[Mac, desktop] AFPhoto doesn't print the black...

[Mike Swartzbeck]

Not sure if this is an actual "bug" nor — if it is — whether it's an actual Affinity Photo bug or not, but:

Sample: RGB jpg image generated from hand-drawn sketch in AFPhoto on iPad/IOS.

Prints OK from the Pad — except that things shift just a bit darkish — but when printing from the desktop, the black linework doesn't print. ...and yes, I double-extra triple-checked; that was absolutely 100% Black I used to do that sample linework with the Pencil in AFPhoto on the Pad. Weird thing is that it prints that really, really thin hairline around all the black Pencil strokes.

The printer is an Epson WF-2540.

AFPhoto desktop is on an M1 Mac Mini; IOS version is on an M1 iPad Pro/Pencil.

[Dan C]

Hi @Mike Swartzbeck,

Sorry to see you're having trouble! This isn't something I've directly seen previously, however it's possibly related to your colour profiles - as there will be at least 3 in use here.

Can you please confirm for me, which colour profile is in use for:

• The Affinity document itself?
• Your monitor, through your OS?
• Your Printer, through the printer driver?

If you use File > Export in Affinity, then select PDF and use the PDF (for print) preset - generate this file and then print it separately from the Affinity application. Does this produce the same results, or do the blacks print correctly?

Many thanks in advance

[Mike Swartzbeck]

The Affinity document is in RGB/8, sRGB IEC61966-2.1

The monitor is an Acer V173.

The printer is an Epson WF-2540 series.

A fresh PDF export printed from the Preview app produces the same result — that is, the blacks aren't printed. Black ink is starting to run a bit low in the printer, but if it were an ink issue, I'd think I'd be seeing this in every app, in every image I print, but no.

Also, just out of curiosity, I tried to print that image from a screen shot, and it printed that way from the screen shot, too.

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, Mike Swartzbeck said:

Also, just out of curiosity, I tried to print that image from a screen shot, and it printed that way from the screen shot, too.

If the screenshot looks right, but it prints with the black missing, it sounds like a printer issue.

[Mike Swartzbeck]

Y'know, that was one of the first things I thought of... ran the head-cleaning routine, ran the test print... black is getting a bit low but not in the "alarm zone"... but the one odd thing is that images print OK, without the black dropped out, when printing from the iPad. They tend a tiny bit darkish as it wants to print every little colored pixel in an area that appears "white", but otherwise print the full range OK.

This only happens when printing any RGB jpeg image from Affinity Photo on the desktop — or, at least AFphoto is where I first noticed it happening. I also noticed it when testing with jpegs created with Photoshop maybe 5 or 10 years ago. Weird.

[walt.farrell]

22 minutes ago, Mike Swartzbeck said:

This only happens when printing any RGB jpeg image from Affinity Photo on the desktop — or, at least AFphoto is where I first noticed it happening. I also noticed it when testing with jpegs created with Photoshop maybe 5 or 10 years ago. Weird.

So, only from Affinity Photo, and Photoshop, and screenshots?