To convert to CMYK or not before print with bubblejet? Any help?

[GloriaAZ]

Hi All,
being a beginner in PHOTOSHOP I have a question which may sound silly for experienced folks but I feel need to find the correct answer.
It is about printing PShop images with bubblejet.
Usually we get an image from web, which is in RGB mode and just print it. It looks ok but isn't it better if this RGB image is first converted to CMYK and than send to my Cannon bubblejet ?
I want to get the best possible color reproduction from the printer...
Someone told me it doesn't really matter because the printer will automatically convert the RGB pic into CMYK and properly utilize its CMYK inks, but it seems to me too simple a solution..
But then I am still learning Photoshop (version 5.5) and may be wrong.

What do pros and experienced users will advise me - to convert to CMYK or not before printing on my Cannon bubblejet?

Waiting for any practical replies!
THANKS GLORIA

[NEMESIS]

Hi Gloria,

First i strongly suggest you to read the manual of your printing device. There you could find useful information about what color space your printer use for print, and what resolution your printer can handle. These two reasons are very important for correct printing. So let's start with color space:

1. Always work, edit, retouch images in RGB color mode. And if your printer use RGB color space than you don't need to convert your documents to CMYK. Usually printers are calibrated for ( i said usually ) sRGB IEC61996-2.1 color space.
Otherwise if your printer use CMYK color space for printing than if you have done working on your images you can by all means convert it to CMYK and print documents that way. NOTE: Do not at any circumstance after you converted RGB document to CMYK and you have remembered that you want to do something more with it, to convert it again to RGB. That's the best way to destroy your image. Is better to undo few steps till you get to RGB again than continue working on your images. The best file formats you could use to print your documents are non-layered TIF, TIFF (proven from experience) and PDF.

2. Resolution. Since you said that you download images from web and print them, here may occur some problems. Usually resolution of the images on the web is 72ppi and that is way way bellow for correct printing. Lowest concerned resolution for desktop printers is 150ppi so that printed material would have decent quality. I would recommend to you not to go bellow 180ppi. So if you have read the manual of your printer and there says that your printer can handle resolution of 300ppi than by all means print your documents on that resolution (why wouldn't you when your desktop printer can handle it :D ). Or you maybe want to send your documents to professional output device such as offset printer (is commercial printing device) your documents have to be 300ppi. Don't go above 300ppi because there is no visible quality only your working files are bigger (gigantic :D ). And for offset printer color mode you have to use is CMYK and only CMYK (remember the working and editing part, RGB than when finalized CMYK).

This is basic version for correct printing, a short one. There is academies for printing so printing is a science :D
If any questions about resolution, post it here because is completely other topic but very important one. Concept of resolution is great deal for best result for printing.

Hope it was helpful

See ya