You printed a pattern and something is off: the colors are darker than on screen, there is a white border, the design is cut off, or the motifs look fuzzy. Nearly every problem comes from a handful of settings. Find your symptom below.
Colors are darker or duller than on screen
This is the most common complaint, and it is partly physics: a screen emits light, paper only reflects it. Some difference is normal. To narrow the gap:
- Set the paper type correctly. “Plain paper” mode limits ink and gives flat color on matte stock. Choose matte, cardstock or premium matte.
- Turn down screen brightness when you judge colors. Phones and laptops at full brightness make every print look dark.
- Use white, coated paper. Uncoated or cream cardstock absorbs ink and warms every color.
- Check ink levels and run a nozzle check. A nearly empty color cartridge shifts the whole palette. Greens turn yellow, purples turn blue.
- Try the printer’s color adjustment and raise brightness a step if your printer always prints dark.
Pale, streaky or banded prints
- Switch quality to High or Best.
- Run the printer’s head cleaning and alignment utility.
- Large solid backgrounds show banding most. A busier pattern hides it, or print on a printer with fresh ink.
White border around the print
Most home printers cannot print to the very edge of a sheet. Your options:
- Turn on borderless printing if your printer supports it for that paper type and size. It usually works only with certain paper types.
- Trim the margin off with a paper trimmer. A Letter sheet trimmed to 8 x 10.5 in still covers most card and layout pieces.
- Plan for it: cut your pieces from the center of the print, or layer the printed paper on a cardstock mat so the edge never shows.
Pattern is cut off or the wrong size
- Check the scale. The print dialog should say “Actual size” or 100%. “Fit”, “Shrink oversized pages” or “Fill” all change the scale.
- Match the file to the paper. Letter PDFs are for Letter paper, A4 PDFs for A4. Printing one on the other with scaling creates margins or crops.
- Check the paper size setting in the printer driver, not just in the app. Some printers default to the last size used.
Prints look blurry or pixelated
- Print from the original JPG or PDF, not from a screenshot, a web preview or a file you downloaded from social media.
- Do not enlarge the file beyond its size. A 12 x 12 JPG at 3600 pixels prints sharp up to 12 x 12 inches. Stretching it to a poster softens it.
- Choose High quality. Draft mode prints fewer dots.
- If only one color looks soft, run a head alignment.
Ink smudges or the paper curls
- Let prints dry flat for a few minutes before you touch, cut or stack them. Matte inkjet paper dries faster than glossy.
- Heavy ink coverage on thin paper causes curling. Use heavier paper for dark designs, or press the dry print under a book overnight.
- For decoupage and wet glue, use a laser print or seal inkjet prints with a clear spray first. See our decoupage guide.
Cardstock will not feed
- Use the rear or manual feed slot if your printer has one. It has a straighter paper path.
- Feed one sheet at a time and fan the stack first so sheets do not stick together.
- Check the maximum paper weight in the manual. If your cardstock is heavier, step down a weight.
Still not right?
Print one page of a simple pattern from our free sampler with the settings from our printing guide. If that prints well, the problem is the original setting, not the printer. If you bought a Hearth Paper pack and still have trouble, email us at [email protected] with a photo of the print and we will help.
