Why Do My Photos Print Too Dark in Adobe Photoshop Elements?

Printed photos may appear darker than they did onscreen.

Dark printed photographs most often result from an RGB (Red, Green and Blue) to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) color mode transfer. Computers and digital devices use the RGB mode to produce images, whereas printers use CMYK. The color mode transfer usually results in images printing darker than they appear on screen.

Light and Ink Primary Colors

According to the online digital service Marvin's Corner, if you "combine red, green and blue light, you get white light." Digital media mix these three colors to produce images seen on screen. Printers, however, rely on mixing pigments--rather than light--to produce an image on paper. Therefore, CMYK are the four primary colors of ink and are required to print photographs.

Adobe Software Solution

In Adobe Photoshop there are two ways to transfer the color mode before printing. One option is to start a new document in CMYK mode before creating or placing an image. In the initial pop-up screen for a new document select the drop-down menu for color mode and select CMYK. If the image is already created, switch the color mode by selecting "Mode" from the Image menu, then selecting "CMYK." Finally, edit the document to lighten it until it shows as desired for printing.

Other Solutions

Alternative, you can manually lighten photo using digital photography software. This option may require some test prints to see how much the images need to be lightened on screen. Additionally, all printers have slight differences. Using a different printer may solve the darkness problem.

References

• Marvin's Corner