Color Setting Changes and Explanations (PCL5c and PCL6 Driver)

Use the Color tab in PCL5c and PCL 6 drivers to specify predefined color-option settings or to fine-tune color treatments and half-toning. Color output can also be converted to grayscale from the Color tab.

Accessing the Color tab

Right-click the 4600 driver icon.

Select Printing Preferences.

Click the Color tab.

Click the Settings icon.

Color options

Use the Color Options group box to adjust the independent color controls. These options affect the color rendering and print quality of the print job. The following options are found in Color Options:

Automatic - Select this option to use default color settings.

Manual - Use this option to change the default color settings. Click the Manual option button, and then click the Settings button.

Print in Grayscale - Select this option to convert color information to grayscale and print the document in black and white.

Manual color settings

When the Settings option button is clicked, the Color Settings dialog box appears with default settings supplied in the settings boxes. To change these settings, make the desired selections using the drop-down menus in the Color Settings dialog box, and then click OK. A dialog box appears prompting to save the selections as a Custom or Manual setting.

The Manual Color Options dialog box offers independent control of neutral grays and halftone for the three major page components: text, graphics, and photographs.

The Neutral Grays: drop-down menu controls the selection of a device-dependent color table that is embedded in the printer firmware. The options are Black Only or 4-Color. It is possible to adjust the Neutral Grays: setting independently for text, graphics, or photographs.

Black Only - This option generates neutral colors (grays and blacks) using only black toner, which ensures that neutral colors do not have a colorcast.

4-Color - This option generates neutral colors by combining all four colors of toner, which produces smoother gradients and transitions to non-neutral colors. It also produces the darkest possible black.

The Halftone setting controls the selection of a device-dependent halftone algorithm that is embedded in the printer firmware. The Halftone options, Detail and Smooth, affect the resolution and clarity of the color output. It is possible to independently adjust halftone settings for text, graphics, and photos.

Smooth - This option provides better results for large, solid-filled print areas. It also enhances photographs by smoothing out fine color gradations. Choose this option for uniform and smooth area fills.

Detail - This option is useful 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 for sharp edges and detail.

The General Color Options settings are Edge Control and RGB Color.

Edge control, which determines how edges are rendered, consists of two components: adaptive halftoning and trapping. Adaptive halftoning increases the edge sharpness of text and graphics while maintaining the quality of area fills. Trapping reduces the effect of color plane misregistration by slightly overlapping the edges of adjacent objects. The following options are available:

Off - Sets Trapping and Adaptive Halftoning to Off.

Light - Provides minimal trapping. Adaptive Halftoning is set to On.

Normal - Provides the default Trapping setting. Adaptive Halftoning is set to On.

Maximum - Provides the most trapping. Adaptive Halftoning is set to On.

Settings under RGB Color affect the color treatment for all objects and determine how colors are rendered. The options are Default (sRGB) and Device.

Default - This option interprets RGB color as standard default RGB color space (sRGB), which is the accepted standard for many software companies and organizations, such as Microsoft and the Worldwide Web Consortium.

Device (sRGB) - This option sets the printer to print RGB data in raw device mode. To render photographs properly when this option is selected, it is necessary to manage color in the software application being used or in the operating system.

NOTE: If the software application converts text and graphics to raster, the Photographs settings also control the Text and Graphics settings.