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Q177576: Color Printing Problems with Windows NT 4.0

Article: Q177576
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): WinNT:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprint
Last Modified: 07-SEP-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you print in color under Windows NT 4.0, the color quality of the printed
output may not have the same consistency as what is viewed on the screen.

CAUSE
=====

The use of a color management procedure is needed for colors to be kept
consistent across hardware. Currently, Windows NT 4.0 does not have support for
a color management technique known as image color matching (ICM).

To give the impression of continuous tone, Windows NT uses a process called
halftoning. The current version of Windows NT does not support halftoning on
24-bit (or higher) devices.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The number of colors that a device can display ranges from almost none
(monochrome devices) to virtually limitless (24-bit devices). About midway in
this range is a class of output devices that can support full-color resolution
(or near full-color resolution) but can concurrently display only a limited
number of those colors.

Despite differences in imaging technologies and color capabilities between
devices, image color matching ensures that a color image will look the same, or
as close as possible to the same, when output to screen, paper, film, and other
media. Applications typically use image color matching to let users create color
images on the screen that can then be reproduced exactly on a printer or on
other screens.

For more information on image color matching, please see the following
documentation at these web locations:

http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/devdes/icm.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/platform/icmwp.htm

Halftoning is the process of grouping a number of adjacent pixel locations
together to form a cell. Within that cell, appropriate colors are placed
according to a defined algorithm, which the human eye integrates to produce the
desired color. This is also called dithering. For more information, please see
the following documentation at this web location:

http://premium.microsoft.com/msdn/library/ddkdoc/ntddk/native/ddk/gg/src/ddioview_21.htm

RESOLUTION
==========

Use a monolithic printer driver from the printer manufacturer if available. A
monolithic driver is a driver that does not use common routines that can be
called from another file. The routines in the driver are written specifically
for the device. These monolithic drivers optimally use the printer by sometimes
using proprietary techniques only understood by that specific printer.

Contact the printer manufacturer for more information on whether a monolithic
driver is available for Windows NT and whether it will improve the quality of
the printed output.

STATUS
======

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.


Additional query words: print quality third party
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Keywords          : kbprint 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Hardware          : ALPHA PPC x86
Issue type        : kbbug

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