobe RBG. Documents that are produced with Adobe Photoshop use the Adobe RGB color space.
  
  When printing from a professional software program that uses Adobe RGB, it is important that you turn off the color management in the software program and allow the printer software to manage the color space.
- Vivid (sRGB): Select this option to reproduce graphics (for example, pie charts and bar graphs) with more saturated colors. This option can be useful when printing business documents that do not contain images.
- Custom RGB: Uses a custom profile to emulate color output from another product by modifying how color is rendered.
Click OK to close the software dialog.
In the Print dialog box, click Print or OK to print the job.

Change the color options (Windows)

Follow these steps to change the color options for the print-job from the software program in Windows.

In the software program, select the Print option.
In the Print dialog box, select the printer, and then click Printer Properties or Properties.
Click the Advanced tab.
In the HP EasyColor drop-down list, select Off.
Click the Basic tab.
Next to the Color Mode option, click the desired setting from the following options:
- Color: Select this option to configure HP Smart UPD to print in color on color printers.
- (Grayscale using black only): Select this option to configure HP Smart UPD to print in black and white on color printers using Black Only.
- (Grayscale using CMYK black): Select this option to configure HP Smart UPD to print in black and white on color printers using CMYK Grayscale.
To configure additional color settings, click More Settings next to the Color Mode option and select the desired settings.
Click OK to close the software dialog.

Change the color options (macOS)

Learn how to change the color options for the print-job from the software program in macOS.

From the File menu, select the Print option.
Select the printer from the Printer menu.
Expand the drop-down list, and then select Color Options.
Clear the HP EasyColor check box.
Open the Advanced settings.
Adjust the individual settings for text, graphics, and photographs.
Click Print.

Color options

Refer to the table below to learn about the color options that are available in the HP Smart UPD in the Color Mode > More Settings menu.

Color options
Feature	Function
Edge Control	Specifies how edges are rendered. Edge control has the following components: Adaptive half-toning increases the edge sharpness. Resolution Enhancement Technology (REt) smooths the edges. Trapping reduces the effect of incorrect color alignment by slightly overlapping the edges of adjacent objects. The following options are available: Off: Turns off trapping, adaptive half-toning, and color REt. Printer Default: Uses the printer's default setting for edge control. Note: If you notice white gaps between objects or areas that have a slight shadow of cyan, magenta, or yellow at the edge, select Auto to increase the trapping level. Light: Sets trapping at a minimal level, and turns on adaptive half-toning and color REt Normal: Sets trapping at a medium level, and turns on adaptive half-toning and color REt. This is the default trapping setting. Maximum: Sets adaptive half-toning and color REt on. This is the most aggressive trapping setting.
Halftone	Affects the resolution and clarity of your color output. Printer Default: Allows the printing driver to determine the best method to use. This is the default. Smooth: Provides better results for large, solid-filled print areas. Enhances photographs by smoothing out fine color gradations. Select this option when uniform and smooth area fills are the top priority. Detail: Provides better results for text and graphics that require sharp distinctions among lines or colors or for images that contain a pattern or a high level of detail. Select this option when sharp edges and details are the top priority
Neutral Grays	Specifies the method for creating gray colors used in text, graphics, and photographs. Printer Default: Specifies the method for creating gray colors used in text, graphics, and photographs. Black Only: Generates neutral colors (grays and black) by using only black toner. This guarantees neutral colors without a color cast. This setting is best for documents and grayscale viewgraphs. CMYK Gray: Generates neutral colors (grays and black) by combining all four toner colors. This method produces smoother gradients and transitions to other colors, and it produces the darkest black.

Match colors

Learn about the process of matching colors on printed pages to the colors that display on the computer screen.

The process of matching colors on printed output to the colors displayed on a computer screen is quite complex because printers and computer monitors use different methods of producing color.

Monitors display colors by light pixels using an RGB (red, green, and blue) color process, whereas printers print colors using a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) process.

Several factors can influence the ability to match printed colors to those on a monitor. These factors include:

Paper
Printer colorants (e.g. inks or toners)
Printing process (e.g. inkjet, press, or laser technology)
Overhead lighting
Personal differences in perception of color
Software programs
Print drivers
Computer operating system
Monitors and monitor settings
Video cards and drivers
Operating environment (such as the humidity level)

For most situations, the best method for matching colors on a screen to the printed output is to print RGB colors.

Sample book color matching

The process for matching printer output to preprinted sample books and standard color references is complex. In general, you can obtain a reasonably good match to a sample book if the inks used to create the sample book are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. These are usually referred to as process color sample books.

Some sample books are created from spot colors. Spot colors are specially created colorants. Many of these spot colors are outside the range of the printer colors. Most spot color sample books have companion process sample books that provide CMYK approximations to the spot color.

Most process sample books will state which process standards were used to print the sample book. In most cases, they will be SWOP, EURO, or DIC. To get optimal color matching to the process sample book, select the corresponding ink emulation from the printer menu. If you cannot identify the process standard, use SWOP ink emulation.

Pantone® color matching

Pantone has multiple color matching systems. The Pantone Matching System® is very popular and uses solid inks to generate a wide range of color hues and tints.