Microsoft KB Archive/67436

Printing Solid, Undithered Colors on the PaintJet PSS ID Number: Q67436 Article last modified on 10-29-1991 PSS database name: W_PowerPt

2.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

The Hewlett-Packard (HP) PaintJet and PaintJet XL printers use four colors of ink to print in color. Because they are limited to the use of these four colors of ink, any other color must be produced by “dithering.” In this case, the printer uses small dots of different-colored inks together to create the appearance of a new color.

More Information:

Black, magenta, cyan, and yellow are the four colors of ink that the PaintJet uses to create a full range of colors. If you use pure magenta, cyan, or yellow, your printout will be smooth and nondithered.

None of the colors in the Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows default palette is pure magenta, cyan, or yellow. To create these colors, select More Colors from the Change A Color dialog box. In the More Colors dialog box, select the following numerical values of red, green, blue, hue, saturation, and luminance to achieve the underlined color below:

Magenta
Hue: 54613 Saturation: 65535 Luminance: 32767 Red: 65535 Green: 0 Blue: 65535

Cyan
Hue: 32767 Saturation: 65535 Luminance: 32767 Red: 0 Green: 65535 Blue: 65535

Yellow
Hue: 10922 Saturation: 65535 Luminance: 32767 Red: 65535 Green: 65535 Blue: 0

Magenta and cyan will look different on the screen in PowerPoint than they will when they are printed. In PowerPoint, magenta will look like a pinkish-purple and cyan will look like a greenish-blue. When they print, magenta will be redder and cyan will look like sky-blue. The colored dots on the backs of the ink cartridges give a fairly accurate depiction of the printed colors.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1991.