Hybrid gift gone wrong...help!!!

[mommyrn]

Note to all...never use the VERY FIRST attempt at a hybrid as a gift you intend to give in less than 24 hours. I planned to make an adorable altered composition book, recipe cards and clipboard for a gift exchange for a committee I'm on.

Composition book is done...it's so so, but my printer colors are nowhere near as rich and vibrant as the kit looks on screen. There's a few air bubbles too. Not really the simple "wow" that I was looking for.

Notecards are cute...I've done them a million times though, so no biggie there.

But the clipboard? My printer decided to run out of ink, so the two pages are totally different colors. I cannot for the life of me figure out how you get around the actual clip, and I am too tired to deal with it.

Guess I'll stick the notebook and cards in the bag, but will have to stop at Walgreens on my way to the meeting to pick up another little something.

Poops. So...any tips? And why does my printer use ink so stinking fast? 5 color pages? Really????

 

[wildblueeyez]

Oh no, that's terrible! When I do composition notebooks and other things I try to use full sheets of sticker paper. Makes it MUCH easier than dealing with mod podge and having to let it sit or having air bubbles!

I've never done a clipboard so I can't help you there. the clip part always puzzled me so I figured why bother LOL....I guess you could always use a craft knife to trip around the clip part.

My printer prints muddy colors too...not sure why but nothing is ever as bright and vibrant as it is on the screen!

 

[junebug]

i made a clipboard for my daughter, but i just cut a rectangle out for the clip; with the ribbon on the clip you coudn't tell that it was sort of sloppy. plus it was for DD and she didn't care, lol. here's the one i did

my printer ink doesn't last as long as i'd like either. i printed out two chipboard book pages last year and had a little bit left after. but ink for my HP printer is only $14 so it's not a huge deal to buy more, lol.

sorry you had so much bad luck!

 

[Amber1279]

well if the colors were dark and it wasn't a new ink then it could go fast. What type of paper did you use? Plain cardstock or regular copy paper doesn't give the best results or colors. I use presentation paper, it has a nice feel and the colors always look great.

I also make sure to print at about 600dpi for projects. I use the higher setting for my photos. The higher dpi the more ink and therefore it goes faster. Some even say they drop down the dpi lower

 

[wildblueeyez]

What type of paper did you use? Plain cardstock or regular copy paper doesn't give the best results or colors. I use presentation paper, it has a nice feel and the colors always look great.

thanks for this info Amber! it may very well be why my stuff looks washed out and blah!

 

[CA Dreamer]

Sorry you had such a rough time. It never fails that when an important report or project is due, the darn printer runs out of ink!!! I just wanted to mention that brochure paper works well. I use this for many projects that I print myself because you can print on both sides. Make sure not to buy the tri-fold brochure paper. As the name implies, it is scored for a trifold brochure! I have made cards with the tri-fold paper though and they turn out nicely. They are kind of cute when cut in half--so they end up being 4.25" opening up to 11.5"(about 3.8" per tri-fold).

 

[JenTapler]

Another hint...if you're printing on matte presentation or brochure paper, be sure to change your printer settings to that paper type before printing. This makes a HUGE difference in color vibrancy for me!! And I have to change it every single time I print because it automatically reverts back to default. I use an HP 3-in-1 Photosmart printer and there's a place to select paper type if I click on "Preferences" in the print window that pops up when I hit print in photoshop. I change that to HP Premium Presenation Paper Matte. Seriously, this makes an EXTREMELY noticeable difference in color!!